The Theoretical Framework of Crisis of Self - Essay Example

Crisis of self by The of the The of the School The and where it is located The Date Crisis of self Introduction If one takes a close look at the social environment, one can not help noticing that it should be seen as an irreplaceable prerequisite for the development of the inner potential of a human being. Indeed, if it had not been for the people around a large number of our characteristic features would not have developed. However, it must be noted that the society may not always be the best platform for a personal evolution. There might be situations when certain conditions exist which place certain obstacles on the way of development of an individual. Furthermore, under extreme conditions the society might exercise influence that is negative for an individual. Thus, there is a number of scholars in the contemporary world that argue that nowadays one is able to witness crisis of self because of the existing social conditions. This paper will prove this point by engaging thought of the scholars who supported this idea and examining in great detail certain example that are taken from the contemporary life. The theoretical framework of crisis of self According to some researchers the human culture at the present moment is subject influence of fear (Furedi, 2005, p. 135). Indeed, the latter largely defines it. In spite of the fact that fear has been accompanying humans since the very dawn of creation of the society, only nowadays it acquire the position of the driving force that dominates the environment. It is suggested that there are many kinds of fear, starting with the global and irrational one to the quite fear that people experience in the everyday life. It would not be a mistake to suggest that under such conditions self of a person is not able to develop properly. The other group of scholars point out that the work has entered what they call “reinvention craze” with people trying to redefine the fundamental principles of their existence (Elliott & Lemert, 2006, p. 56). The authors argue that this can be found on virtually every level: large corporations are in constant need of change and often undergo restructuring, hoping that this will contribute to their performance; people are engaged in the quest for spiritual perfection, trying to find their place in the world. One should point out that this will this phenomenon is widely spread, it reflects the uncertainty that people in the world have about their identity. Thus, they look for something new because they are not satisfied with what they have. However, it is because they are not able to find what satisfies them, they end up with nothing which eventually leads to a crisis. Some scholars, for example Lasch, were able to put emphasis on the distinct feature of the contemporary world: narcissism (Gaitanidis, 2007, p. 134). Indeed, nowadays people need external validation of their success or even their very existence by other people. There is no doubt that this might be perceived as some kind of personality disorder that does not allow one’s self to function properly. It is suggest that the increased desire to participate in the political movements or various spiritual cults might be regarded as a sign of the desire to acquire external validation and cope with the inner problems. For example, the modern world features such phenomenon as streaking. The latter might be regarded as one of the top manifestation of crisis of self that urges a person to gain attention of the other people in such a manner. Finally, people like Sennett often note that the contemporary social conditions deprive people of some crucial elements that should be seen as the basis of the stability of their self. Thus, the modern employees often lack control over their time and power over their lives. In other words, they might appear to be prospering; however, they have none or little control over their success. What is more important is that they are forced to interact with people who they work with which makes it difficult to maintain relationships with people who are not engaged into their professional framework. As a result, a person who is employed by a company or is self employed often becomes “another brick in the wall” and is not able to break this vicious circle. The treat of terror is an element of culture of fear Now, it may be rather advantageous to analyze the examples that are taken from the contemporary life. Thus, in the modern world people are used to fly around the planet. Indeed, flying from one part of the world into another is a normal thing that no one is surprised by. However, in the airports there are many measures of security that make sure that planes are safe to fly. In spite of the fact that this people got accustomed to it, the threat of death that is associated with terrorist has greatly influenced lives of the people. For example, many understand that flying is no longer as comfortable as it used to be as the security measured has been tightened after 9/11 and the airport administration sees every passenger as a terrorist. All this resulted in the situation that a contemporary person sees the chance of death everywhere. Indeed, terrorism is everywhere and nowhere at the same time. The people are shown the images of wars that are waged overseas, but they also know that there is a constant threat to their homes as well. In other words, no one can be truly safe nowadays. This contributes to building anxiety that is associated with the interaction with the world. Some people tend to arm themselves to be able to oppose it, others might take up abusing alcohol or tobacco. In any case, people of the modernity perceive the world not as a peaceful aggregation of individuals, but as a platform that some might use to exercise their aggression in the form of a terroristic act and literally anyone can become a victim. This perception of the world has a devastating effect on one’s self. The rise of therapeutic culture It would be an exaggeration to suggest that life was easy and comfortable prior to this century. It is quite understandable that at all times people have experienced many negative emotions and failures. However, it is only in this century that all this negative emotions were regarded as unique conditions that should be treated (Furedi, 2013, p. 42). Indeed, medicalisation of the contemporary society resulted in the emergence of therapeutic culture: a phenomenon when normal human emotions are treated with the help of drugs. One would make no mistake suggesting that there are clinical heath conditions that are similar to what many people feel; however, there is a line between coping with normal failures in life and diagnosing a health condition with similar symptoms. The reason why this social condition has a negative effect on one’s self lies on the following: people are practically deprived of normal feelings