The social psychology of material possessions: To have is to be

by Helga Dittmar

This book, which is aimed at the undergraduate social psychology students, introduces a social constructionist approach which proposes that the meanings of material possessions are socially constituted and shared. Possessions are conceptualized as symbols of identity which can express and communicate an individuals's social position and personal qualities. Material context may therefore play a significant role in various areas of social cognition, a notion which runs counter to the contemporary Anglo-American conception of identity as unique, autonomous and free of contextual factors.

288 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1992

Reviews

[Einar Jensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helga Dittmar wrote for college students, but I found her arguments and research about material possessions as extensions of identity quite accessible. I opened this book because I’m tired of hearing people (including folk in my own field) tell survivors of fires that their possessions were just stuff. For the love of humanity, Stop. Our culture is based on possessions and their symbolism. To dismiss those possessions is a dismissive attack on survivors’ identities. Dittmar argues, “To have is to be.” So loss of what a person has, especially traumatic loss, must have massive consequences on self. Lots of great ideas in here.

[Marion Boberg]

A key book to understanding the meaning of material possession and also really important to me from the psycho-social perspective when writing my phd on usage and ownership of mobile phone and adolescence in the years 2000