![]() So they're assuming that they own that possession, even though they don't own it. And if someone else is in it, they may be preserved enough to actually ask the person to move or they may slink off and sit in another seat. So students in a classroom, for example, that come and sit in the same unassigned seat every day or every week, come to think of it as their seat. And so we can own things that we do not possess and we can feel that we own something that is intangible. How far can the definition of possession stretch?īelk: Well, that's a good question and it's one that has more salience, as you pointed out in your introduction, because of the sharing economy that we have gotten into and because of the digital economy that we're all a part of. Mills: Many people think of possessions as things that we own in a physical or a legal sense, but your definition is broader than that. And so in that sense, in a nutshell or in a capsule, these are possessions that not only extend what we can do, but they represent us. Imagine, for example, that you just got a new piece of clothing and you spill tomato soup all over it, or you just get a new automobile and you have a little fender scraper, it's almost like your body is being scraped or damaged or soiled. And rather like our children, if they do something wonderful, we're elated, if they do something terrible, we are sort of shamed that it's our fault in a sense because these children, these companion animals are extensions of ourselves.Īnd so in that sense, we wax and we wane depending upon how our possessions prosper. I'm in a household where we just got a new puppy and the puppy is being trained, and sometimes it does well and sometimes it doesn't do well. But when we get into symbolic possessions, these are things that represent us. They allow us to do things that we can't do with just our voice or with just our hands. What does it mean to think of our possessions as extensions of ourself?īelk: Well, if you look at something like a musical instrument or a mechanical aid, like a hammer or a screwdriver, these literally extend the body. Mills: One of your most influential research papers is called Possessions and the Extended Self. Russel Belk, PhD: Thank you for having me. He's a past president of the Association for Consumer Research, and has received numerous awards for his work, including being elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.ĭr. Belk is the author of more than 650 journal articles and books. ![]() His research interests include understanding what our possessions mean to us, how different cultures regard consumption, and how we relate to each other through possessions. Belk studies the meaning of possessions, collecting, gift-giving, sharing, and materialism. Russell Belk, a distinguished research professor and Kraft Foods Canada chair in marketing at the Schulich School of Business at York University in Ontario. Welcome to Speaking of Psychology, the flagship podcast of the American Psychological Association that examines the links between psychological science and everyday life. So what role do possessions play in our lives? Why are many people driven to acquire things, especially to systematically collect items such as stamps, art, antique cars, or even matchbooks or PEZ dispensers? What does it mean to own something? Do possessions have to be physical objects, or can they be digital or completely intangible? What happens when we have to give things up, when we downsize or declutter or lose a treasured possession? And how has the rise of the digital age and the sharing economy changed the way people think about the importance of possessions? ![]() The things we own can be central to our identity, according to some researchers-part of how we see ourselves and how other people see us. So it seems like a good time of year to talk about possessions and what possessions mean to us. Perhaps you're going through your old stuff, following through on a New Year's resolution to declutter. ![]() Kim Mills: Many of you may have spent the past few weeks exchanging gifts with family and friends, and maybe you're now enjoying some new possessions or returning those that didn't fit or weren't quite what you wanted. ![]()
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