Modernity and Self-Identity Self and Society in the Late Modern Age Anthony Giddens Stanford University Press Stanford, Californiaard Uiey Pet Str, Con 1991 Anta Gite rising pts Poly Ps, Cant, reste wi nde abla, Oni Fes gibi inthe USA by Sule! Uae Pe Prt n Gren ae Ch SEN to 190-6 Pap ISBN GSO IDS vga pining 194 {i pte arse of ir pine oe of on @ ot 3s Taibo n acide pe Contents ‘Acknowledgements Introduction 1 The Contours of High Modernity 2 The Self: Ontological Security and Existential Aniety 3. The Tajectory ofthe Sef 41 Fat, Risk and Security 5 The Sequestration of Experience © Tribulations of the Self 7 The Emergence of Life Pol Notes Glossary of Concepts Index 24s3 The Trajectory of the Self Jn tis chapter, elaborating upon the theme of the sef, sa low te same cove ain shat. making we fm an faethe feds of actom they concerns nn” MUCH core Self-Therapy, a work by Tate Rainwater, i book dcstly oriented eo pate. Like the study by Wallerstein and Blasio, itis only one among an indie varity of books on is subj ni igre inthis analysis for sympomatie easons ater th on is ow account. Subiled A Guero Becoming Your Own Trp ended sn pop of slain tt Fossil you Soin rete Or you may fe onerwtm the demande wes hth tens ars Yon as Uapprecited by thie pope cost ts ou" Femapaos el {ng that fe pang uty ange hte secre se a thee great hinge you had hoped odo Sosy eb ming ttm four Me, You were ated ye fhe ba ae wah ht you rely wren cape. What so What todo? How to at? Who tobe? These are focal questions for everyone living in ecumstances of ate modern bd oe which, on some level or anaer al of us answer, ce dee Svely or though dato day socal behaviour They ate exe: al questions, although, on wo shall se later tnt lation tothe stn ees eused in the resding chapters pobny A key idea of Rainwater’s perspective is set out very early in The Tajectory ofthe Sef 71 herbook. Therapy with another person ~ psychiatrist or counsel- lor - she accepts, isan important, indeed frequently a erucial pat of a process of sclf-realisation. But, says Rainwater, therapy fan only be successful when it involves the individual's own feflexivity: “when the clients also start learning to do sel therapy. For therapy is not something which i ‘done’ to a person, or "happens to them: it is an experience which involves the individual in systematic reflection about the course of het or hislife’s development, The therapist i at most catalyst who can accelerate what has to be a process of selF-therapy. This propos tion applies also, Rainwater notes, to her book, which ean inform someone about possible modes and directions of el-change, but Ivhich must be interpretatively organised by the person concerned in relation to his oF her life's problems. Self-therapy is grounded first and foremost in continuous self- ‘observation, Each moment of life, Rainwater emphasises, is @ ‘new moment’, at which the individval can ask, “what do 1 want for myself?” Living every moment relectively is a matter of heightened awareness of thoughts, feelings and bodily sensations. ‘Avareness creates potential change, and may actually induce ‘hange in and through itself. Foristance, the question, ‘Are you “avare of your breathing right now?" atleast whe iti ist posed, tsuly produces an instantaneous change. The raising of such an Jssue may make the person ‘aware that she i inhibiting a normal full breathing eycle and allows her body (o say “Whew” in relic, fake a deep breath, and then exhale i.” “And’, Rainwater adds parenthetially 10 the reader, “how is Your breathing tight now, liter having read this paragraph?” ~a question that [could echo to whosoover might be reading this particular text Presentassareness, oF what Rainwater calls the “routine art of selt-observation’, dacs not lead to chronic immersion in current txperience, On the contrary it isthe very condition of effectively planning ahead, Self-therapy means seeking to live each moment fo the full, but it emphatially does not mean succumbing to the allure ofthe present, The question “What do T want for myself Tight now? is not the same as taking one day ata time, The ‘art of being in the now generates the sel-understanding necessary 10 plan ahead and to construct a life trajectory which accords with the individual's inner wishes. Therapy isa process of growth, and fone which has to encompass the major transitions through which72 The Trajectory ofthe Self «person's if is likely to pass oy ‘ezping.ajoumal, and developing 4 notional or actual autcbiography, are tecommended ng Sees of thinking ahead. The journal, Rainwater suggert shoal vsticn completely for onesell, never with the thought of showing ft to anyone else. It is a place where the indiiduel con Re completely honest and where, by learning from previously noted experiences and mistakes, she can chat continuing process of arowth. Whether or not the journal ite has the expiot foes of &m autabiopraphy, “autobiographical thinking is freon ee ment of selfherapy. For developing a caer ise of ese lit history isa prime means of escaping the thrall tte paseo opening onset the ftir The aur ofthe stohog raphy is enjoined both to go back as fara posuble inte ooh childhood and to setup line of potential development tecacees asthe future “The autobiography isa corrective intervention into the pas, not merely a chronicle of elapsed events One of i see ‘example, i “nourthing the child-hatyoumneres Take back to. diticat or traumatic phase of childhood: thc indieeeg talse to the chld-thatas, comforting and supporting it and offering advice. In this way, Rainwater argues, felings Of ony cas 01 over and done wit. “The baste purpose 6 writing eae apical material fs to help you be done with the saat other aspect i the ‘sorretve emotional expeicie errs The person writes down sn event from the past nthe foes of short sory wnten in the present, recaling what happened spd the feelings involved as aecurately ashe er she cam Then the Story rewritten inthe way the ladivihal Would have Hike ito happen, with now dialogue, felings and resolution of the ep ove Reconstruction of the past goes along with anticipation of the likely tie trajectory of dhe future. Self-herapy prestmes what Rainwater calls a dialogue with tine’ = h proces ot ea juestioning about how the individual handles the time of her spar antag abouctane inv petne wep ee lowing for lite to be lived, rather than consisting of a finite quantity that is unning out ~ allows one to avoid a “helpless hopeless” stitute ‘Time which “earries us along’ implies a conception of fate ike that found in many traditional cultures, where people are the psa. 18 of events and preconsiructed settings rather than able 10 The Taaeetory of the Sef 73, subject thee Hes othe svay of tht own selF understanding ing dialog with tne means