Relationships

Personality Props: Material Objects and the Self

Unravel the intricate relationship between material objects and self-identity. Explore how our possessions, often dubbed as 'Personality Props', reflect our character, values, and aspirations. Delve into the psychology behind our attachment to things and how they shape our perception of self.

Objects can help us recover our former selves and consolidate ideas about past events and relationships

They manifest who we wish to be and provide the physical circumstances for change
Interaction becomes a sort of information game in which selected things emerge and others remain hidden-and most appear as versions of the full truth

Future Commitments

Material possessions are more than tools, habitats, and conveyances; they are the circumstances of who we have been, are now, and will be. Being thoughtful about those circumstances is the challenge of modern living.

Old possessions symbolize continuity and endurance; new ones shout possibility.

Present Dealings

Cigarettes facilitated interaction, as “bumming” smokes was common. Cigarettes also sanctioned social withdrawal, associated most clearly with “taking a break” at work.

People crave some reward-producing item in their hands, which they manipulate to move in and out of social situations.
Cell phones now function in this way, as they give the illusion of social connection.

The Past Recovered

Treasured objects forge ties between generations

The repair shop in “The Repair Shop”
Someone who has lost touch with a loved one (often by death) brings an item to the shop for repair, an item that was once important to that loved one’s life
Miraculously, the craftspeople restore it to some semblance of its former glory
Confronting the restoration, the owners feel reconnected to their ancestors
Discovering an old baseball mitt or love-worn doll is not just an occasion for memory, whether private or shared with others

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