Possessions and the Extended Self

Possessions and the Extended Self is the seminal paper in the field of consumer behavior.

Thanks to cat for suggesting it to me.

Definitions

• As a whole, the paper defines “objects” rather broadly — the following are some examples of “objects” as mentioned throughout the paper
  • Body parts (eg. the skin, the genital organs)
  • Psychological or intraorganismic processes (eg. the conscience, an itching on the sole of the foot)
  • Personal identifying characteristics and attributes (eg. age, occupation)
  • Possessions and productions (eg. watch, perspiration, toilet articles)
  • Abstract ideas (eg. the morals of society, the law)
  • Other people (eg. the people in you hometown, father)
  • Objects within close physical environment (eg. dirt on the hands, furniture in this room)
  • Distant physical environment (eg. the adjoining room, the moon)

Notes

• To what degree is the concept of “mine” separate from “me”? ‘In claiming that something is “mine,” we also come to believe that the object is “me”‘.
• Correlation between the degree of control over objects and sense of self derived; eg. sense of self as well as control decreases from one’s own free will, to one’s body, one’s belongings, one’s friends, and strangers.
  • Experimentally, control by objects (that is, objects which possess us more than we possess them) also contribute to an item being viewed as a part of self
  • It is also possible for a public object, nondurable product, event, or service to be a part of self by overcoming, conquering, or mastering them. Eg. a mountain climber summiting. Also seen in how only after learning to ride a first bicycle, manipulating a new computer, driving a first car, or going down rapids in a new kayak do these possessions become true parts of the extended self.
  • Giving possessions to others is a means of exerting control, and therefore, extending self; a gift continues to be associated with the giver so the giver’s identity is extended to the recipient.
• dis poor guy’s last name lmeow
  
• Age affects one’s definition of “self”; from 6 to 16 year olds, older children were more likely to categorize other people and their possessions as part of their “self”. Then, a three-generational study found that “special” possessions tend to symbolize other people (gifts from others and photographs) moreso as one ages.
  • Infants cannot distinguish self from their environments; perhaps because as the infant’s motor skills develop, objects that can be controlled are seen as self, while those that cannot be controlled are seen as environment.
    • Mother’s caregiving produces the first sentiments of ownership, particularly with breastfeeding. However, a mother’s lack of perfect responsiveness means that she is the first object that the infant regards as not self.
    • Until 6mo of age, infants are most interested by controlling an object, whereas by 12 months, infants are more interested in practicing emerging skills
  • Adolescents under go identity crises
    • In early teenage years, adolescents cited possessions, name, and location when they asked who they were.
    • In later teenage years, adolescents cited skills and traits.
  • Young couples cite their favourite objects as those which reflect their future plans and goals, while older couples cite objects that relate to their experiences together.
  • Having a child predictably is a key event that shifts parents from being self-focused to child-focused; children are an extension of self.
  • Preretirement adults shift their sense of self from what they do to to what they have.
    • 40-50yo’s are most likely to cite social power and status as reasons to own personal possessions.
  • Retirement aged individuals are past oriented — which makes the identity deprivation of long term care homes more devastating. “Places that are especially relevant to one’s past have been found to be particularly valued by the old because of the memories that places can stir”.
    • The motivations of an elderly individual can in large part be attributed to their sense of morality and attempts to preserve it in one of six ways:
    1. Through one’s children
    2. Through belief in a life after death
    3. Through one’s works (eg. artistic, literary, scholarly)
    4. Through one’s identification with nature, which will continue
    5. Through experiential transcendence (absorption in music may allow one to transcend the world here and now and symbolically be reborn)
    6. To live on through ones possessions through heirs or museums.
• Self manifests itself in language — eg. “I have a dark tan” vs “My body is tan”, or “I am tired” vs “My body is tired”.
• ”If possessions are viewed as part of self, it follows that… loss of possessions should be regarded as a loss of self.”
  • Hence why hair and clothing is standardized, and all possessions taken away at military, boarding schools, and monasteries. The standardization results in common “identity kits” as an elimination of uniqueness.
  • Similar phenomenon in burglary victims — “sentimental value” is just a manifestation of an object being incorporated into one’s sense of self. Burglary victims suffered grief similarly to the death of a loved one.
    • Burglary victims feel reduced pride, sense of community, and privacy than non burgled households, supporting the notion that the sense of self is correlated to the degree of control that a person feels over them
  • Important distinction between voluntary and involuntary loss; “when possessions are recognized as inconsistent with our images of self, we gladly neglect or dispose of them”.
• What happens after a loss of possessions and the resulting loss of self?
  • ”The creation of art, craft, concept, or writing is seen as an attempt to extend the self in new ways that make up for the loss and restore the self. Periods of creativity may follow the loss of one’s possessions."
  • "For many young American males, the automobile is a part of their extended selves and their ego ideals. The processes of creating and nurturing extended self through an automobile may be seen in customizing (personalizing) the car and in lavishing great care on its maintenance.” Very much agreed, many of my acquaintances pride themselves in their vehicle.
    • When the vehicle is damaged, the owners are anxious to restore it or replace it with a more perfect substitute
• Universally, we make things part of self by creating or altering them.
  • Logic behind this is that
    1. We own ourselves
    2. Therefore we own our labor (what we direct our bodies to do)
    3. Therefore, we own what we produce from our labor
  • After the development of currency, and exchanging labor for currency, purchasing objects is a way to invest self in possessions.
• ”Buying a prominent object might initiate a new chapter in a set of lives… providing a new tool to measure time… The object would serve to reminds its owners of the day it first entered their home and of the time that had passed since then. It would not only structure their past but also their perception of their past."
• "Tanay (1976) suggests that handguns represent a symbolic penis for their owners.” lmeow watafak did i just read ☠️
• Others associate possessions and their possessor, and infer the traits of the person from the nature of the possessions (or vice versa).
  • Interesting comparison to Marx — Marx theorized the opposite, that working is central to existence and self-worth and possessions were a false path to happiness through “commodity fetishism”.
• ”Relationships with objects are never two-way (person-thing), but always three-way (person-thing-person).” Can be seen in the rage of infants when toys are taken away from them to be given to another child.
• Our past is integral to our sense of who we are, and possessions store these memories and feelings (eg. a souvenir makes an intangible travel experience more tangible).
  • Our attachment to memory-evoking possessions grows as we accumulate experiences from our past; “the older person scans the past for evidence that he once was competent, once was loved, once commanded respect. Gifts received from others are one such evidence of love from significant others"
• "We abhor the art forgery or reproduction because it lacks the personal mana of its creator that is present in the individual… We prefer the handcrafted item to the mass-produced item because it took longer to create — more of others’ selves were invested in it”.
• Feelings of disgust can be correlative with the level of self perceived to be associated with others. Eg. trash is not disgusting unless it reveals hair, food, or wrappings that compose it. Or, human remains are not disgusting if they are unrecognizable dust or ashes; hence crematoriums screen the ashes of the dead.
  • Disgust at one’s own possessions depends on their unrecognizability as part of one’s own self. Eg. swallowing saliva is not disgusting, but drinking a jar of one’s own saliva is; or sucking blood from your finger vs sucking your blood from a band-aid.
• The centrality of which an object composes one’s sense of self is highly correlated with the level of care dedicated to upkeep — eg. frequency of washing, waxing, and changing the oil in one’s car. Cars which are newer and in better condition are cathected more highly.