etying ssl events (etal vents it pst and possible ones tbe fed inthe {tor) and coming terme with their mpliesons: Raiowater citer rainy seo sen! happen, base on resarch erature it area (poiting ou ale tha Fach happenings ean be causal nko to te onto py dacasd),Examper Helo den of spout; fivoree or mail sepraio,tosng nes), being in nancial ius, ha many ter cre or one’ confronting a tiesiy of open poste Te indica! mut Bereparetomske moc orless complete beak with he pst if jcctany, and fo sntemplate novel courte of acon that Seo snp be sued by ose Ss tne thrown steking wah estab pattern brit, and 3 Some pony rac, Te betokens fer of te fate aber than Providing the mans of mastering i involves risk, because it means People who fear the future attempt to “secure” themselves ~ with money, property, health insurance, personal relationships, mar- age contracts, Parents attempt to ind their children to them he eal ken ae vloctant ove the home ns. Hs bands and wives try 10 guarantee the continuance of the other's life and services. The harsh psyshological truth i that there is no permanence in human relationships, any more than there i inthe Fock market, the weather, ‘naionel security and so on this itching at sear che ver dour to erpesonl Telationships, and will impede your own self-growih. The more ‘ach of us can learn to be truly in the present with our others, making no rlesand erecting no fences forthe future, the stronger ‘We will be in ourselves and the closer and happier in our relation ships74 ‘The Trajectory ofthe Sel tobe avoided as fares possible. Both attitudes fear of death and denial of death ~ can be countered by 2 programme of sell-heip that draws on the same techniques deseribed elsewiere in Rain. waters book, Thinking back tothe past tothe fist experience of the death of another person, allows one to begin to ferret out hidden feelings about death. Looking ahead inthis case involves contemplating the years of life which the person believes remain, and imagining the setting of one’s own future death, An imagin= ary confrontation with death allows the question to be posed all, ‘over again: ‘What t0 do?” Imagine that you hae been tld hat yoshi jus the yeas et tolive. You wil be in good Heal for these years. What was our immediate response”. To stat planting how you would bpend or tine Or ey acho hore ime Rater than ein ais the ding ofthe ih petting Doge dn inthe mechan of how ot en this ana, dene how ou vant © spend jour timer how you wan olive these ls! dre years Where do you want 0 te? With woo do you vant ve? Do you want 0 work? Tosudy? ‘Ae thete any ingredients from your fantasy Ife that you would Tks to incorporate into your crete? SelFidentity, history, modernity How distinctive in hstorics terms are the concerns and erent tions expresed in Rainwater cl help manval? We might course, simpy say that th search for cl oh ‘tsin in Western Indias. Baumeisier daims tht i pe-movern times our carentemphans cm indvdity was absent? The Idea that each person has Unique character and speci potentiates that may or may not be fullled is slien to pre-modern culture, In medieval Europe, lineage, gender, soll status and other attnbutes relevant 16 identity were al relatively fixed. Tramstions hal to be made through the various stages of if, but these were goveracd Dy “The Trajectory ofthe Self 75. institutionalised processes and the individuals role in them was relatively passive. Baumeister's analysis recalls that of Durkheim: the ‘individual’. in a certain sense, did not exist in traditional cultures, and individuality was not prized. Only with the emerg- fence of modern societies and, more particulary, with the differ- entiation of the division of labour, did the separate individual become a focus of attention.” No doubt there is something in these views, But Ido not think itis the existence of the ‘individva” that i a stake, as a distinc live feature of modernity, and even les so the self. "individual has surely been valued — within varying limits ~ in all cultures and ‘9, in one sense or another, has been the cultivation of individual, potentialities. Rather than talking in general terms of “indi Vial, self or even ‘self-identity’ as distinctive of modernity, we should try to break things down into finer detail. We can begin to ddo so by charting some ofthe specific pints in, or implications of, Rainwaters portrayal of what therapy is und what it docs. The following clements ean be drawn out of het Text 1. The selfis seen asa reflexive project, for which the individual is responsible (this theme figured in chapter 1 above). We are, not what we are, but what we make of ourselves, It would not be true to say that the sel is regarded as entirely empty of content, for there’ are psychological processes. of self-ormation, and psychological needs, which provide the parameters for the reor fanisation of the self. Otherwise, however, what the individval becomes is dependent on the reconstructive endeavours in Which she oF he engages, These are far more than just “geting t0 know oneselP' better: self-understanding is subordinated to the more inclusive and fundamental aim of buildiag/tebuiing a coherent and rewarding sense of identity. The involvement of such reflex ivity with socal and psychological research is striking, and pervasive feature ofthe therapeutic outlook advocated, 2. The self forms a tajectory of development from the past 10 the anticipated future. ‘The individual appropristes his past by sifting through it in the light of what is antiipated for an (orga nised) future. ‘The trajectory of the self hat s coherence that derives from a cognitive awareness of the Varicus phases of the lifespan. The lifespan, rather than vents in the outside world,76 The Trajectory ofthe Seif ‘becomes the dominant ‘foreground figure” in the Gestalt sense. It 'S not quite the case that all outside events or institutions are a “blur, against which only the lifespan has form and is picked out in clear relief; yet such events only intrude in s0 far as they provide supports for self-development, throw up barriers to be ‘overcome oF are a source of uncertainties to be faced. 3. The reflexivity of the self is continuous, as well as pervasive, At each moment, of at least at regular intervals, the individual is asked 10 conduct a seltinterrogation in terms of what is happening. Beginning as a series of consciously asked questions, the individual becomes accustomed to asking, how can I use this moment to change?” Reflexiity in this sense belongs to the reflexive historicity of modernity, as distinct from, the more generic reflexive monitoring of action. As Rainwater stresses, it sa practised art of self-abservation: ‘What i happening right now? am I thinking? What am I doing? What am I feeling? How am I breathing? 