The Post-Modern Self: A Retrospective

Abstract

This paper examines the idea that the self is now post-modern, meaning fragmented, fluid, boundaryless, defenseless and lacking identity. This idea was popular a while back, but it now looks faddish and out-dated. The pomo self theorists over-emphasized some things and under-emphasized others, i.e. they engaged in the fallacy of reduction. They mistook minor changes in the self for major ones. They overlooked the power of the primary group. And they under-rated the self’s defenses, especially inner speech as a device for protecting the self and agency as a weapon for managing one’s environment.