Day Two Hundred and Thirty Nine!!!!!!!!!!

Individuals interpret themselves differently according to their view of the world. There is a distinct difference between the modern view of self ,compared to the post modern view of self. 


Are you a modernist or a post modernist? 


The modern view of self is the view that each individual is distinct, and has a core way of being, the post modern view of self is that everyone is composed of many selves. 


Modernism is based in the view that knowledge is power, meaning that you have to know the basis before you can get to the point, and it is important to know your true or authentic self. Post- modernism however became the fact that you do not have to know the basis of knowledge, ‘you just have to Google it’ and therefore your need to change yourself is based upon your experience and your context and your need to be different. So the individual, is made up of elements or parts that are based on individual experience, which can shift and change based upon your environment, this results in the identification of many different selves, different identities, and different experiences. 


The post modern view, is that the self is actually socially constructed and changeable in which the self develops in multiple ways, directed both outwardly to the world, and inwardly, meaning that the interpretation of self is flexible and based on frame of reference. So, the post-modern self gives rise to the development of self concept as identity, being how we construct ourselves. Self-concept and self-identity refer to our self portraits that develop overtime which are made up of many components, including negations and affirmations. Self concept is composed of self- image, self-esteem, and the ideal self. Self-image is the individual view of self, which, is to do with physical appearance, how performance in social roles are perceived, and, the perception of self. 


Congruency exists when the ideal self and actual experience are consistent. If there is inconsistency, this effects negatively on self-worth and self-esteem. Because everyone is a body, and has a body, they experience self as an entity that is not identical with the body and so the question of who an individual is can only be answered by incorporating both internal and external experiences. The self therefore, is both socially constructed and comprises of many different selves and authenticity is the result when congruency is achieved. 


When constructing the self the focus is on the many different selves and reality is a construction of the person experiencing the reality, with a socially constructed set of functions of self experience, participating on the construction of their own reality and as a reflector, an observer of the self that has been. 


Existentialism on the other hand, is a modern view, that suggests that anxiety enters in on concerns regarding death, meaninglessness, isolation, and freedom. The self is an entity with universal features present, in the moment without reflection, with the potential of peak experience, with aspirations, hopes, and God like qualities. 


So, are you a modernist or a post-modernist, when you reflect on your sense of self?