LESSON II
To Buy or Not To Buy?
That is the Question!
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ACTIVITY 1
ALLOWANCE CHALLENGE
If you have an allowance worth of 20
thousand pesos every semester, how
will you spend it in this pandemic
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time?
LIST:
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William James, wrote in his book, The Principles of Psychology in
1890 that understanding the self can be examined through its different
components.
He described these components as:
(1)its constituents;
(2) the feelings and emotions they arouse– self-feelings;
(3) the actions to which they prompt – self-seeking and self-
preservation.
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The constituents of self are composed of the material self,
the social self, the spiritual self and pure ego.
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The material self, according to James primarily is
about our bodies, clothes, immediate family and
home.
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The innermost part of our material self is our body.
we are investing in our body.
We are directly attached to this commodity that we cannot
live without.
We strive hard to make sure that his body functions well and
good.
Any ailment or disorder directly affects us.
We do not have certain preferential attachment or intimate
closeness to certain body parts because of its value to us.
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Next to our body are the clothes we use.
Influenced by the “Philosophy of Dress” by Herman Lotze,
James believed that clothing is an essential part of the
material self.
Lotze in his book, Microcosmus, stipulates that “any time
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 and style of the clothes we wear bring
sensations to the body to which directly affect our attitudes
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and behavior.
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.
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Third in the hierarchy is our 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 member 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. In
their failures, we are put to shame or guilt.
When they are in disadvantage situation, there is an
urgent urge to help like a voluntary instinct of saving
one’s self from danger
We place huge investment in our immediate family
when we see them as nearest replica of our self.
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The fourth component of material self is our
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.
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There was an old cliché’ about rooms: “if only
walls can speak.”
The home thus is an extension of self, because
in it, we can directly connect our self.
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James (1890) described self: “a man’s self is the sum total of all what he
CAN call his.” Possessions then become part or an extension of the self.
We Are What We Have
Russel Belk (1988) posits that ‘… we
regard our possessions as part of
ourselves.
We are what we have and what we
possess.”
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The identification of the self to things
started in our infancy stage when we make
a distinction among self and environment
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and others who may desire our
possessions.
5 Signs Materialism Is Taking Over Your
Life (And How To Take The Power Back)
Money can't buy you happiness.
Though many people know this, they still focus on
material aspects of their lives to try to find happiness
and love.
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Various signs and behaviors can alert you to how
materialism is overcoming your life.
You can defeat this careless behavior and create a
more mindful life.
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Frenzied Holiday Shopping-One of the biggest signs of materialism in
recent years has been the outward show of consumer culture around the
holidays. As the holidays approach, you may find yourself always hunting for the
perfect gift, leaving behind the beauty of family time and the holiday season for
society's push to shop, shop, shop.
Ambition and Competitiveness-Being very competitive and ambitious
can certainly help you do great things. But these qualities can also mean you're
more materialistic than the average person.
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Problems in Your Relationship-If you're having problems in your
relationship, it could be a sign that your materialism is getting out of hand.
Studies have shown that couples where both partners show high levels of
materialism have lower quality relationships. Materialism may make you feel less
connected to others.
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Feelings of Insecurity-Other research has found that
insecurity spurs materialism. If you find yourself often
overcome by feelings of doubt and you question your own
self-worth, you may also have materialistic qualities.
Consumerism takes advantage of people's insecurities to sell
products, so take a moment to question why you want to buy
something before you do.
Narcissistic Behaviors-Consumer culture can also lead to
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narcissistic behaviors. Narcissistic people act arrogantly as
they're very concerned with finding power. This obsessive
drive for prestige can compensate for feelings of emptiness.
Again, insecurities can manifest themselves in narcissistic
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behaviors like spending to show wealth.
Take the Power Back
- Avoid malls and shopping centers. Spend a day away from spending if you want to have
fun, like by going to the beach.
-There are also many things you can do to become more mindful.
