Asceticism

Asceticism refers to the methodical performance of practices that aim to transform the body and the self in relation to religious or secular moral values and are characterized by an attitude of self-criticism. Examples of ascetic practices include the renunciation of the following: material wealth, all or some sexual behaviors or sexual desire itself, particular types of food and drink, conventional social arrangements (such as family life), or various norms of social behavior. Ascetic practices tend to be embodied critiques of opposed behaviors and values within the same culture and therefore seek to be morally transformative of the surrounding culture as well as of the person. In the context of contemporary consumer culture, asceticism often takes the form of rejection of the ideology of consumerism ...