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GEC 1: UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

1ST SEMESTER, A.Y. 2024 – 2025
STUDY GUIDE 8

PLEASE DO NOT DISTRIBUTE TO INDIVIDUALS NOT ENROLLED

IN THE COURSE.

GEC 1 - Understanding the Self CPSU - CAS

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UNIT 2 STUDY SCHEDULE

Number Topic/Learning References Course Content/Subject Assessment

of Hours Outcomes Matter Tasks

UNIT II: Unpacking the Self

Lesson 3: The Material/Economic Self

3 hours ● Explored the ● Alata, Eden Joy P., Caslib, Unpacking the Self Assessment
different aspects Bernardo Jr. N., Serafica, Janice Task 6: Let’s
of self and Patria J., Pawilen, R. A., (2018). The Material/Economic Go Shopping
identity; Understanding the Self First Self 1 and 2
● Demonstrated Edition, REX Bookstore 1. Consumption, Reflection
critical, reflective ● Ball, A.D., and Tasaki, L. H., consumerism, and
thought in (1992). The role and identity Class
2. Possession and the
integrating the measurement of attachment in participation
extended self
various aspects of consumer behavior, Journal of
self and identity; Consumer Psychology, (1) 2.
● Identified the ● Escalas, J., and Bettman, J.,
different forces (2005). Self-construal, reference
and institutions groups, and brand meaning.
that impact the Journal of Consumer Research
development of ● https://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Ja
various aspects of mes/Principles/prin10.htm
the self; and ● https://www.alleydog.com/glossa
● Examined one’s ry/definition.php?term=Material
self against +Self
different aspects ● https://www.thebalance.com/wan
of self discussed ts-vs-needs-1388544l
in class.
Original module content by Jol T. Gumawa

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LEARNING OUTCOMES
After the lesson the learners should have:
• Explain the association of self and possession;
• Identify the role of consumer culture to self-identity; and
• Appraise one’s self based on the description of material self

INTRODUCTION
We are living in a world of sales and shopping sprees. 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 products to purchase. Product advertisements are suggestive of making us feel better or look good. In
certain cases, a part of us wants to have that product. What makes us want to have those products is connected with who
we are. What we want to have and already possess is related to our self.
Belk (1988) stated that “we regard our possessions as parts of ourselves. We are what we have and what we
possess.” There is a direct link between self-identity with what we have and possess. Our wanting to have and possess has
a connection with another aspect of the Self, the Material Self.
Let us try to further examine ourselves in the lens of Material Self.

Activity: Let’s Go Shopping!

The biggest shopping mall in the city has chosen you as their lucky winner of their Shop-All-You-Can spree.
Today, they asked you to fill your shopping cart with all the things you want, for as many as you can, and it’s all for you as
a give-away. What are the things that you want to add in your cart? Make a list of what you want to have. Write as many
as you can.

READ AND REFLECT

Material Self
According to William James (1890), the material self pertains to the objects, places, or even people which have
the label “mine”. Such possessions are viewed as extensions of individuals' identities. For instance, your clothes reflect
certain aspects of your personality and you designate them as “my wardrobe.”
James added that material self is primarily about the following categories:
a. Body - the innermost part of the material self. We strive hard to make sure that this body functions well
and good. Any ailment or disorder directly affects us. Also, you perceive certain body parts as more
private or intimately yours as compared to the others.
b. Clothes – the second in the hierarchy of material self. Herman Lotze, in his book Microcosmus, stipulates
that “anytime we bring an object into the surface of our body, we invest that object into the consciousness
of our personal existence taking in its contours to be our own and making it part of the self.” The fabric

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and style of the clothes we wear brings sensations to the body, to which directly affect our attitudes and
behavior. Clothing is a form of self-expression.
c. Immediate Family – the third in the hierarchy. Our parents and siblings hold another great important part
of our self. What they do or become affects us. When their lives are successful, we feel their victories.
When they are in disadvantaged situations, we feel an urgent urge to help. We place a huge investment to
our immediate family when we see them as the nearest replica of our self.
d. Home – fourth component of material self. It is the earliest nest of our Selfhood. Our experiences inside
the home were recorded and marked on particular arts and things in our home. The home is an extension
of the self, because in it we can directly connect our self.
Having invested oneself in certain things and relationships made us feel attached to those things. The more
investment of self is given to the particular thing, the more we identify ourselves to it. According to James “a man's Self is
the sum total of all that he can call his.” Possessions then become a part or extension of self.

Material Possessions
● Signify aspects of one's sense of self and identity
● One's sense of self and identity is influential on how an individual chooses to purchase his or her wants and he or
she makes economic decisions that will address his or her personal and social needs.

