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What is Self?

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"The self is essentially narrative." [13]

There is a common conception that there exists within each of us a real, true self. It is perpetuated by the stories we consume in which characters are written as individuals with identity and autonomy. By the end of the journey, these characters discover themselves. Advertising encourages us to fully express ourselves. Inspirational mantras often tell us to become the best version of ourselves. All of this requires a stable self, a real self that is reducible to.

A self that is intelligible possesses an identity. What, then, constitutes an identity? Memories are narrative tools and are central to the forming of subjectivity. We perceive direct experiences through the body that must then be articulated in order to be understood. On the other hand, this also means that "the lack of an adequate language to bring to consciousness our "embodied" selves hinders the articulation of our experiences in theoretical terms." [14] Language is imposed upon the body both as a means to become aware of it and to understand its experiences. What it is to be a self is still inadequately articulated, let alone understood. The work of identity and of defining a self is thus the work of discourse.

This page has paths:

  1. Index Amanda Liaw

Contents of this path:

  1. The Self through Language
  2. Capitalism & Self-Expression