What Do You Own if You Have Nothing? Psychological Ownership in the Context of Institutional Minimalism in the Armed Forces

Abstract

Newswise — In an era where capitalism and sustainability must cooperate to preserve resources, a new minimalist lifestyle trend has emerged. While material possessions offer comfort, immaterial possessions like relationships provide meaning and purpose. Psychological ownership suggests people can become attached to both material and immaterial objects, even without legal ownership. This article explores ownership targets and their meaning in a minimalist professional setting through a qualitative study of 84 interviews. The research expands existing PO classifications, by introducing a new category, and explores the link with team cohesion. It also provides insights into the development of possession feelings, proposing concepts like “reversed” psychological ownership, where individuals feel “owned” by their organization instead of owning it, and “wandering” psychological ownership, highlighting the fluidity and adaptability of perceived ownership feelings.