Understanding the self - lecture 6 & 7 HAND-OUT
- 1. LECTURE 6: THE MATERIAL SELF: the association of self to possessions // role of consumer culture to self & identity In The Principles of Psy chology, W.James described the components of self as 1 . Consitituents; 2.Feelings & emotions; 3. Actions of self-seeking. Under Consitutents, the self is composed of the materialself, the social self, thespiritual self,and the pureego. We are living in the world of sale and shopping spree.Almost ev erywhere,including the digitalspace,wefind promotions of product purchase. Product advertisements are suggestiveof making us feel better or look good. What makes us want tohave those products are connected with whowe are. What wewant tohave and already possess are related toour self. “We regard our possessions as parts of ourselves. We are what we have and what we possess.” – Belk,1988. Our wanting tohave and possess has a connection with another aspect of the self, the material self. MATERIALSELF – primarily about our bodies, clothes, immediate family,and home.We aredeeply affectiveby these things because weput somuch investment of our self tothem. BODY - The innermost part of our materialself. We are directly attached toit and we can’t live without it.We strive hard tomake sure that this body functions well and good. We alsohave preferentialattachment tocertain parts because of its v alue tous. CLOTHES – “any time we bring an object intothe surface of our body , we invest that object intothe consciousness of our personal existence and make it a part of us” (Watson,2014).Our clothes affect our attitude and behavior.It is a form of self-expression. We wear clothes that reflect us. FAMILY –our parent and siblings hold an important of our self. What they door become affects us.When an immediate family member dies, a part of us dies too. When their lives are in success, we feel their victories as well.In their failures,we arealsoput to shame.We thinkof our family as a replica of our self. HOME – it is our earliest nest of selfhood. Our experiences in life are sometimes recorded and markedin our home.The home is an extension of our self, we directly connect ourselves toit. “We regard our possessions as part of ourselves.We arewhat we have and what we possess” – Belk, 1988 The identification of the self tothings started in our infancy stage. As we grow older, putting importance on our materialpossessions decreases.We v alue morethings likehappiness,significant ev ents,accomplishments,and people in our lives. CONCLUSION: the possessions that we dearly havetellsomething about whowe are,our self-concept,our past,and even our future. LECTURE 7: THE SPIRITUAL SELF: religious practices and beliefs, finding the meaning of life SPIRITUALSELF – is the most intimate,inner subjectivepart of the self. It connects tothesatisfaction of having an ability to argue and discriminate, of one’s moralsensibility and conscience. The ability touse oralsensibility and conscience may be seen through theexpressions of religion, its beliefs and practices. Cultural rituals are alsomanifestations of what people believe in. Seeking themeaning of life is a journey that thespiritual self is on. RELIGION – a set of cultural beliefs and practices that usually include: - a belief in anthromorphicsupernatural being;such as spirit/gods - a focus on sacred supernatural,with a feeling of reverence and awe - presence of supernatural energy that is found on supernatural as well as physicalbeings and objects - performance of ritualactivities - articulation of worldview and moralcodes through narratives/’stories - prov ide creation of social bonds and social control within a community RITUAL – the performance of ceremonialacts prescribed by tradition or sacred law. A specific,observablemode of behavior exhibitedby societies. It is possible tov iew it as a way of defining/describing humans. 3 fundamentalcharacteristics of rituals: 1 . A feeling of respect,awe,admiration, in relation tothe sacred 2. Dependenceupon a belief system expressed through myth 3. Symbolic in relation toits reference SOME WORLD RELIGIOUS BELIEFS AND PRACTICES Buddhism Beliefs – Buddhism believes that life is not a bed of roses. There are suffering,pain,frustrations.When people suffer,they want to experience the goodness of life and avoid disappointments.This can be resolved by practice of meditation , acquiring wisdom,and deeper understanding and acceptance of things as they are. Buddhists alsobelieve in the non-violenceprinciple.And the acquiring of wisdom through the reflection of Dharma. Customs & Practices – twotypes of meditation practices: samatha: mindfulness of breathing and development of lov ing- kindness vipassana: aims at developing insight intoreality. Christianity Beliefs – Christians believe in the holy trinity: God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.Eternal life after death will be achievedthrough faith in Jesus Christ, God theSon, whocame intoflesh tospread theGood News. He died on the Cross for the sins of humanity. Customs and Practices – Sacrament of Baptism andCommunion are practiced by Christian churches.Baptism symbolizes birth in Christian World, while Communion is an act of remembrance of Christ’s love.Christmas and Resurrection aretwomajor celebrations in Christianity. Hinduism Beliefs – Hinduism covers a wide range of traditionalbeliefs and religious groups,sothere is nosingle founder or leader.Hindus believe that existence is a cycle of birth,death and rebirth, gov erned by Karma. It is a concept wherethe reincarnated lifewill depend on how the past life was spent.Vedas are sacredscriptures of Hindus. continued >>>
- 2. Customs and Practices – Diwali is the festivalof lights while Navrati is the festivalof nine nights,which celebrate the triumph of good ov er evil. Islam Beliefs – Muslims believe in Allah, their “OneGod”. They believe in the unity and universality of God. Muslims have a strong sense of community.Islam means “willing submission toGod” The Holy Book of Islam is called the Quran. Customs and Practices – Muslims believe in the 5 pillars of Islam: 1. Shahadah – “There is noGod but the one true God and Mohammedis his messenger. 2. Salat – the prayer that is practiced 5 times a day, 3. Zakat – monetary offering for the poor. 2.5% of Muslim’s assets. 4. Hajj – y early pilgrimage toMecca. 5. Sawm– fasting during Ramadan Judaism Beliefs – the Jews believe in the God of Abraham,the God that liberated slaves from Egypt toCanaan,the promised Land.Jews believe in thecoming of Messiah,the Savior.Their sacred scripture is called Torah. Customs and Practices – five major festivals observed by Jews: 1 . Rosh Hashanah : the New Year 2. Yom Kippur : Day of Atonement 3. Pesach : Passover 4.Shavuot : Pentecost 5. Sukkot : Tabernacles.The Jewish Sabbath begins on Friday evening at sunset and is an important time when families gather for the Sabbath meal. CONCLUSION:Religions,rituals,etc.areallpart of expressing the spiritual self.How tomanifest the belief is dependent on the person.