Possessions help us manipulate our possibilities

From:

Possessions and the Extended Self
Author(s): Russell W. Belk
Source: Journal of Consumer Research, Vol. 15, No. 2 (Sep., 1988), pp. 139-168 

The possessions in- corporated in extended self serve valuable functions to healthy personalities. One such function is acting as an objective manifestation of the self. As Douglas and Isherwood (1979) noted, such possessions are "good for thinking." Possessions help us manipulate our possibilities and present the self in a way that gar- ners feedback from others who are reluctant to re- spond so openly to the unextended self.
The possessions in our extended self also give us a personal archive or museum that allows us to reflect on our histories and how we have changed.