4 ttisada corn sien ans cobeestpoenoresco, remmes suai he pura of he sal aoe eee KSSnE ICE Sle rough an auotiogeen es cent teconienditons for tstiaee an nage sent Se¥. Iu peer stepted smog hse tne weg ot aurobiopptics (evel ts Stapephio) ony ocented ec the modern pend.” Meat pblned suobiewanhio et ces are clcratons of the ives achovenis ot aistageaied sivas they te vay of snglng ot he cll epee Of such ptsors rom ans ol eee oft puton es this way. autobiography seem tther eepberal ate Indes cneeness ae whole Yet subir pare Cala inthe brood sense of an mcrnesne spe aie iced 6 ths dna oncrped whee Reed oe aay other Torna nares UG something ae a Bs sorted st, and cle for reatve per as meer of coos “The Trajectory ofthe Soh 77 5. Self-actualisation implies the control of time ~ essentially, the establishing of zones of personal time which have only remote connections with external temporal orders (the routinised workd fof time-space governed by the clock and by universalsed stan ‘dards of measurement). The insistence on the primacy of pers0- ral time (the durée of day-to-day social life) is everywhere in Rainwaters book ~ although, es we have scen, it snot offered as philosophy of the ‘absolute present’, but as a mode of controll ing the available time of the lifespan. ‘Holding a dialogue with time’ is the very basis of sef-realisation, because itis the essential condition of achieving satisfaction at any given moment ~ofiving life o th ful. The future is thought of ts resonant with possibil: ties, yet not left open to the full play of contingeney. So far as possible, the future is to be ordered by exactly those active processes of temporal control and active interaction on which the Integration of the selfs narrative depends. 6 The reflexivity of the self extends fo. the body. where the ‘body (as suggested in the previous chapter) is part of an zction system rather than merely a passive object. Observation of bodily, processes - ‘How am I breathing” — is intrinsic to the continuous fellexive attention which the agent is called on to pay to her behaviour. Awareness of the body is basic to ‘grasping the fallness of the moment’, and entail the conscious monitoring of sensory input from the énvironment, as well a the major bodily ‘organs and body dispositions as a whole. Body awareness also includes awareness of requirements of exercise and diet, Rainwa- ter points out that people speak of ‘going on a diet’ but we are allona dit! Our diet is what we eat; at many junctures ofthe day wwe lake decisions about whether or not t0 eat and drink, and exactly what to eat and drink. “I you don’t like the diet you are fon, there js a new minute and a new choice-point coming up, and you can change your dit. You're in charge!™ Body swareness sounds similar 10 the regimes practised in some traditional religions, particularly religions ofthe East. And, indeed Rainwater, like many others writing about self actualisation or therapy today, draws on some suc regimes inthe programme she offers. Yet the differences are pronounced, For ody aseareness is presented by her aa means of constructing & differentiated self, not as one of the dissolution of the ego.78 The Taetory ofthe Set [Expetiencing the body is a way of cohering the self as an inte {rated whole, whereby the individual says “his is wl 7 Selfactunisaion is undcrstood in terms of a balance between Letting go of the pas, through the various techniques of becoming free from oppressive emotional habits, generates multiplicity of opportunities for self development ‘The world becomes full of potential ways of being and acting, in {terms of experimental involvements which the individual is now able to initiate, It would not be true to say that the psychologi- cally liberated person faces risks while the more traditional self docs not; rather, what is at stake isthe secular consciousness of risk, as inherent in caleulative strategies to be adopted in relation to the future. ‘The individual has to confront novel hazards as a necessary part of breaking away from established patterns of behaviour — ‘including the risk thot things could possibly get worse than they were before. Another book on self-therapy describes things in the following way: If your life is ever going to change fr the better, yo take chances. You'll have to get out of your rut met new people, cecplore new ideas and move along unfamiliar pathways. Tn-a Wa) the risks of self-growth involve going into the unkown, Into an ‘unfamiliar land where the language is different and customs are sifferent and you have to leatn your way around ... the paradox is that until we give up al hat feels secure, we can never really trust the friend mate, or job that offers us something. True Petsonal security does'nt come from without, it comes from within. When we are ceally secure, we must place ou otal trust ursel we reject deliberate risk-taking for sel growth, we will inevitably remain trapped in ovr situation. Or we end up taking & risk unprepared. Either way, we have placed limits on bur perso- nal growth, have cut ourselves off from action in the service of igh setleworth I have to 8 The moral thread of self-actualisaion is one of authenticity (although not in Heidegger's sense), based on “being true 10 ‘oneself. Personal growth depends on conquering emotional blocks and tensions that prevent us from understanding ourselves, The Tojectory ofthe Self 79 4s we realy are. Tobe able to ac authentaly is more thon jus Acting in terms of a sltnowledge ttf valid nd fll a posse many also dientanging in Laing’ terms =the toe fom the fake sll As india we se note 3 ake Bio but i we igor um fner expres we ae condemn tovepeati, psones of tae which are inauthentic beause they Shunt from feelings and past situations imposed on us by Siers (especialy in eal childhood). The waichword in sl therapy is tecover or repeat” “The morality of uthetiy skits any universal mora cies, and incuesreteences to ater peopl enly within the phere of intimate elatonshipe although ti spere ie aeceped highly importa! tothe si Tobe tue toonceal means tong ones, bur since this iran active proceso elt sonstructon ith 0 Be informe by oveal gous those of becoming fee from dep ns and sche fuiment. Flsiment im some part = tnoral phenomenon, beeruge means fostering sone tat one ‘Good a worthy person’ know that axle my own sl tort wil et more Integy, honesty, compassion, energy ad lve 9 Thee cous is sen a ein of asa The indi isttely, ores t go trough them, but they are not insittional- ted, of accompanied by formalised its, All such transitions invoive tos (as ell as, usually, potential ain) and such losses ~ {sin the case of marital separation ~ have fo he mourned i sl ‘ctualsation sto proceed on courte, Life passages give particular