The Material Self
The Material Self
MATERIAL
SELF
Prepared by:
Estrella L. Ranas
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
At the end of the lesson, students are able to:
● determine what constitute the material self;
● identify what is considered as material possessions;
● get motivated to declutter their material possessions and live a more
focused life.
“Mine”
MATERIAL SELF
➢ pertains to the objects, places, or
even people which have the label
“mine”
➢ made up of everything that a person
owns
➢ extensions of individuals' identities
William James
- The material self is our
body, clothes, immediate
family and home.
BODY
• Our primary possession
• We strive hard to make sure that this
body functions well and good.
• We have preferential attachment or
intimate closeness to certain parts.
• There are parts of our body that we
keep private.
CLOTHES
• A form of self-expression
• reflect how we feel, shows our social status, thus contribute to
forming and maintaining our self-image
• affect our attitude and behavior
IMMEDIATE FAMILY
• our parents, siblings, spouse and children
• What they do or become affects us
• When a family member dies, a part of us dies too
• When their lives are in success, we feel their victories as well
• When they fail, we are put to shame or guilt
• When in disadvantage situation, there is an urgent help
• We think of our family as a replica of our self
HOME
• where many aspects of your life have been developed
• where you feel most comfortable
• is greatly linked to your identity
Your body, clothes,
family, and home are
then followed by other
possessions such as
gadgets, cars,
collections, money,
pets, etc.
“A man’s self is the sum total of all
that he can call his.”