TO BUY OR NOT TO BUY?

• We are living in a world of sale and shopping

spree. We are given a wide array of products
to purchase from a simple set of spoon and
fork to owning a restaurant. Almost
everywhere, including the digital space, we
can find promotions of product purchase
Belk (1988), stated that
"we regard our
possessions as part of
our selves. We are
what we have and
possess."
 MATERIAL SELF
William James -a harvard psychologist in
the late nineteenth century -wrote in his
book, The Principles of Psychology, in the
year 1890 that understanding the self can
be examined through its different
components. He described these
components as:
1. THE 2. THE FEELINGS
CONSTITUENTS AND EMOTIONS
The constituents of selfTHEY AROUSE- SELF
are composed of : FEELINGS
-material self
-social self 3. THE ACTIONS TO WHICH THEY
-spiritual self PROMPT- SELF-SEEKING AND SELF-
-pure ego PRESERVATION.
According to James, in the
material self, primarily its
about our bodies, clothes,
immediate family, and home.
• The innermost part of material self is our
body. Intentionally, we are investing in our
body. We strive hard that this body
functions well and good, any ailment and
disorder directly affects us.
Next to our body are the clothes we use.
Influenced by the "Philosophy of Dress" by
Herman Lotze. It is believed that clothing is
an essential part of the material self.
The fabric and style of the clothes we wear
bring sensations to the body to which directly
affects our attitudes and behavior. Thus,
clothes are placed in the second hierarchy of
material self. Clothing is a form of self-
expression. We choose and wear clothes that
reflect our self (Watson 2014).
Third in the heirarchy is our immediate
family. Our parents and siblings hold
another great important part of our self.
We place huge investment in our
immediate family when we see them as
the nearest replica of our self.
The fourth component of material self
is our home. Home is where our heart
is. It is the earliest nest of our
selfhood. The home thus is an
extension of self, because in it, we can
directly connect our self.
The collections in different degree
of investment of self, becomes part
of the self. As James (1890)
described self: "a man's self is the
sum total of all what he CAN call his."
Possessions then become a part or
an extension of the self.
 WE ARE WHAT WE HAVE
Russel Belk (1988) posits The possessions
that "... we regard our that we dearly have
possessions as part of tell something
ourselves. We are what we about who we are,
have and what we our self-concept,
possess" our past and even
our future.
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!
GOD BLESS!