Sopency tthe interaction of rak and. Opportansty spon of ‘air especially, although by no means exclusively, when they Ste insubstantial gree mated bythe inividal whom they act, Negoisting a significant transition in life, leaving home, feng a new Job, facing upto unemployment, forming 2 new Feltionship,stoving between diferent areas or routines, Con- fronting lines, begining therapy ~all ean running consciously tntertaincd risks inorder to pagp the new opportunities which personal crises open up, I fot only in terms ofthe absence of tes that fe pateages fe fom comparable processes in ad tinal cones: More important that such transitions are dan into, and surmounted by means of, the refxiely mobilised trajectory of sel-atunlisation|80 The Talectory ofthe Sot 10. The lne of development ofthe self is ital referent the ony sian conning head the Herons Personal integrity, asthe ocuevement ofan autheic acl comes from intcgrating life experiences within the naralve of sel development: the eration of «personal belt sytem by means ‘of which the individual acknowledges tha "his fet loyely to himseit* The key reference points are set ‘rom the mae fn terms of tow the inddualConstutssonstrsts hs He hi try OF all this, of couse, there are questions one coud ask. How valid arc these conceptions? Are they in some sense ideologies? Are they more todo with therapy than with any changes which anight hve affected the self in meio soval condhons? For the ‘moment | want fo bracket these es Itseens to me jutid to asset that partial inadequate and oyncrati asthe eas Jon futlined may be, they signal something Teal about set and el ‘emt inthe contemporary work = the word of late modernity How that may be we ean begin to see by connecting them up 2 ‘he institutional transformations character of that world Lifestyles and life plans ‘The backdrop here is the existential teresnof ate modern ie Ta 2 postraditonal soil wniverse,reenvely organiocl, pose {4 by abstract systems, ann which the reorering of tne sad Space realign the oc withthe plobal, the sell undergoes mse She change Therapy including set therapy, bol expenses tha Change and provides programmes of ralaing It inthe form of selbactalsation. On the fevel ofthe seta fundamental compo, ‘eat of day-today activity simply tat of cote. Olsson Satu eines dae alogeter nay at and a traions are effectively choces among an indeimite rane ot posible behaviour pattems Yet, by defation, wading op Established habit orders fe within relatively set channch Mos, “ity contronts the indvidual wth a complex avery of euler: fan, because itis son foundational, athe same tine oe ie help a8 to which options shouldbe selected. Various some quences tend to flow ‘The Trajectory ofthe Sef 81 (One concems the primacy of exe ~and its inevitability for the individual agent. The notion of Hfesile sounds somevat ttvial because it soften thought of solely in terms of & Supertical consumerism: hfesyes ns suggested by los) maga ch and advertising mages But theres something mich ore Fandamental going on than sch a conception suggests cond tions high modernity, me all not ony follow ees, but nan important sense are forced to do s0~ we have no shoie but Choos. A lifestyle can be defined ws + more o ess integrated set of practices which an indica! embraces, not only bese such rts full utitertan needs, but because they give Mater form to 8 particular narrative of selideniy. Tics is not aterm which has much appiability to radii ral ealturs, because i implics choice within plurality of poss ‘ie options, ands "adopted rather than handed down’. Lifest- ies ae rutinised practices, the routines incorporated into habits Uf dre, eating, modes of sting and favoured milietx Tor Sneounterng otis; but the routines followed ze reflexvly {pen to change inte ght of the mobile natare of sel idem ch ofthe sal dectons peron makes every da ~ what fo ‘rcar-nhat ica how fo condoe himself st work, whom to most Mt ate in the evening ~contbtes to sich routines. Al sch Choices (as well as larger and more consequential ones) are decisions not only about how to act bat who to be. The more postradiional the settings In which an ndidsal moves, the fore ifeige concern the very core of setsdentiy, te making and remaking. The notion ofHfesye i often thought to apy specially to the area of consumption. Tt str that the sphere of work i dominated by economic compatson an that sige of behaioat inthe workplace are les subject othe contol ofthe india than in nonwork sontents, Bat although these contrasts cals tut would be wrong to suppose that Kfesyle only eats to +The term ‘ies sa nterenng example of reexvy. The Now York Times columnist Wiliam Sale, suggested tha hr derives fom the wets ‘Ae alr, nad fom thence wu taken p by eae the 180s snd, a ‘Roar ibe sare tne by svertsng copper. Acsoraing o Deas Wroa. however, he mmm tiene we con x Weber se of ie’ a asec Sic wth Ste Neberan big, evenvay Pee “esa ey82 The Trajectory ofthe Self Aetities ouside of work. Work strongly conditions fe chances, in Weber sense, an ie chances in an hs eomeee nite {0 boundrsiood interns ofthe eval of poten ieee But work is by no means compictely separate Irom the acta af tll sand coe of work and work me on sas lement of lifestyle orientations inthe extomely complex to mn divin of labour Pee To speak of & multiplicity of choices i not to suppose tha all choices ate pen to vervone, or that people take al estan about options in fl ealntion ofthe range of oanble sles, tives In work, asin the are of consumption fo all groupe sich have become’ teed ftom the bold of traditional corexts of activity, plualy of tfesyle choices exist, Naturally wo Bour dieu has emphasised, ites variations between gauge are ako clementary structuring features of wrote mak jst the “resis of els ferences the rea of proueton Overall ilestle pattem, of course, are less dere tha the Dlkrality of choices availabe in daytoday and even ia longer ‘crm stotgiedeeions A lfesy involves chance of hie and orientations, and hence hss certain unity“ impotant ta ontnuing sense of entologial security ~ thot connec upton, ‘more ot les ordered pattern. Somsone mio i commited to aiven liste would necessary sce variow options as “out of Gharacter wit tas woul others with whom she wasim interac tion, Moreover, the selection or creation of estes sanugnced by group presures andthe wxbity of ole ment wells by sccloecoromie circumstances, “The plurality of choices which confronts individuals in situ tions of high modernity derives from several infienecs Fist, there the fact of ving ina potratona ender. To att in 1S ngage witha work of plural choices to opt for alternates, ven that the signposs exalted by tradition mow ae Blank ‘Thus someone might decide, for example, to ignore the research findings which