Self-Knower
Martina Eckert, R.A. Wicklund
Geisteswissenschaften, Kunst, Musik / Psychologie
Beschreibung
The self-knower has become a hero within many contemporary cultures. This hero goes by various different titles, including the"e; self-insightful/' the "e;self-actualized/' the "e;autonomous and mature/' the "e;representative of independent thinking/' the "e;morally virtuous/' and many more. The common denominators of civilization's preoccupation with the self- knower are (1) the mundane, popular literature that draws our attention to our "e;inner being"e; and (2) the remarkable intensity of therapies and quasitherapies that promise insight into the true core of our inner being. A characteristic example from an extensive, week-or month-long training course would read, "e;Come because you want to discover your self ... . Through Mr. X [the group leaderl, we can realize our true identities ... . This gives our lives sense and perspective."e; We have tried to trace the logic underlying the diverse self-knower movements and have found three common themes underlying them. For one, the varieties of theories and treatments associated with self-knowl- edge are interested exclusively in the appearance of the self-knower. Each representative of the self-knower school has its own set of criteria for identifying the self-knowing person, and in tum, each member of the self-knower school represents certain convictions about how individuals should be evaluated. For instance, if someone manifests warmth and char- ity, that person is likely to be pronounced healthy, adjusted, and self- knowing.
