The contemporary self-crisis!
a. Abdullah Al Wahaibi
In 1998 AD, the French sociologist Alain Ehrenberg (b. 1950 AD) published his book “The Tired of Being Oneself” [1] , which explains the features of the contemporary crisis of the self, and believes that this crisis is due to the change in the cultural model that men and women face, which urgently - strongly - One must be oneself, realize oneself, and build one’s independent personal identity. Ehrenberg links the transformation of the cultural paradigm to the spread of depression and its symptoms. The manifestations of depression (fatigue, lack of sleep, confusion and anxiety, hesitation, self-loathing) “ show the price that must be paid for the double obligation.” , that is, self-independence and self-realization, and as a disease of responsibility, depression is a symptom that affects the individual liberated from religious and social guardianship ” [2] . When the individual - in the modern individualistic model - does not rise to the required level of authenticity and “independence”; He falls prey to psychological pain, and is overwhelmed by the feeling of “pain from the self,” a feeling that does not arise from past conflicts or childhood misfortunes, but rather stems from “the weakness of the ego, and from the decrease or collapse of self-esteem, and this occurs first and foremost in the eyes of the person himself.” [ 3] , Depression is not an ordinary illness, but rather a way of formulating and identifying oneself, and a result of the failure “to achieve the demands of independence and personal freedom that contemporary society imposes on the individual” [4] .
In a general summary, Ehrenberg points out the form of transformation in the cultural and societal model and its implications for the diagnosis and nature of common psychological disorders, and he writes:
“The issue of a sick personality appeared in the year 1800 AD with the axis of madness-delirium, then it turned in the year 1900 AD into the predicament of the feeling of guilt, which tears apart a person who has become nervous as a result of his attempts to transcend himself . In the year 2000 AD, personality diseases became diseases linked to the responsibility of the individual who has been liberated from the law.” His fathers, and from the systems to submit and conform to external rules. Depression and addiction are two sides of the coin of the self-sovereign individual” [5] .
Depression - in this analysis - is a psychological mechanism to protect the individual who lacks guidance, support and guidance from the pressures of the cultural environment and the coercions of the social environment. This appears in the association of depression with resistance to the movement of time, as the depressed person loses the energy necessary for movement and activity. His movement, speech, feeling, actions, and motives; It is characterized by extreme slowness, and his motivation for achievement disappears. The depressed person also suffers from poor communication with himself and with others. Thus, we notice that the result (lack of a project, weak motivation, and lack of communication) is completely contradictory to the standards of contemporary social and cultural upbringing, which strongly encourage the completion of a personal project. [6] , and motivates the individual to achieve [7] , and to communicate with “the self” and others. Therefore, we should not be surprised by the widespread use of the terms depression and addiction in psychiatry, and in general popular usage [8] .
Ehrenberg considered depression and addiction to be the product of the individualistic conception of free “sovereignty” over oneself, because the decline of social and moral traditions and the replacement of ideas of independence and liberation with them led to an enlargement of the space for making daily decisions in an individual’s life, as well as in general societal affairs, and one of the tasks of traditions was to facilitate work. And movement in social spaces, by consolidating the rules and the consensus of the principles that govern them, and this amplification of the decisions that must be taken - in an individual and independent manner -; It contributed to the spread of addiction phenomena, which are no longer limited to alcohol and drug addiction, but rather have expanded to include many daily activities, such as addiction to work, food, sex, addiction to electronic devices, games, watching movies, caffeine and sugar addiction, and “love” addiction. And others [9] .
The relationship between the weakness of traditions and the increase in addiction can be understood given that addiction is a repetitive, individual tradition, and its role lies in alleviating the burden of making decisions regarding the many details in daily life [10] . Addiction to a specific food, behavior, or practice; It protects the individual from the confusion of multiple options, and the difficulty of self-responsibility in determining priorities in daily activity, and periodic obligations. The flood of options and complex choices that the individual faces today is unprecedented in history, and they are not limited to “types of goods [11] only, nor among parts of methods.” Not only life, but among entire ways of life” [12] .
On the other hand, addiction arises from the desire to reduce the excessive relationship with oneself. Which resulted from the contemporary obsession with formulating, discovering and liberating the self, as we mentioned above; As the individual escapes from the pain of his empty self by “engaging in compulsive activities that reduce his focus on his own internal experience” [13] .