appear to show that a et Mighin fut and hige ant low in sugar, fat and alcool, is physteally beneficial and Feduces the sk of contracting some types oes Se might Teilately stick to the same dct of dense, fy and sugary fosds that peope inthe previous generation consumed Yel siven the salable options in matter of cet an he fact na th nda The Trajectory ofthe Se 83 thas at east some awarenes of them, soch conduct sil forms part ota ditinetive lifes Second, there is what Berger calls the ‘pluralist of life wortts" Ave pints out, throughost most of human histor, oops lived in sos stings that wore fay closely connected Mircach ther, Whether sm situations of work, eure or the familys an individual anol lived within act of mieux of tompérable Type ~ a phenomenon suongly reinforced by the deinance of the focal community in most premodern cultures ‘The settings of modern oda Ife are much more diverse and ‘oumented: Segmentation inclides pariculsny the ffereniation ‘tween tho pubic and private domains but each ofthese so Subject internal oplaralisation, Lifestyles are eharactersticaly titahed'o,and expressive of specie neu of ation Lifestyle ‘ptions are thus often decisions to become immerted in those neu, atthe eapentc of the possible alleratves. Sine ind Vidas épically move between differen miliux o locales in the Sourne oftheir everyday Ife, they may fel uncomfortable it those sottings that im some way place thir own lifestyle 7 Partly because of the existence of multiple milieux of action, liessle choices and aiviies very often tend tbe segmental for the individual: moves of action followed in one context may be Inove cr es substantially ot verance with those adopted th Sirs shall cll thee segments fest secon. A fesse Sedlor concerns timespace “ice of an individuals overall activites, within which a reasonably consistent and ordered set of practices is adopted and enacted, Lifestyle sectors are pects of {he repionalsatton of cvs” A ifetyle sector can include, forinstance, what one does on certain evenings ofthe week, oF at teehee as contrasted footer pars of the meek ends, Deamariage,cam also be a fesyle sector nso fra ts made invernallysoheare By distinctive forme of elected behaviour ‘hth factor conditioning plrality of choice i the existent impact ofthe contests! nature of warranted belts unde cond tins of modernity. As noted inthe opening chapter, the Ealight- fenment project of replacing arbitrary tration and speculative Shims to knowledge with the cern of feason proved 10 Be{84 The Trajectory ofthe Sel essentially flawed. The reflexivity of modernity operates, notin a situation of greater and greater certainty, but in one of metodo logical doubt. Even the most reliable authorities can be trusted only “until further notice’; and the abstract systems that penetrate 0 much of day-to-day life normally offer multiple possibilities rather than fixed guidelines or recipes for aetion, Experts can always be tusned fo, but experts themselves frequently disagree over both theories and practical diagnoses. Consider therapy itsel. Someone contemplating therapy faces a bewildering vari ety of schools of thought and types of programme, and must also reckon with the fact that some psychologists discount the effec. tiveness of most forms of therapy entirely. The same applies in the hardest areas of hard science, particularly since the overall, slaims of science may be subject to dant. Thus a person with Particular kind of medical problem may be faced with deciding hot just between alternative forms of high-tech treatment, Dut also between the rival claims of scientific and holistic medicine (af Which there may also be an indefinite varity proferring theit particular solutions) Fourth, the prevalence of mediated experience undoubtedly also influences pluralism of choice, in obvious and also in more subtle ways. With the increasing globalisation of media, a multe farious number of milieux are, in principle, rendered ‘isle to anyone who cares t0 glean the relevant information, The collage effect of television and newspapers gives specific form 10 the juxtaposition of settings and potential lifestyle choiees, On the ‘ther hand, the influence of the mass media plainly isnot all in the direction of diversification and fragmentation, ‘The media ‘offer access 10 settings with which the individual may never ‘personally come into contset; but atthe same time some bound. aries between settings that were previously separate are over. come. As Meyrowitz points out, the medi, especially the electto- tic media, alter the ‘situational geography of socal life: “More fand more, media make us “direct” audiences to performances that happen in other places and give us aocess to audiences thet ‘are not “physically present”. As a result, the traditional con= nection between “physical setting” and ‘Social situation’ has ‘become undermined; mediated social situations construct new communalites ~ and differences ~ between prevonstituted forms Of social experience. Although criticisms can be made agains “The Trajectory ofthe Self 85 Meyrowit’s particular intrpretstions, the overall thrust ofthis sie is rely correct. ma woof alternative fesse options strateae ife-planning sccomer of special importance. Lik ies patterns ie plans tf one hind br another are something ofan neviabe conc fat postal sei ors Life ply te he abst tat contet of the rales onan ajectory of thes Liespluningi'a means of preparing course of fture actions ol itera of the sel biography. We may also speak re of he existence of persona exlenarso life ple calendars, Inrolaton to which the persona ie of the hifespn is handle Persona calendars ar timing devices for significant events within thee othe nda mertng such vets hin» penal Ea ehroodogy Like eps, personal elena ar picaly week Gnu recastevcted inter of ateratins in an inva ‘Sleumstanes or ame of mind. When Igo marie, a basic Site within a Tfeplan calender, a the eteussion in Second Gancr cts, aye ey cused by when the mariage Soke up" asa more signieamt psychological marker, Personal SKtondat vory often incorporate clements of meiated expe Sates when, for nstance couple wil remember that they 9 ined vo ms ter rent Remedy wus ae Teplaming presupposes specie mode of organising time boca the Teenie construction of slEAdeny. depends as Sisch'n preparing forthe future as om intexpretig the past bough se eeworsg” of past evens cera away per tartans proses, Lie-panning, a course, does not ness Stvolve preparing stratepally fr future ite tsa whole, alhoush Ranwaters book makes clear that thinking as far ahead othe Imngined nd of on’ if and about each ofthe major phases Inehy'to interrene inthe interim, ss fundamental (0 set Sinton ny ae ot, oem Tey choices and lie planning are not just“ or const tuent ofthe day