They may even provide a type of immortality when they remain attached to our identity after our death. Pdf purpose the purpose of this paper is to revisit russell belks 1988 landmark paper possessions and the extended self. The consumer explained from the perspective of the extended self. Participants each were given a small rock and randomly assigned to design a pet rock for themselves or to sell. Employees must decide which aspects of the self belong to the domain of work and which belong elsewhere. Dec 15, 2010 possessions are central to our sense of self. Recently, these notions of the extendedself and contamination or, contagion have been used to explain peoples desire to own celebrity memorabilia in the west. This study of the meanings of possessions displayed in the offices of employees in a high technology firm suggests extensions to the concept of extended self. Belk rw 1988 possessions and the extended self journal of.
Journal of consumer research, volume 15, issue 2, september 1988, pages 9168. Related streams of research are identified and drawn upon in developing this concept and implications are derived for consumer behavior. The extended self and workplace possessions semantic scholar. Extended self in a digital world marketing science institute. This more expansive view of the extended self can be examined in light of several prior conceptualiza. Russell belk s 1988 seminal paper on the extended self in the journal of consumer research highlighted the central role of material artifacts in defining self identity. Valued possessions displayed in the home have been found to extend the self less through their use value than by memorializing experiences, family, and friends, as well as life achievements belk et al. May 18, 2015 the purpose of this paper is to revisit russell belks 1988 landmark paper possessions and the extended self. Valued possessions dis played in the home have been found to.
Work self and home self contend for dominance in these displays. Since that time, issues related to how consumers use products to construct their iden. Make objects become a part of self is by knowing them by inspiring the desire to have the object. The dematerialization of society in the digital age. Possessions and self belk 2010 major reference works. In the present office worker context, we find that certain self extending possessions involve an expansion of mental capabilities that aid cognitive performance. The publication of belks 1988 possessions and the extended self solidi. Russell w, belk our possessions are a major contributor to and reflection of our identities. How might belk s paper differ if he had published it in 20. Our possessions contribute to reflecting our identity, so it is very important to look at how people expand their self in relation to others and how possessions become part of themselves. Belk 1988 noted that possessions comprising the ex tended self serve not only as cues for others to form im pressions about us but also as markers for individual and. Designmethodologyapproach this paper takes belk seriously when he argues. Possessions were one of the many ways we constructed an extended self, belk argued. The concept of extended self belk, 1988 posits that there is first an atomized individual self that radiates out into the world.
May 18, 2015 read belks 1988 possessions and the extended self revisited, journal of historical research in marketing on deepdyve, the largest online rental service for scholarly research with thousands of academic publications available at your fingertips. Belk 1988 noted that possessions comprising the ex tended self serve not only as cues for others to form im pressions about us but also as. This paper provides a prehistory of the extended self concept and charts the impact of russell belks seminal paper, using citation analyses and the qualitative comments of prominent scholars. Belks 1988 possessions and the extended self revisitedi abstract purpose the purpose of this paper is to revisit russell belks 1988 landmark article possessions and the extended self. Research and theory on the extended self must now consider features such as dematerialization, reembodiment, and coconstruction of self. The authors provide a prehistory of related ideas and then examine the controversy it triggered regarding the different paradigms of research in marketing cohen, 1989 some 26 years ago. Extended self and possessions in the workplace journal of. This paradoxical view of the role of consumption in selfconflict situations reflects the contention, held by the extended self theory belk, 1988, belk, 20 and butlers 1990 notion of performativity, that we have the illusion of an authentic core self, projected to the world via possessions and consumption rituals. The bodily component of the material self requires little explanation. We provide a prehistory of related ideas and then examine the controversy it triggered regarding the different paradigms of research in marketing cohen, 1989 some twenty six years ago. This paper provides a prehistory of the extended self concept and charts the impact of russell belk s seminal paper, using citation analyses and the qualitative comments of prominent scholars.
