![Image](https://www.worldsupporter.org/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/tips_suggestions/wereldbol_summaries_joho_single_boek_1_150x190px.png?itok=rEljlfYL)
- Why are experiences closer connected to the self than material possessions?
- Why do we have to distinguish between material and materialistic purchases?
- Can an experience be materialistic?
- How does the closer connection to the self improve the satisfaction of experiences?
- What main conclusions can be drawn with regards to the connectedness of experiences and material possessions to the self?
Why are experiences closer connected to the self than material possessions?
Research has shown that experiences constitute a bigger part of our sense of self than our material possessions. This is because our possessions, no matter how many we have of them, remain physically outside of our ´self´, whereas experiences live on in our memories and are part of our ´stories´. As they become parts of our autobiography, they become us.
How does declarative memory relate to our sense of self?
Declarative memory consists of episodic and semantic memory. Semantic memory is our storage of general knowledge about the world and where we ´summarize´ our sense of self (e.g. “I am a good cook”). Episodic memory consists of our first-hand recollections of experiences that confirm the summaries we have about ourselves (e.g. “Last Christmas I made a fantastic dinner for the family”). It is through our memories that we create our sense of self. Once we have lived an experience, it persists as an episodic memory that is autobiographical by nature and creates our self-concept. Someone´s memories of a possession (or the use of possessions as an extended self) do also connect material possessions to the self, but to a much lesser degree.
Why do we have to distinguish between material and materialistic purchases?
Material purchases are the tangible objects purchased with the goal of ownership. Materialistic purchases are purchases made with the intent of signaling wealth or status, either to oneself or others. Materialistic people tend to make materialistic purchases and derive much of their happiness from signaling their wealth. They often measure their success by their wealth and define themselves and others based on their purchases, status, and wealth. There are big differences in people´s interest in materialistic consumption. It is possible that these personality differences moderate the tendency for people´s experiences to constitute a bigger part of their self-image.
Can an experience be materialistic?
An experience only becomes materialistic when the additional utility one derives from the extra expense is less about the experience itself, and more about the signal it sends. Material possessions often serve the materialistic purpose better than experiences, because they are more visible and are better at signaling someone´s status and prosperity.
How does the closer connection to the self improve the satisfaction of experiences?
Experiences become especially satisfying as a result of their closer connection to the self. The first reason for that is due to the self-serving bias. It is human nature to evaluate oneself more positively, and evaluating the quality of one´s experiences is like evaluating aspects of oneself. The second reason is that the subjective nature of experiences makes it easier to find positive dimensions of evaluation. The ambiguity of experiences creates the possibility of different interpretations, whereas that is difficult of a material possession that is not good. The last reason is that accomplishing a higher order goal usually takes on special importance and is tied even closer to our sense of self. Because experiences are relatively abstract, they are more likely than possessions to be construed at a high level.
What main conclusions can be drawn with regards to the connectedness of experiences and material possessions to the self?
- People consider their experiential purchases to be closer to their sense of self than their material purchases. Even those who were very materialistic did not place their possessions closer to their self-concept than their experiences.
- When people tell their life story, they are more likely to draw upon their experiential purchases than their material purchases.
- People find that experiential purchases say more about their true selves and the ´selves´ of others.
- The greater satisfaction people derive from their experiential purchases is related to their greater connection to the self.
- People find that their experiential memories are more important to them than their material possessions, and ´losing´ one of their experiential purchases would more significantly alter their sense of self.
Article summaries of Economic and Consumer Psychology - UL - 2020-2021
Collection of Summaries with articles for Economic and Consumer Psychology at the University of Leiden, 2020-2021. This course covers subjects where psychology crosses marketing, about branding, loyalty, effectiveness of commercials and interpersonal differences of customer perception.
Study Guide with article summaries for Economic and Consumer Psychology at Leiden University
Article summaries with Economic and Consumer Psychology at Leiden University
Table of content
- The effectiveness of brand placements in the movies
- Is this review believable?
- Feelings that make a difference
- How morality judgments influence humor perceptions of prankvertising
- An investigation of the endowment effect in the context of a college housing lottery
- Of great art and untalented artists
- Still preoccupied with 1995
- I am what I do, not what I have
- Gender stereotypes in advertising
- Articlesummaries with prescribed articles for Economic and Consumer Psychology 2020/2021
- 1 of 2159
- volgende ›
JoHo can really use your help! Check out the various student jobs here that match your studies, improve your competencies, strengthen your CV and contribute to a more tolerant world
Online access to all summaries, study notes en practice exams
- Check out: Register with JoHo WorldSupporter: starting page (EN)
- Check out: Aanmelden bij JoHo WorldSupporter - startpagina (NL)
How and why would you use WorldSupporter.org for your summaries and study assistance?
- For free use of many of the summaries and study aids provided or collected by your fellow students.
- For free use of many of the lecture and study group notes, exam questions and practice questions.
- For use of all exclusive summaries and study assistance for those who are member with JoHo WorldSupporter with online access
- For compiling your own materials and contributions with relevant study help
- For sharing and finding relevant and interesting summaries, documents, notes, blogs, tips, videos, discussions, activities, recipes, side jobs and more.
Using and finding summaries, study notes en practice exams on JoHo WorldSupporter
There are several ways to navigate the large amount of summaries, study notes en practice exams on JoHo WorldSupporter.
- Use the menu above every page to go to one of the main starting pages
- Starting pages: for some fields of study and some university curricula editors have created (start) magazines where customised selections of summaries are put together to smoothen navigation. When you have found a magazine of your likings, add that page to your favorites so you can easily go to that starting point directly from your profile during future visits. Below you will find some start magazines per field of study
- Use the topics and taxonomy terms
- The topics and taxonomy of the study and working fields gives you insight in the amount of summaries that are tagged by authors on specific subjects. This type of navigation can help find summaries that you could have missed when just using the search tools. Tags are organised per field of study and per study institution. Note: not all content is tagged thoroughly, so when this approach doesn't give the results you were looking for, please check the search tool as back up
- Check or follow your (study) organizations:
- by checking or using your study organizations you are likely to discover all relevant study materials.
- this option is only available trough partner organizations
- Check or follow authors or other WorldSupporters
- by following individual users, authors you are likely to discover more relevant study materials.
- Use the Search tools
- 'Quick & Easy'- not very elegant but the fastest way to find a specific summary of a book or study assistance with a specific course or subject.
- The search tool is also available at the bottom of most pages
Do you want to share your summaries with JoHo WorldSupporter and its visitors?
- Check out: Why and how to add a WorldSupporter contributions
- JoHo members: JoHo WorldSupporter members can share content directly and have access to all content: Join JoHo and become a JoHo member
- Non-members: When you are not a member you do not have full access, but if you want to share your own content with others you can fill out the contact form
Quicklinks to fields of study for summaries and study assistance
Field of study
- All studies for summaries, study assistance and working fields
- Communication & Media sciences
- Corporate & Organizational Sciences
- Cultural Studies & Humanities
- Economy & Economical sciences
- Education & Pedagogic Sciences
- Health & Medical Sciences
- IT & Exact sciences
- Law & Justice
- Nature & Environmental Sciences
- Psychology & Behavioral Sciences
- Public Administration & Social Sciences
- Science & Research
- Technical Sciences
Add new contribution