“Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi” is tough to spell
But it’s worth it to learn how. His “Meaning of Things” (1981) is a fascinating study of material culture – how we derive our sense of self from our homes & the things we own.
Csikszentmihalyi + Co. divided possessions between objects valued “for action” and those valued “for contemplation.” Since then, there’s been other work that divides our relationship to our stuff as a staged process: Identity creation, maintenance & preservation via the stuff we own.