and emotional processes. For example, if one is sad, one is likely to drink some pills that would make the mood better rather than talking about the problem with friends. If a person experiences anxiety and has problem with sleep because of this, he or she might probably use the appropriate pills to sleep rather than coping with the problem that is the root of anxiety. Therefore, medications have substituted normal emotional patterns of behaviour and provided a person with an opportunity to induce the “normal” state when one does not have to feel one. Grief and other negative emotions are as much important as the positive ones; so, when one is deprived of them the self is not able to develop properly. The impact of the social networks One would have to note that the modern world is largely characterised by its reliance on the social media. In spite of the fact that the latter do provide people with great opportunities such as ability to communicate with others and maintain relationship over long distances, this phenomena has an important negative side: it cultivates an unusual attention to one’s body. Indeed, the art of photography is relatively young, but recently it has experienced its second birth as more people in the world started taking selfies. The latter are taken primarily to show that one is doing one’s best to follow the perceived ideal of beauty. As a result, people no longer try to invent their own image: they try to comply with the generally accepted guidelines and structure their pictures accordingly. For many, addiction to the social media is so strong that they end up being over exposed. In spite of the fact that it is the users who have full control over their virtual behaviour, the majority of them thinks that they are obliged to tell the virtual community about every decision that they make in their lives. This results in the fact that people enjoy sharing almost every aspect of their life. When this vicious circle starts, some users are not able to stop: they feel the urgent need to take more and more selfies to receive the approval of other people. So, their self-esteem is directly dependent on the amount of likes that they can accumulate. There is no doubt that such behaviour is degrading for one’s self as it deprives a person of unique value that one has. Professional mobility and its consequences The contemporary social conditions are often connected with the high pace of life that the modern people experience. Indeed, the old days when people lived, worked and died in the same town are long gone. At the present moment, a person may be born in one town, change several locations while working and finally rest in peace in a completely different place. This is quite common for those people who work for large companies: an individual makes a career in one branch and later is sent to a different branch to share the experience. This might become a real challenge for families; however, truly devoted spouses and children often follow which means that a family will end up in different places. One would make no mistake noting that the advancement of transportation has enabled people to move around the globe easily. However, while all this might provide people with more freedom, it actually causes damage to their self. Thus, life of a person becomes unpredictable and they are not able to root anywhere. It is quite obvious that the sense of belonging is one of the major feelings that guides life of a person. However, in the modern world a person often can not find a true home since one is obliged to relocate from time to time because of the corporate interests. This inevitably results in the fact that a person lives a shallow life and one is always ready to move to a different time. Another point that should be mentioned is that in the course of such relocations many connections that were made before are lost. That is why the human interaction becomes superficial as well. The peculiarity of consumer lifestyle Despite the inequality in the distribution of income, the contemporary people live more prosperous lives that every before. They are so prosperous that many individuals end up owning many more objects that they need. While this might be regarded as a sign of a developed industrialised society, it often leads to terrible consequences. For example, in the two decades the technology has advanced so much that people of the twenty first century are practically living in a new world: the majority of the people owns a smart phone, many own tablet or personal computers. However, rather then becoming tools for work, they represent a part of the contemporary fashion. A good example is the popularity of iPhone. The latter is nothing more but a smart phone. Of course, at a certain point it made a revolution in the relationship between humans and technology, but the significance of it is often exaggerated. It has become an actor of cultural life itself: it shapes the way people behave and interact. That is why one might suggest that the cultural life of a contemporary person is more concerned with following the trend rather than finding something that pleases one’s taste. In other words, the producers of goods often generalize the desires of the people, not letting the latter be able to find when they truly want. This resulted in the market that is full of objects that are similar to each other and the significance of which is determined by the degree to which they follow the conventional trend. Therefore, it is rather difficult to obtain something authentic at the present day as everything was created to please the generalized consumer and not a particular person. As a result, the latter has to extent one’s interests beyond what one truly likes and this distorts one’s self. Conclusion Having examined all the evidence which was brought up in the paragraphs above, one is able to come to the following conclusion: there are many contemporary social conditions that contribute to the emergence of crisis of self. First of all, it is the widely spread culture of fear. It is reinforced through medial portrayals of terrorists that threaten the entire globe Secondly, it is the rise of therapeutic culture which makes people think that normal emotions and behaviours are negative conditions that should be treated with medicine. Thirdly, the use of social networks enhances the fascination with one’s body. Moreover, the mobility of the people does not allow them to root anywhere. Finally, most of the people simply follow the trend and not live their true lives. References Elliott, A & Lemert, C 2006, The new individualism: The emotional costs of globalization, Routledge, London. Furedi, F 2005, Politics of fear, Continuum, London. Furedi, F 2013, Therapy Culture Cultivating Vu, Routledge, London. Gaitanidis, A 2007, Narcissism: A critical reader, Karnac, London. Sennett, R 2003, The fall of public man, Penguin, London. Read More