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There is no unified self

You have more than one self

19th September 2024
| Senior Research Professor in Psychology at Swarthmore College, and the President of the Taos Institute. He is internationally known for his work on the self and relational theory, and is the author of several books, including Relational Being.
1,826 words
Read time: approx. 9 mins

Throughout history the West has promoted the unified self. Whether it is the Christian emphasis on inner purity or the rationalist focus on eliminating contradictions in thought and reason, we have long believed that the unified self is a worthy objective. In this article, Kenneth Gergen argues that the desire for self-unity is ultimately mistaken. To adapt to the ever-changing modern world and to work with others to achieve the public good, we must shift our starting point from the fixed unified self to fluid and complex social processes.

This article is presented in association with Closer To Truth, a partner for HowTheLightGetsIn Festival 2024.

 

Kenneth J Gergen
19th September 2024

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Reminiscent of the hypothesis that consciousness is received by the body, rather than being an emergent property of the brain.