On the third hand, tradition and addiction are related to the pattern of connection between the past and the present. The repetition that occurs in tradition links the present to the past, and addiction - as Anthony Giddens says - results from “liberating” the individual from the past and expanding the possibilities for action, and this liberation - which means breaking the connection between the past and the present. - Excessive emphasis on independence in action; They may generate anxiety, and they often do, and then the individual fixates on the action and repeats it, “that is, he becomes addicted to it.” Fleeing anxiety, and wanting to restore the connection to the past, which in this case is the individual past, not the collective; As is the case in tradition [14] .
In the sentence; The psychological pains and misfortunes that are common among contemporary people are caused by individuals’ suffering from the burden of “the continuous process of defining or creating oneself, in a very complex social context.” The individual constantly wonders about his identity and where he is going in his life, “and therefore, his life projects and identities are exposed to... Always - to reorganize in conjunction with the details of his material and social reality” [15] , and if the disturbances and crises that individuals suffer from in ancient history appear in wars, unrest, famines, and the like, then the suffering of the individual in the modern model comes from the confusion and confusion that threatens his personal identity [16 ] , of which the meaning of his life forms an essential part.
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[1] The full title in French: La fatigue d'être soi: depression and society, and some of them translated it as "the fatigue of man's endurance of his existence: depression and society."
[2] By: Frederic Lenoir, On Happiness - A Philosophical Journey, p. 133, translated by Khaldoun Al-Nabwani, published by Dar Al-Tanweer, 1st edition 2016 AD.
[3] Claude Dubar, The Crisis of Identities - Interpreting Transformations, p. 163, footnote (1), translated by Randa Baath, published by the Oriental Library, 1st edition, 2008 AD.
[4] See: Rasmus Johnson’s review of the English translation of Ehrenberg’s book:
Alain Ehrenberg, The weariness of the self: Diagnosing the history of depression in the contemporary age, (Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2009).
on the link:
http://www.ephemerajournal.org/sites/default/files/11-1johnsen.pdf
[5] By: Frederic Lenoir, previous source, pp. 133-134. In a famous study, the American psychologist James Pennebaker analyzed 300 poems by suicidal poets (aged between 30 and 58 years) and nine non-suicidal poets, and concluded that “the writings of suicidal poets contain more words related to the individual self, and fewer words related to others, compared to poets.” Non-suicidal individuals, that is, suicidal individuals are more detached from others and preoccupied with themselves.” See: Howard Friedman and Miriam Shestek, Personality - Classical Theories and Modern Research, p. 231, Arab Organization Publishing, 1st edition 2013. Other studies sought to explore the same links between focusing attention on the self and depression. In one of these studies, the study sample was asked to write a regular diary for an entire month, including the events, moods, feelings, and physical symptoms that the individual experiences during this period, day by day. Then the researchers By examining these diaries carefully, they arrived at the following conclusion: “ People who focus more on themselves and make them the focus of their attention are the people who most show symptoms of depression .” Another study also demonstrated that “there is a close relationship between depression and the frequency of using the pronoun (I).” “More than using words that express negative emotions.” See: John Monstas, Liberation from Self, pp. 92-93, translated by Jehan Issawi, published by King Saud University Press, 1st edition 1438 AH.
[6] Some evolutionary psychologists have proposed some “useful” functions for depression or the so-called low mood in general, which is characterized by reluctance and isolation, slow thinking, lack of self-confidence, low self-esteem, submission or surrender, and so on; One of the most important “positive” functions that emerges due to the strong connection between loss of status and depression is that some psychological studies have noted - and they somewhat intersect with Ehrenberg’s thesis with the great difference in the starting points - that “many episodes of depression are preceded by a failure to accept loss in a competition for... Status,” and then the role of depression is to discourage the individual from continuing a useless struggle, and urge him to accept certain loss and voluntary surrender. These studies believe that “many patients recover when they give up a competition for status that is impossible to win,” and this is confirmed by the psychiatrist. Randolph Ness, referring to his personal experience with many cases of depression that he has treated, says: “The residents I have trained tell me that they find it very useful to ask depressed patients the following question: ‘Is there something very important that you are trying to do, but you are unable to succeed at it? And you can't give up?) Randolph Ness, Good Reasons for Bad Feelings, pp. 111-112, 304, translated by Muhammad Khadr, published by Dar Al-Tanweer, 1st edition 2021 AD.
