Extended Self and Possessions in the Workplace

Kelly Tian and Russell W. Belk

Journal of Consumer Research, 2005, vol. 32, issue 2, 297-310

Abstract: 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. Work self and home self contend for dominance in these displays. Employees must decide which aspects of the self belong to the domain of work and which belong elsewhere. In these ongoing negotiations self may be extended, but it may also be retracted and hidden. Furthermore, although possessions can serve to stabilize the self, they also facilitate shifting among various self-aspects in response to workplace events. We explicate these processes and discuss implications for extended self theory. (c) 2005 by JOURNAL OF CONSUMER RESEARCH, Inc..

Date: 2005
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:oup:jconrs:v:32:y:2005:i:2:p:297-310

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