Finding One´s Self, Though Society´s Values Want to Shape Us

When we are faced with a moral dilemma, our illusion clashes with reality causing us to learn more about our true self. It is then that we become unable to sustain our illusions, and therefore lose a part of our perceived identity. Through On the Rainy River, Tim O’Brien reflects upon his illusion of courage, and his clash with reality, which caused him to realize his “secret reservoir of courage” didn’t hold much. Upon his realization, Tim lost a significant part of his perceived identity- his courage.

In this Passage the writer Brian O’keeney states the many ways of making your daily lifestyles easy. Brian also list examples of why students drop out or make it through college due to their grades and how to keep consistent grades, and good study techniques so there will be less distraction. Next Brian also list the responsibility of how to keep up with important dates so you want let yourself reach the breaking point. Lastly then Brian talks about keeping a positive attitude and what can you do if personal problems start to interfere.

In Alain de Botton’s essay, “On Habit” and Adam Gopnik essay, “Bumping into Mr. Ravioli” explain the way that individuals can think creatively and express their feelings and thoughts into newer meaning and in-depth ideas. They also explain the way that the human race are so engaged in technology and busyness that they are overlooking what really is important to them in their life. De Botton is worried that many people do not go beyond limitations and need to explore their surrounding more and appreciate what is going on around them. He urges people to use their ‘traveling mindset’ and try to approach their environments in a positive

What if we stopped celebrating being busy as a matter of importance? Would one make the relation that running errands has the result of the building of character? Would it be agreed upon that constant correspondence to our peers draws us nearer to our goals? Throughout our history humans have developed an undeniable connection between the fulness of one's schedule and the matter of importance they hold in a society. However, with the uniqueness and the complexity of the human mind, does one really need to be occupied in order to progress? In order to continue to effectively grow and progress, we must abandon the futile connection that being busy is directly related to the matter of a person's importance.

Self is a person’s identity, character, and personality. Self differentiates a person from a population by creating the individual through soul, spirit, and state of mind. Self is the basis of humanity. In Ayn Rand’s Anthem, by the laws of a government based on bettering your brothers (21), the concept of solitude is closely related to ego; an idea so horrid the word is declared unspeakable (49, 105), and the freedom of individual thought is denied (22). Rand traps her characters in a totalitarian society of primitive technology to showcase that viewing society as one results in the failure to embrace individualism. This causes a lack of awareness as the primary focus of people is to replicate the norm rather than to strive for their own success. Technological progress is established via unique ideas of a single being--like Equality--because the crowd of dependent people has neither the capable thought process nor courage to stand out.

The expectations of society at a certain time can determine the opportunities one can have. “Why can't we go to church? … … Why can't you wear black shoes like the other mothers?” In Chocolat, Vianne is rejected by the town due to her not living up to the social rules of the town. This quote demonstrates how society reacts to change that goes against the norm. Others will push an individual away and restrict them until they are deemed acceptable, and this causes the individual to want to fit in, to crave a place in this society, and to belong to it. Once the individual is striving towards finding a place in the society that shut them out, they lose focus on their own

According to Psychologist Abraham Maslow in “Self-actualization and Beyond,” self-actualization is a process in which one identifies his inner ability to do something productive. Once this inner talent comes out, that’s when a person actualizes himself. He believes that every individual self-actualizes, and while doing so one might make many wrong choices. Sonny and his older brother are faced with several obstacles while being on a journey to self-actualization in “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin. However, these obstacles not only come from their surroundings, but within themselves as well. The narrator himself and his younger brother, Sonny struggle with, and gradually develop their own

During Joseph Campbell’s, “The Hero With A Thousand Faces”, he explains a process. This process is the psychological journey that each and every one of us, can go through. It opens doors to new opportunities and advancements. There are many trials, and conflicts the hero must face. The journey ahead sometimes gets easier, but also difficult. I will be explaining how Joseph Campbell illustrates the argument that his story makes a compelling argument when it comes to stating a person goes through trials, and a life changing experience.

Imagine a society where oppression occurs on a daily basis, a world lacking of an outlet for one’s self, an “egoless” community where members claim that equality reigns over them rather than their own sense of discernment. An absence of egoists may sound appealing to some, but the ego is solely responsible for a human’s sense of self identity, as opposed to a collectivist who sacrifices their sense of self to attempt become “one” with those within their community. While the collectivists preach a goal which fails to keep all happy and innovative and rather stupefies and limits all that surround them, the egoist is the ultimate mastermind behind all of the things which keep the world in constant

Thus, we can notice, everydayness is not just dull monotony, it is essentially a mode of being which acknowledges the neighbourhood of (necessary) others. It is monotonous

People who stick to the same old routine everyday never find a chance to “find themselves” and that may causes problems for them in

By constantly having the same daily schedule everything becomes a blur. By having these little day to day things become a blur, we as humans become blind and “that’s all human beings are: just blind people” (Wilder 96). As a result of being blind, humans take for granted the nature and the beauty of earth. People don’t realize what the world has to offer until someone points out what the world has to offer or when it is being seized from them. Another factor that contributes to people being blind to what is around them is that people are too absorbed by themselves and are too worried about themselves to notice the world that surrounds them: “That’s what it was to be alive.

When what people desire faces obstacles, they find true value in it because they associate it as their own, this struggle improves their character, and, once they attain it, take pride in the accomplishment, as they won the fight.

     Two things can happen when we are required to base our definition of “self” on others.  One can take others’ ways of living and thinking, process them, and formulate his or her own definition, independent of anyone else.  Or, one can use the relationships he or she has with other people on which to base their own definition of self, thus making him or her dependent on those other people.  As young people, we learn and take in all we can through the world, our experiences, and relationships with other people.  From there, we grow and establish our own identities, our own “selves”, in response to those interactions with others.  This definition is continually growing and progressing as we evolve as people, interacting with different people in different environments and

As a whole, we have increasingly become cautious in regards to how we behave and how we portray ourselves in society. In other words, we live our lives as though we are prisoners in the panopticon model in which we are unaware whether or not we are being watched (Foucault, 1984, p. 20). It is for this reason that we act well-behaved (Foucault, 1984, p. 20). By doing so, we are taking part in what is called, “soul training,” which essentially means that surveillance has required us to not only become conscious of our surroundings, but also ourselves (Lyon, 2006, p. 27). In order to accomplish this, we engage in self-surveillance, which means our goal is to accomplish self-discipline, so we can make certain that we do not get into any unnecessary trouble (Lyon, 2006, p. 27). Thus, the power of control used in the panopticon in the eighteenth-century has now spread to the twenty-first century in that our bodies are still highly scrutinized from all angles (Kaplan, 1995, p. 95). For this reason, I am proposing that the panopticon has influenced how members in society live their lives through self-surveillance. Therefore, my research question is “How does self-surveillance impact individuals in society?”. In my investigation, I will be using three specific points to support my research question: Self-care, self-protection, and entertainment. In my exploration, I found these three to be prevalent on the topic of self-surveillance as our well-being, safety, and enjoyment are