The concept of me is all that makes the individual distinct, at least in their own mind.
It is a sense of who they are to themselves and to others.
The concept of me is different for males and females.
With males, there is an unconscious tendency for them to extend it to both animate and inanimate objects. When this is done, the individual doesn't see a distinction between what is actually him and what are the extensions of him as the latter get lumped as him.
Let me give you some examples.
Animate objects here generally refer to people. When a male is in a relationship with say, a female, the female at some point becomes an extension of him and consequently is assumed to have the similar aspirations, thoughts and logic as he does. In a way, this is largely due to cultural projection however the difference here is that he believes she is an extension of him.
This belief persists till the female reprimands the male. At which point, his conscious mind is jolted and he separates himself from her, in his concept of me.
Inanimate objects could refer to things like cars. Shockingly, some males regard their cars or vehicles of mobility as extensions of themselves and their bodies, sometimes like a second skin. Some may even personalize their vehicles to how they feel or how they like to be perceived. If a male's vehicle makes a sound that is different that what is is used to, he is surprisingly very attentive to the sound and will go to great lengths to diagnose and correct the problem. To him, it is almost like a body part is malfunctioning and he is seeking medical help.
If the male is teaching another person to drive a car, he may utter an instruction that makes some sense to a male but serves to confuse a female. One phrase commonly used is "feel the car around you" as it denotes that the car is a part of the individual - which might be true for a male but certainly isn't even remotely true for a female.
The female concept of me extends to inanimate objects such as clothing and fashion accessories. The "me" concept doesn't generally include people as they are separate to the individual and are individually managed as opposed to being extensions of the individual.
The exception being things or people they create as these then are regarded as "me". Mothers, for example, regard their children as extensions of themselves while women in general see work they produce, be it in anything from art to cookery, as parts of themselves. When these things they produce are then subject to close scrutiny and criticism, it is as if a personal attack has been done on their person.
Males can separate themselves and not encompass another into their concept of "me". Women have a much harder time trying to do this.
Why do males have this tendency to categorise more things as "me"? I suspect that it is an adaptation or coping strategy when dealing with a large amount of information and limited cognitive resources.