Factors Affecting Purchasing Items and Services

● Financial constraints
● Availability of items and services
● Influence of family and friends

Understanding Needs and Wants

Some needs are easier to nail down. You need a place to live, clothes to wear, and enough food and water to
maintain your health—these are the elemental things that you need to survive. They're indispensable. You can argue that
everything else is not imperative, but this is where the lines start to blur. The reality is, we make many of our purchasing
decisions subjectively rather than objectively.For instance, some people consider health care to be a necessity. For others,
benefits are a luxury.
Other purchases can technically be categorized as a need, even though most would consider them a want. In
simple terms, we define NEEDS as those things important for survival, while WANTS is synonymous with luxuries;
something that people desire to have, that they may, or may not, be able to obtain.

Deciding Between Wants and Needs

Figuring out how to divide your income and prioritize your expenses can be as simple as putting everything down
on paper. Prateek Vasisht, editor of TotalFootball and the Business Design Rover, wrote about this exact topic. In the
piece, he recommends using a variation of the Growth-Share Matrix developed by the Boston Consulting Group in the
early 1970s. The practice calls for listing your wants and needs individually in four different categories. The visualization
technique allows you to see where your expenses fit clearly.
Categorizing your priorities, the chart allows you to list your wants in one column and your needs in the other and
then divide the columns in half and designate the top choices as a high priority and the bottom as low priority. From there,
you can make informed decisions.
Vasisht also suggests trying out the MoSCoW method, which stands for Must Have, Should Have, Could Have,
and Won't Have. This involves breaking things down in four different categories. Both of these methods help you to
clarify which things should be the highest-priority items in your budget.

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You end up with the following four categories:

Categories MoSCow Method

High-priority needs Must Have

High-priority wants Should Have

Low-priority needs Could Have

Low-priority wants Won’t Have

Appreciate What You Have

Once you become better at differentiating between wants and needs, you'll probably see that you've been able to
fulfill more of your desires over the years than you realized. And that can be a significant turning point.
When you find things that you want to buy or do that you currently can't afford, it becomes all too easy to focus
on those things to the point of overlooking what you already have. Take time to reflect on all the ways that you've been
fortunate and the needs you are able to meet every day.
When you get clarity about your wants and needs, you can determine what's most important and plan your budget
to make those dreams a reality.

Significance vs. Utility

In the process of acquiring material goods, people generally consider two things: UTILITY as how things serve its
practical purpose and SIGNIFICANCE concerning the meaning assigned to the object.

Consumer Culture
Consumer researchers have recognized for a long time that people consume in ways that are consistent with their
sense of self (Levy 1959; Sirgy 1982). Important thought leaders have described and documented that consumers use
possessions and brands to create their self-identities and communicate these selves to others and to themselves (e.g., Belk
1988; Fournier 1998; McCracken 1989).
Consumer culture can be broadly defined as a culture where social status, values, and activities are centered on the
consumption of goods and services. In other words, in consumer culture, a large part of what you do, what you value and
how you are defined revolves around your consumption of stuff.
There are many instances when people no longer consume goods and services merely for functional satisfaction.
Consumption has become increasingly more meaning-based; brands are often used as symbolic resources for the
construction and maintenance of identity. Consumers use brands and products to express their identities.
Consumers construct their identities through their brand choices based on congruence between brand image and
self-image. Thus, the meaning and value of a brand is not just its ability to express the self, but also its role in helping
consumers create and build their self-identities.
Possessions can be used to satisfy psychological needs, such as actively creating one's self-concept, reinforcing
and expressing self-identity, and allowing one to differentiate oneself and assert one's individuality. Possessions can also
serve a social purpose by reflecting social ties to one's family, community, and/or cultural groups, including brand
communities.
Consumers form connections to brands that become meaningful through this process; self-brand connections
measure the extent to which individuals have incorporated brands into their self-concept.

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Activity: Let’s Go Shopping! (Part 2)

Let us apply William James’s category of material self and Prateek Vasisht MoSCoW method. Go back to your
Let’s Go Shopping list. Put two marks on the left side of each item with the following categories:

First Mark: (William James category) Second Mark: (Prateek Vasisht MoSCoW Method)

1 - if the item is related with your BODY M – Must Have

2 - if the item is related with CLOTHES S – Should Have

3 - if the item is related or intended to your FAMILY C – Could Have

4 - if the item is related with HOME W – Won’t Have

Example: Cook Book - 4 C; Nike Shoes – 2 S

ANSWER

Assessment Task 6:
Let us try to reflect on what you have learned from the Let’s Go Shopping activity (Part 1 and 2) and answer the
following questions:
1. Which among the categories you have the most in your list?
2. Which among the methods you have the most in your list?
3. What do you think these things tell you about yourself? Can you share some personal insights or reflections?

GEC 1 - Understanding the Self CPSU - CAS