to-day ie of socal agents, but frm instto- Sawetngs which lp to shape their action. This sone reson Aisin ccumtanees of igh modernity, hee inuence is more Grist unsere no matter bow objectively limiting the soil Stunvons of parcularindvgeats or groups may be. Conder the postion ofa black woman, the head a sigle-paeat family oF eeeta chron Ing im conditions of poverty it he inactity. I might be assumed that such a person could only look on with bitter envy atthe options available to the more privileged For her there is only the drudgery of a daily round of activities carried on within strictly defined limits: she has no opportunities {o follow a diferent lifestyle, and she could hardly plan hee Iie, nce itis dominated by external constraints. Of course, forall individuals and groups, life chances condition lifestyle choices (and we should remember the point that lifestyle choices are often actively used to reinforce the distribution of lif chances). Emancipation from situations of oppression is. the necessary means of expanding the scope of some sorts of lest option (see chapter 7 below on “The Emergence of Life Politics Yet even the most underprivileged today lve in situations perme ated by institutional components of modernity. Possibilities denied by economic deprivation are differen, and experienced differently ~ thats, as possibilities ~ from those excluded by the frameworks of tradition. Moreover, in some circumstances of poverty, the hold of tradition has perhaps become even mo ‘thoroughly disintegrated than elsewhere, Consequently, the eres tive construction of lifestyle may become a particularly character iste feature of such situations. Lifestyle habits are construc through the resistances of ghetto lie as well as through the diet elaboration of dstinetive cultural styles and modes of activity In such situations, the reflexive constitution of selPidemtity very bit as important as among more affluent stata, and 38 strongly affected by globalising influences. A black wornan head ing a single-parent household, however constricted and arduous hor life, will nevertheless know about factors alt position ‘of women in general, and her own activities will almost certainly bbe modified by that knowledge, Given the inchoate nature of het social circumstances, she is vstualy o} rmades of activity, with regard to her chilren, sexual relations and friendships. Such an exploration, although it might not b sliscursively articulated as such, implies a reflexive shaping of self. identity. The deprivations to which she is subject, however, igh make these tasks become an almost insupportable burden source of despair rather than self-entichment Life plan specific example of « more general phenome discuss in some detail in a subsequent chapter a the ‘colonisation of the future’, Rainwater's ‘dialogue with time contexts ae within diferent soda sata “The onenation owards the control of time which she describes (and advocates) generates refusals and temporal dislocations as well as the fttempt reflexive to drag the future inte the present. A teenager who ‘drifts around, who refuses to think about a possible future areet, and ‘gives ao thought to the future, rejects this orienta 2 : easing tion, but does so specifically in opposition 10 an incr“The Trajectory of he Sel 99 ‘The body and self-actuaisation “The body’ sounds a simple notion, particularly as compared to concepts like "self or “sell-identiy’. The body is an object in which we are all privileged, oF doomed, to dwell, the source of Teeligs of welFbeing and pleasure, but also the site of illnesses tnd strains. However, as has boen emphasised, the body is not juste physical entity which we “possess, itis an aetionsystem, @ node of praxis. and is practical immersion in the interactions of ‘day-to-day life isan essential part of the sustaining of a coherent sense of self-identity ‘Several aspects of the body having special relevance to seif and selfsidemiy ean be distinguished, Bosly appearance concerns all, those features of the surface of the body, including modes of tess and adornment, which are visible 10 the individual and to fther agents, and which ate ordinarily used as clues to interpret fetions. Demeanour determines how appearance is used by the individual within generic setings of day-to-day activities: itis how the body is mobilised in relation t0 constitutive conventions of thily life. The sensuality of the body refers to the dispositional hhandling of pleasure and pain. Finally we have the regimes 10 which bodies are subject. ‘Certain types of body appearance and demeanour plainly become particularly important with the advent of moderaity. In frany settings of pre-moder cultures, appearance was largely Standardised in terms of traditional criteria. Modes of facial fdornment or dress, for example, have always been to some desree n means of individualisation; yet the extent to which this ‘was either possible or desired was usually quite limited. Appear. lance primarily designated social idemtty rather than personal Honuty, Dress and social Kentity have certainly not become tmurely dissociated today, and dess remains a signalling device ‘Of gender, class positon and occupational status. Modes of dress fre influenced by group pressures, advertising, socioeconomic esources and other factors that often promote standardisation father than individual difference. But the fact that we have a {pecial word, the ‘uniform, to refer to styles of dross that are SRindardsed in relation to given socal postions indicates that in ther settings choiee of dress i relatively open, Appearance, 10100 The Trajectory ofthe Sot tthe matter bluntly and in terms of he eas discussed sof econet central element of the reflexive project of the self. ‘Demennour is stony infueneed by the plwaleaton of silica, Not only must en nigual be prepared to intraewith ‘thers in pubic places, where demeanour is expected to meet certain generalise criteria of everyday competence, but he or she ‘ust be able to maintain appropriate behaviour ina vaity of Selings or locales. Natural, ids adjust both appearence an demeanour somewhat according tothe orcived deta of the ptr sting Ta iso a ed some thor suppose that the self essentially becomes broken up~ that ind ‘ial tend to develop multiple selves in whch thet no net Core of self-identity. Yet sey, as an abundance of sudo of selbidentity show, this psinly not the case. The muntining of onstants demeanour ses varying stings of itera ne ofthe prime means whereby coerenc af any i ‘otdinarity preserved. The poten for the unravelling Of se ‘entity ig kept in check because. demeanour sustats lnk between ‘eling at home in one's body and the peteonused aaratve, Demeanour effectively has o be integrated into that Sarai fora person both tobe able to sustain normal appear. tne an these time be conve of persona oy 2crostme and space in most circumstance this accompli suo iy (hou a typi tay come ut Te the post traditional en igh ronments ofhigh modernity, neither appearance nor demeanour can be anand sy pete Dy Dattcpates ina very det way inthe print thatthe elf heg {0 be constructed. Bodily regimes, which slo bear dicey on pattems of Sensuality, ae the prime means whereby the it, tional retexivity of modern soca leis ocused oni uta most, one mht su, the creation ~ ofthe body, Let us onee apa look Yo a pariclar guide at a means of investigating these matter. Rodssense, by Vernon Coleman, ‘one among a massive number of self-help works which aim to Provide 2 way of steving between rchane on presales Bovily habs and the barrage of now informaton developed tin abstat systems (emanating fom doctors —of wich {Coleman is one “hoc health prattioners dletisans, and So forth).