Belk rw 1988 possessions and the extended self journal of consumer research vol from bus 100 at hong kong shue yan university. I, me, and minehow products become consumers extended selves. Belk to understand consumer behaviour we need to understand the meanings that consumers attached to possession. In other words, the selfassubject i constructs selfreferential objectmeanings that are then assimilated into ones sense of identity that is the selfasobject me. For better or for worse, our possessions help to tangibilize our past, our present, and perhaps our future. Purpose the purpose of this paper is to revisit russell belk s 1988 landmark article possessions and the extended self.
Alternative conceptualizations of the extended self. Advances in consumer research volume 42, 2014 alternative conceptualizations of the extended self russell belk, york university, canada abstract belk s 1988 formulation of the extended self is an influential conceptualization of the relation between people and possessions. It has recently been updated belk 20 to include digitally medi. A summary table outlines the changes to the extended self concept and the nature of possessions resulting from these features. Related streans of research are identified and drawn upon in devetopjng this concept and implications are derived for consumer behavior. Essay on belk the extended self concept 1840 words 8 pages consumer behaviour week 6 the self possessions and the extended self russell w. Possessions and the extended self journal of consumer. Possessions as the extended self article pdf available in journal of consumer research 152.
Pdf extended self and possessions in the workplace. Although the extended self is a relatively new concept, over the years it has developed rapidly, being the subject of study of several marketing researches. Extended abstract belks 1988 construct of self extension is widely cited but has been criticized as difficult to test empirically e. For research applications within the perspective advocated here, see belk 1987b, 1988 and belk and austin 1986. Abstract purpose the purpose of this paper is to revisit russell belks 1988 landmark paper possessions and the extended self. Belk r w 1988 possessions and extended self journal of consumer research 1529 from business 1 at taylor university. Purpose the purpose of this paper is to revisit russell belks 1988 landmark article possessions and the extended self. Belks 1988 possessions and the extended self revisited. Belk s 1988 essay played a pioneering role in bringing this topic to the forefront of consumer research literature.
We examined the construct of self extension experimentally. Belk rw 1988 possessions and the extended self journal of consumer research 152 from e 1015 at new york university. Sep 27, 2012 3 ways of incorporating possessions into the extended self appropriating or controlling an object for personal use. Belk r w 1988 possessions and extended self journal of. Belks 1988 formulation of the extended self is an influential conceptualization of the relation between people and possessions. Abstract purpose the purpose of this paper is to revisit russell belk s 1988 landmark paper possessions and the extended self. We provide a prehistory of related ideas and then examine. We extend belk s original construct to encompass the digital extended self as we identify three crucial domains. Purpose the purpose of this paper is to revisit russell belk s 1988 landmark paper possessions and the extended self. Pdf belks 1988 possessions and the extended self revisited. These entities are clearly an intimate part of who we are. The purpose of this paper is to revisit russell belk s 1988 landmark paper possessions and the extended self.
A variety of evidence is presented supporting this simple and compelling premise. Having an object and incorporating it into self by creating it, buying an object. The authors provide a prehistory of related ideas and then. W, 1988, p 9 belk is very much coming at this from a consumer science, or consumerism viewpoint. Possessions and the extended self self is extended through symbolic incorporation of object meanings belk 1988.
Mar 21, 2014 as such, belk 1988 explains how we become contaminated in both positive and negative ways through contact with peoples possessions see also. Initial analysis of seven life stories of battered women and five of abuser men revealed a frequent use of the term it in descriptions of violent spousal relations. The first analysis compared scholarly citations of belk 1988 with the top ten most cited journal of consumer research jcr articles. Application of rosenthals 2006 hermeneutic case reconstruction method.
His stream of papers on this topic belk, 1983, 1988, 1988, 1990 clariiy the role possessions play in consumers sense of the self. A seminal article by belk 1988, relating the acquisition of possessions to the concept of an extended self, has since been credited by ahuvia 2005, p. Our possessions are a major contributor to and reflection of our identities. Possessions displayed in the workplace may be increasingly like those.
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