Mine and Ours

Who owns what, and why? This important question lies at the heart of how we understand and navigate the world. The answer shapes our daily lives, relationships, and societies in profound and often invisible ways.Ownership provides essential clarity—it guides how we interact with resources, simplifies social relationships, and helps us predict behavior. Yet it also fuels inequality, sparks disputes between young children and ignites violent international conflicts. In our digital age, where streaming services replace physical collections and cultural consumption moves online, we are forced to reconsider what ownership means.This book explores psychological ownership – the feeling of ‘mine’ and ‘ours’ - across its full spectrum: material and immaterial objects, children and adults, personal and collective possessions. It examines how a sense of ownership operates in interpersonal relationships, intergroup dynamics, and international relations—across societies and cultures. Drawing on empirical research from multiple academic disciplines alongside compelling anecdotes and examples from daily life, history, and contemporary global politics, this wide-reaching exploration reveals how ownership touches virtually every facet of human existence.