*” Again, we look at it symptomatically. 7 ‘The Wajectory ofthe Sef 101 ‘The book offers a “comprehensive sercening programme’, by means of which one ean monitor many aspects of one's health and Ttsceptibiity to different ailments or cisablities. This is life- Planning in’a very concrete sense: a checklist is included, for Example, which allows the calculation of a person's life expec- fancy, Bach section ofthe book (referred to as alc!) contains ‘health area questionnaice, truth fle” (which summarises the Gurrent state of medical fact about the subject or subjects con erned) and an “action plan’ (what the individual might do to {mprove his health in the relevant respects). The concept of risk is pivotal 1 the Work as @ whole. The questionnaires alow the Fatvidual wo collect points designed to give an estimate of his risk fof contracting particular diseases ~ in particular, cancer, heart “and circulatory problems, respiratory disease, digestive problems find musele or joint cificltes, "Two ofthe most prominent sections are to do with cating habits and health care. Each provides an object lesson in the difficulties ‘ven professionals have in sifting through the diversity of claims fd counterclaims characteristic of expert systems. As Coleman puts it If you believed everything you read about foodstuffs these days, you'd probably never eat agai, Turn on the TV of the radio, Spon magizine oF newspaper and you'll see horrifying stories ‘hou the dread ul things your grocers doing to you. That in itselt ‘Would be bad enough. t's act much fun sitting down to a good Tooking mea if you're woried that it might be your lst, But the ‘whole buniness us been made even more worrying by the fac {hat the information being offered now frequently conflicts with last week's ata... so whats the tuth about the food we cat? What is good for you and what i bad for you? What should you void and what can you eat with impunity? ‘Coleman tres to provide amtortative answers, although he has to recognise that many of the things he says might be disputed by ther experts; and in many instances risks cannot be calculated because existing knowledge is too incomplete “Accorling to Coleman's programme, cholesterol intake is to be reduced; the cating of animal fats, salt and sugar, and the frinking of alcohol, i to be brought down to a minimum: these102 The Tajectry ofthe Slt ‘recommendations are made quite confidently. By contrast, coffee which, for example, Rainwater recommends eating out entirely ‘on health grounds ~i held not to have deserved its bad press, for ‘there really is no solid evidence to support the theory that coffee is bad for you." Fibre, bran and roughage are advocated 2s important for a healthy digestive system, while additives are freated more ambivalently by the author. Pointing out that & ‘massive range of additives is now regularly wed in the manufac ture of processed foods, and pesticides sprayed on crops, Cole ‘man emphasises that many of these chemicals have heen only inadequately tested in terms of their effects on health ~ indeed, ‘that testing for ter long-term effects is almost impossible. Iti Suggested that, while it would be very dificult to eradicate ll, artilicial additives from the diet, as much as possible can be bought from local market gardeners, local farmers and: shops selling fresh or organically grovn food, "Bodysense’ entails "body care’, and that is something, Cole- ‘man says, which cannot be provided by experts, Although profes. sionals should be consulted where appropriate, resisting illness has to be primarily a maiter of developing the body's ‘own skills ‘Body care means constantly ‘listening to the body”, both in order {toexperience fully the benefits of good health and to pick up signs that something might be going wrong. Body cate delivers “body. ower’, the increased capability to avoid sexiows illness and the ‘capacity to deal with minor symptoms without drugs. Rodypomer can help a person retzin, and even improve on, her or his appearance: understanding how the body functions and closely ‘monitoring this funetioning in an alert fashion keeps « person's skin fresh and body stim, ‘What does it mean to say that the body has become part ofthe reflexivity of modernity? Body regimes and the organisation of sensuality in high modernity become open to continuous rellexive attention, against the backdrop of plurality of choice, Both lf planning and the adoption of lifestyle options become (in pine: plc) integrated with bodily regimes. It would be quite short. Sighted t0 see this phenomenon only in terms of changing ideals (of bodily appearance (such as simness or youthfulness), or as solely brought about by the commodifying influence of adverts ing, We become responsible forthe design of our own bees, ‘and in a certain sense noted above are forced to do so the more post-traditional the social contexts in which we move, ‘The Trajectory of the Sel 103 v.08, an obsession “The study of anorexia nervoss, apparently purely o with bodily appearance and slimniess, provides a means of placing thie point In stark tele. ‘Anorexia nervosa and the reflexivity of the body ‘Te flowing is persona desrption of an episode of anorexic sateen ten by woman no crema managed oat fee tom yoke Ener wirartin reraak griciopicrs iris ia. Later she was taken into hospital to have her appendix ovt so month ter he operation [went pay. Tee Tne an Aatetance Ne omar on sy wep tna ad tat See feud 1 woted mach more svete 1 5ST Py inmke a fod somerset men on Feet at potatos and red ca ter and ese Lares ue Pate information Ic et about aks a sold wit consuming nes Ny food was Weeds ee coming toe wavs = My Gt ws ured. eee fata ines Tpke the sop dios hve EXE ite bran of cropped {nuns panikeu i cold nt cae nwaly atthe sme tne104. the Trajectory ofthe Self Eventual ste found @ ympathe 