-Make a list of things you are grateful for so you see the things you do have right in front of
you.
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-Take the time to nurture love in your life.
-Take measures to be healthy, and practice random acts of kindness.
- Simple measures will bring happiness to your life that you can't get from material wealth.
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-Materialism can overcome your life, but taking small steps to avoid consumer culture and
to emphasize positive love will help you defeat materialism and become more mindful.
Reducing Materialism
Ending materialism doesn’t mean forsaking all your possessions. Ridding yourself of
everything you own would only prove you are still too preoccupied with possessions
themselves. Someone who has developed a healthy inner world would see
possessions as neutral. This shift is more about attitude than specific actions.
Here are some ideas to get you started:
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1.You aren’t the things you own. The problem is that you view
things as possessions in the first place. Ownership is just a
societal construct to keep order, it doesn’t have any deeper
meaning. Separate your identity from the things you own.
2. Relationships are about doing, not having. You can’t have
a girlfriend, boyfriend or spouse. Although those terms are fairly
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commonplace, they demonstrate that many people still view
relationships as possessions. The more you see relationships as
possessions, the less intrinsic value you can get from
experiencing them.
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3. Create a system of goals and challenges. Materialism
fills a void. Replace that uncomfortable filler with goals
and challenges. Although many of my challenges are
directed towards material gain, that isn’t the real point.
Just as winning Risk isn’t about world-domination as it is
about a fun challenge.
a.Serve. Invest your energies into helping other people. I
don’t view acts as being on a continuum from selfishness to
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selflessness, as acts that directly benefit me can benefit
others as well. But even in that case, shifting your focus onto
the needs of others can replace materialism.
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2. Trash it. I’m the opposite of a packrat. When I need to
do a major cleaning, I usually toss just about everything I
haven’t used recently. 3. See wealth as a challenge not a
result. I view earning more money as an interesting and
complex game.
4. Experience over objects. The only reason to buy an
object is because you believe it will (directly or indirectly)
improve the quality of your experience.
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5. Build intangible assets. Habits, time-management,
discipline, emotional control, understanding and learning
are just a few of the non- physical assets you can hold.
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Building intangible assets replaces your need for physical
ones.
6. Use money to free, not chain, yourself. When you have a larger income,
don’t simply adapt by increasing your lifestyle. Instead work to create a buffer
between your income and lifestyle so you live below your means.
7. Go basic. Simplify all your material possessions so they don’t consume your
mental resources. Simple, even if less glamorous, requires less maintenance,
offers fewer distractions and uses less thinking. A simple lifestyle affords you the
ability to focus your energies on your inner world.
8. Avoid the status game. Seek friends from all social layers. Don’t buy into the
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game that decides a person’s worth based on their money or profession. I know
people I would consider smarter and more enlightened who live on a fraction of
the income that others do. Keeping pockets of connections within all levels
separates you from the competitive aspects materialism brings.
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9. Judge yourself by your ethics and your understanding. I’d be
far happier with myself if I were poor but I understood the world and
lived true to a system of ethics, than if I had the opposite.
10.Let go. Buddhism teaches that attachment to things creates
suffering. Again, this is all in the mindset. I’m not a Buddhist, but as I
understand it, this doesn’t mean the only path to true happiness is to
abandon everything. It simply means that you stop trying to hold on
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to all the things you own and the relationships in your life.
11.The You can’t take it with you. What is going to matter to you
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on your deathbed? Looking back at your entire life, what was
important? Use that to prioritize.
1.Go back to your allowance challenge list. Put a mark on the left side of each
item with the following categories:
B- if the item is related with your body
C- if the item is related with clothes
F- if the item is related or intended to your family
H- if the item is related with home
2.Answer the following questions:
Which among the categories you have the most in your list?
What do you think these things tell you about yourself?
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3.Make a reflection about material self. You may use your
answers from the above questions in making your paper.
ACTIVITY 2- FINAL
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