AN ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION OF Brigitte Gaal Cluver for ...

Wallendorf and Arnould’s (1988) findings that younger individuals favor possessions
that are functional and express identity, whereas older individuals favor possessions
that represent family and ideals. Informants in Meyers’ (1995) study claimed that as
young children they were attached to possessions that provided comfort and security,
and as elementary school-aged children they were attached to possessions linked
with fantasy and cooperative play. Furthermore, informants claimed that as
adolescents they were attached to possessions that provided confidence in abilities
and reflected autonomy as well as relationships, and as young adults they were
attached to possessions that reflected closeness and intimacy. Finally, as adults,
informants claimed they were attached to possessions that reflected productivity,
creativity, and building something of worth to pass on. In periods of life stage
transitions, individuals value objects that symbolize relationships, as they provide a
sense of comfort, security, and connection to the past. Regardless of gender or life
stage, however, consumers integrate possessions into their sense of self.
Possessions and the Extended Self
An individual integrates many physical objects into his/her sense of self. Such
a phenomenon has been termed the “extended self” and is defined as the “body,
internal process, ideas, and experiences, and those persons, places, and things to
which one feels attached” (Belk, 1988, p.141). Possessions can reflect aspects of the
extended self, extending an individual both physically and symbolically. The
physically closer a possession is to an individual’s body, as well as the more control
and individual has over a possession, the more it is perceived to be part of the self
(Belk, 1988; Prelinger, 1959). Furthermore, an individual associates his/her self with
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