2 sympathetic and knowledgeable doctor who helped ert begin a et more substan ek ages Tiras he. needed er thi wea er his person who tntenedso caret 0 hat Tad, who did’ judge me, mpi ell me what odo ‘who let me be. I tried, with her help, to unravel the tangle of my confusing and ‘conflicting emotions. Peet tut inthe cad it wasup (o me. Tt Was so hard to accept, S soul ep but se oats telime nowt tnt ey after al Mbclonged ome: could surat {coud sour oul starve tT coi chooe. It was sucha burton a Shoe tha stings Though cul not baron my ove atti ak hcg woman The fun en be mysell sutonomous Fosting and th selena varous i of vious kind foods, hve gtr ib ot fio rts sd etd ‘many different caturl frameworks. [twas relatively common tn medieval Europe for individuals seeking ‘salvation to unders - prolonged fais, Female holiness achieved through fod deprive fa partyin aor os em eval ines rctuat Hore of teal fan eae ea Sings hed thom sone spt pce "phen Ste scretcth aiden ean ele he pe ia mils, mitulouny pte oe a fen itisgenealy aged that anoreaa meebo eae dots hee nvr newot ch log mde iy nd pre iy arr anemory pre ne sogemis Antes ii tar esl onan Shonen young st women Sen = mas not bound up: yn oe cultivation of bodily appearance, vas rather concerned with overcoming sensual appet D the pursuit of higher values. Anorexia nesvovn being caste Phenomenon of fing a edn ee mien on uy although ths ail aly 8 tanshonal sno were, “a provocative relic, in a secularising age, of van ok : Female epoca ine condon proper ony bose widespread snes the Fae of icin’ te eae ea that tem, fom abou the 182s dah cea ‘The Trajectory ofthe Se 105 “The fact that anorexia is so closely linked to a gender divide is ‘undoubtedly to-do with the association between dieting and Changing values about bodily appearance. The pre-established Connection between @ compulent figure and prosperity had vie. tually disappeared by the end of the fist two or three decades of the twentieth century, Women began to become concerned about Weight in ways that, for the most part, men did not. Yet itis {Important to recognise thatthe 19205 was also a period at which "Get in the broader sense for the frst time became associated with the control of weight und the self-regulation of health; and this was also the period at which the manufacture of foods began to avvclerate, leading to a much wider diversity of foodstuffs becoming available. ‘Being on a dit’ in the narrow meaning of the phrase is only a particular version of a much more general phetomenon ~ the cultivation of bodily regimes as a means of Fellexively influencing the project of the set. From this point of view, anorexia, and its apparent opposite, ‘compulsive overesting, should be understood as casualties ofthe need ~ and responsibilty ~of the individual to create and mai tain a distinctive self identity." They are extreme versions of the control of bodily regimes which has now become generic to the ‘ireumstances of day-to-day life “Anorexia is 2 complex phenomenon, about which there is now 1 voluminous literature, and it would Scareely be possible in this Context to olfer a properly detailed analysis of it. T want 10 ‘Concentrate only on those features directly relevant to the overall, theses ofthis book, Anoresia can be undetstood asa pathology of reflexive self-control, operating around an axis of self-identity fnd bodily appearance, in which shame anxiety plays a prepon- erant role, All of the important elements to do with anorexia ppear in the experience of the individual described at some length above, Her concern to become thin emerged, not as @ ‘Niden antipathy towards food, but as a controlled and progres five phenomenon, which happened ‘litle by little she devoted a igreat deal of care and concer to her diet, a deliberate asceticism in bodily regime amid the plural choices of food available; there twas a marked reflexive component, as signalled by her determi pation to “eat up” all the information about calories she could ‘Obtain; awarenes of the need to forge a distinctive Hifestye, in relation to her self-identity, emerges very clearly; and a polarity106. The Trajectory of the Sel i a oS ce SeBric pen once aes Seen ‘refusal to become an adult” sffect, a denial ab the wish fo seman gil rier thes become’ womsae Ber abe SEN lle ce teen neee et pol ae eee aoe have to abandon their older, ‘fixed’ identities in a more thorough women’s social positions were in general tightly defined, women the Peas rent her een ea sister. Not for her the fainting, falling, or flailing fists; her protest “The Trajectory ofthe Sef 107 Ahrough the body was ifs; in situation of am apparent a peatabiie, her reaction Ss confined and exhibits Munteental As Orbach point ou, the anorectic individual i ete pase vet ofthe ein: on the contrary, anovexit WMlohes ood regimes that are bihly active and coordinated. Tn ures tess, then, we sce a specie version of Rain- wa metmenons "Youre in charge, save thatthe atempt at Waters mes compulsive, The body regimes of anorectic mate aaron extreme, A peron may, for example, run ince le ake pat in a pamshing aed lengthy excrebe ers va en goon fo work ut for a period on exeree ae ate Sach ucts bring about a senbe of acevement mactehan simply. despair, and. one can leary seein them wapetan pect of empowerment. Tete isan wrgency and area i the asaticen of anorexia whith s thus more to do invineSelfautal per se rather than with » body inage of mas. Stang to death in Sea of objects a John Sours Put ha dental which paradoxically essers with great fore the Meal making of seltdetiy and boty Capen mastery ts qute diferent from authentic refexve inoue mover ane tis ard surprising thot the anorectic ron event fel herselt taken over bythe very epi ea bts ber body Inthe tem of Winnicot apd Laing, Tuto posomes prt ofa fale sl sytem, detached rom, yet Tyotouny governed by, the invdua’ inner aspirations. Fel- of lnacivent dering fom neous, same, ie jSomd on body regimes, The extraordinary inten tise pou anes can assume caries the hallmark of & reise er daicatin, of whore sources inthe project of self ‘Udy tn india only party aware. The ‘aennes’of the Mey Monta te self cannot feel at home elps expla why aan scde mimes may sometimes be pursued even tothe level of sare Ting unto deat The nial only fess worthy” he tac ofa veaime ofseleelation so complete thatthe STghtes lapse i threatening ea presents string for security ina workd of plural tut ambiguows. options The tigily controlled. body ‘Mle asnfeexstence in an open soil environment, As We setae nt personal acount a risky busines, beg 8108 The Trajectory of the Salt woman.” The making of a self-identity and body occurs in the framework ofa risk eulture, which it will be the business of the next chapter to look at more directly,