MATERIAL AND ECONOMIC SELF REPORTING UTS

Powerpoint

1. DO MONEY CAN BUY HAPINESS?

2. Material /Economic Self To be happy in life, we must learn the difference between what we want and what we need.

3. MATERIAL SELF AND ECONOMIC SELF

4. 1. Spiritual Self – reflects our values, morals and beliefs. (views on the essence of being human and life) Components of Self

5. 2. Social Self – encompasses our interaction with our self and other people. (relatives, friends, schoolmates, workmates) Components of Self

6. 3. Material Self – refers to the tangible elements of the self. (body, clothes, immediate family and home) Components of Self

7. Material Self: pertains to the objects, places, or even people which have the label “mine”. The sum total of all you call “yours”, not only your body psychic powers, but your clothes, house, husband/wife and children, your ancestors and friends, reputation and work, all these things give you the same emotions. Such possessions are viewed as extensions of individuals' identities. If they prosper, you feel triumphant, if they dwindle and die away, you feel cast down- not necessarily in the same degree for each thing, but in much the same way for all. -William James

8. “We are what we have” W hat we have here ?

9. The Meaning of Things “The things people use, own, and surround themselves with might accurately reflect their personality. Not surprisingly, the clothes one wears, the car one drives and the furnishings of one’s home, all are expressions of one’s self and sometimes, even act as disguises rather than as reflections”. - Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

10. Material Self Investment Body Intentionally W e are investing in our body. We are directly attached to this commodity that we cannot live without. We strive hard to make sure that this body functions well. Any ailment directly affects us we do have certain preferential attachment or intimate closeness to certain body parts because of its value to us.

11. Clothes The fabric and style of the clothes we wear bring sensations to the body to which directly affect our attitudes and behavior. Clothing is a form of self-expression. We choose and wear clothes that reflect our self. Material Self Investment

12. Immediate Family Our parents and siblings hold another great important part of our self. What they do or become affects us. When an immediate family dies, part of our self dies too. When their lives are in success, we feel their victories as if we are the one holding the trophy. We also share their failures and shame. We care, love and protect our immediate family. Material Self Investment

13. Home Home is where our heart is. It is the earliest nest of our selfhood. Our experiences inside the home were recorded and marked on particular parts and things in our home. There was an old cliché about rooms: “If only walls can speak.” Material Self Investment

14. EFFECTS OF MATERIAL POSSESSIONS Regardless of how much or how little material possessions people have, they are interested in material possessions . Possessions can be used as status, symbol . Cars, house, gadgets, and clothes are the most valuable possessions because they are the most visible in the eye of the others Reflection of hard work and success People tend to measure success through material possession Material possession can make people more motivated to work harder achieve them

15. However, lack or loss of material possessions can be disruptive to mental health of some people

16. MATERIALISM Importance people give on material possessions The negative effect of strong desire for material possessions’ MATERIALISTIC PERSON Someone with high level of materialism Excessively concerned with the acquisition of material possessions.

17. In this age of digital technology, everything in our society is based upon the idea that consumption should be as easy as possible . These ads carry the message that we become happy by buying, buying, buying. Shopping has become a leisure and a way to pass the time without considering that our consumption contributes to our garbage problems, pollution, and the depletion of our natural resources.

18. “I shop, therefore I am: I have, therefore I am?”

19. Consume - is defined as “use up, to spend wastefully, to destroy” (Gusdorf, 1978). The definition shows that consumption has a negative connotation. There is, however, a positive side to consumptions that is often neglected. Behind consumption, there is Production - the act of making or manufacturing from components or raw materials, or the process of being so manufactured.

20. Roland Barthes - Barthes was particularly interested in our relationship with consumer goods in capitalist culture. He argued that in capitalist cultures, the commodity becomes magical, containing properties normally bestowed on sacred objects (fetishes or Gods). Through advertising, products become irresistible - perfume, not just a sweet smelling liquid but ‘an essence of allure’ making the user irresistible

21. Consumers are often portrayed as “victims”, exploited by greedy companies. However, we should take note that every person has “free will”. Therefore, choices are important. As a consumer, free will comes with responsibility and obligation. Conscious consumption is about practicing responsible buying habits.

22. IDENTITY & CONSUMER CULTURE Identity is a symbolic idea (Mach, 1993). It is an image we build for ourselves through social interaction. It is dynamic and context- dependent. Consumer Culture is a form of material culture facilitated by the market, which thus created a particular relationship between the consumer and the goods or services he or she uses or consumes.

23. IDENTITY Identity may refer to: A social category defined by membership rules, characteristic attributes, or expected behavior. Socially distinguishing features that an individual takes pride in having

24. CONSUMER CULTURE Consumer culture is: A culture of consumption The culture of market society Universal and impersonal Identifies freedom with private choice and life Needs are insatiable and unlimited A privileged medium for building personal identity and status

25. The problem with Consumerism It affects worldviews and characters It is manipulative It restricts our choices and lives It is intrusive It is unsustainable It cannot provide many of the things that are important to us

26. Let’s avoid the trap!

27. Let’s avoid the trap! Exercise intellectual independence Consume less, live more!

28. A positive self- image has little relationship to our material circumstance.