[7] Motivational “speeches” have become a noticeable phenomenon in the culture of recent decades, and have become common and expected from celebrities in their presentations on certain occasions such as graduation ceremonies, and in speeches at the moment of honor in artistic, literary and sports awards, and are no longer limited to popular books known in the “development” literature. Self".
[8] See: Rasmus Johnson’s review of Ehrenberg’s book, previous source.
[9] Psychiatrist Alan Francis criticizes the contemporary expansion of the concept of “behavioral addiction,” which includes almost all popular activities, and believes that the concept of addiction should be limited to “those who feel forced to repeat the action even as the pleasure subsides and the cost increases.” See: Alan Francis, Saving the Common, pp. 203-207, translated by Sarah Al-Luhaidan, published by Jadaul Publishing House, 1st edition 2019 AD.
What concerns us here is not this standard medical level, but addiction as a repeated act and a noticeable behavioral phenomenon, regardless of its psychological classification and therapeutic requirements.
[10] Traditions establish rules of conduct, a list of prohibitions, and moral foundations for choice, and define the space for innovation and the space for imitation. All of this - from a purely practical perspective - facilitates the individual’s life and suffices him with excessive “freedom” of decision. These traditions in most cases are not arbitrary; Rather, “it represents the wisdom of generations after centuries of experimentation in the history laboratory,” as Will Durant says, in: Lessons from History, p. 77, translated by Ali Shalash, published by Souad Al-Sabah House, 1st edition, 1993 AD. American psychotherapist Lori Gottlieb was amazed at individuals' abandonment of the freedom to make decisions in their personal lives. She said, "One of the things that surprised me most as a psychotherapist is how people often wait for me to tell them what to do." Lori Gottlieb, Maybe You Should Talk to Someone, p. 302, translated by Nadine Nasrallah, published by Dar Al-Tanweer, 1st edition 2021 AD. Indeed, this observation is not a surprise, because excessive freedom of decision - accompanied by the lack or weakness of the religious and moral framework and lax social support -; It threatens the psychological safety of the individual, due to the lack of knowledge, the abundance of options and capabilities, and the uncertainty of outcomes.
[11] American psychologist Barry Schwartz, in his well-known book (The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less), published in 2004, counted more than 280 types of biscuits, more than 90 types of potato chips, and more than 60 A type of drink intended for children is available in American markets, including types of electronic devices, computers, cars, phones, etc.
[12] Elvin Toffler, Future Shock - Changes in Tomorrow’s World, p. 334, translated by Muhammad Nassef, Nahdet Misr Press, 2nd edition, 1990 AD.
[13] By: Todd Sloan, A Damaged Life - The Crisis of the Modern Soul, p. 242, translated by Dr. Abdullah Al-Shehri, published by Ibn Al-Nadim and Dar Al-Rawafid, 1st edition 2021 AD.
[14] Anthony Giddens, An Untamed World - How Globalization is Reshaping Our Lives, pp. 75-76, translated by Abbas Kazem and Hassan Nazim, published by the Arab Cultural Center, 1st edition 2003 AD. Of course, there are other direct and well-known reasons for the spread of addictions. Such as the availability of pleasures, their abundance, their diversity, and excessive advertising for their consumption; Therefore, the novelist Michel Houellebecq (b. 1956) criticizes the modernist entertainment industry, and says: “[The liberal model] promoted the liberation of desires, and thus plunged millions of people into misery,” because “desire is not a natural force, but a product of society, and without desire a liberal society cannot To move on, while society constantly nourishes desire but does not satisfy it, and so the more our desires increase, the more frustration we become.” By: Nancy Houston, Professors of Despair - Nihilism in European Literature, p. 281, translated by Walid Al-Suwayrki, published by Kalima House, 1st edition 1433 AH. Indeed, frustration itself is necessary for the continuation of the capitalist wheel. A former president of General Motors says: “The key to economic well-being is the creation of organized frustration.” By Pascal Bruckner, The Misery of Luxury - The Religion of the Market and Its Enemies, p. 193, translated by Abdullah Ould Abah, published by the Obeikan Library, 1st edition 1427 AH. For more, see: Noam Chomsky, The Making of Desires: How do you control a person’s life and way of thinking?, translated by Youssef Al-Noukhatha, published on the Hekma magazine website, on 9/3/2019 AD.
[15] Todd Sloan, op. cit., p. 28. Concisely and concisely.
[16] See: previous source, p. 34.
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