Summary
Contents
Subject index
This new, completely revised version builds on the popular success of the First Edition. It seeks to answer the basic social question of ‘who am I?’ by developing an understanding of self-identity as formed in social relations and social activity. Comprehensive, jargon-free and authoritative, it will be required reading on courses in self and society, identity, and personality formation.
Conclusion
Conclusion
The general argument of this book has been that to truly understand ourselves and answer the question ‘who am I?’ we must first of all abandon the image of ourselves as self-contained monads or self-possessed individuals who can only find out about their identity by looking for and identifying some essence within them that is the secret truth of self, whether that be sexuality or some inherent personality trait. Equally, we are not individuals who are the proprietors of our own inherent capacities, owing nothing to society or to others for them. As individuals we are born into a world of social relations that have been made by previous generations, and, even though we can work to change these, nevertheless we can work only ...
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