Absence of identity & meaningful life
“All identities are unstable [...] And in order to take account of this destabilization of
meaning and of the subject I thought the term 'subject in process' would be
appropriate. Process in the sense of process but also in the sense of a legal
proceeding where the subject is committed to trial, because our identities in life are
constantly called into question, brought to trial, over-ruled.”1
Stated in an interview by Julia Kristeva in 1999, the topic of unstable identities 20
years later still seems to be more contemporary than ever before. In times of social
change, accelerated by constant urbanization and globalization, in times of political
extremism, enforced by economy and refugee crises, in times of over-powering
communication due to digitalization and technical advancement, life as we have
known it for centuries is being overthrown. In this self-created situation man finds
himself without orientation, having lost any foundation to build identity and
meaningful life. A society that tries to hide its disabilities by the pursuit of
gratification from vanity or egotistic admiration of one's idealised self-image and
attributes2: a projected image that has been internalized to the point where it is
believed to have come from within.
Absence of the father
From a psychological point of view, this “(de)stabilization of meaning” starts with the
family we are born into. Referring to the German philosopher Freud, Rob Weatherill,
psychoanalytic therapist, is making clear that it is the father, whose role is most
crucial for the development of a child’s identity. Consequently, there is a disruption if
there is no father. Among many, Luigi Vitali, Italian politician, observes and analyses
the current phenomena of a fatherless generation in the western world: “We have no
fathers, because their empty authority is incapable of dictating a direction, because
their attitudes and behaviour are not applicable any longer. […] The way they lived,
[…] the way they searched for freedom or fled from suffering does not give us insight
into the world that is taking shape in front of us.”3 In an interview with the title “When
the west lost its fathers” Weatherill is saying: “Real fathers exist of course […] but I
am referring to the symbolic father – the whole notion of authority and the rule of
law.”
Absence of rules : Post-Modernism
This empty authority leads us to an indifferent tolerance of any kind of lifestyle: “Each
must live as he sees fit.”, as Frederic II, king of Prussia (1712-1786), said, or in other
words: “Let every man seek heaven in his own fashion”, a quite distinctive resumé of
the post-modernist mind-set: Individuals are building up their own worldview,
choosing which values to pursue and which rules to follow. They reject universal
believe systems such as religion or political doctrines, but instead compile their own
set of “right and wrong”, embracing and combining any kind of spirituality.
As a stark contrast between a universal acceptance of philosophical diversity, the
term “political correctness” becomes an overused dictum. We observe emotional
reactions and discussions on social media platforms about everything that is
discussible, a conflict between everybody getting offended by everything and a
highly defended freedom of speech and opinion.
Absence of true relationships : Social Media
In this century of digitalization, it would demand much effort to completely avoid this
dualism displayed in the internet. Bombarding us with an outrageous number of
images, views and opinions, and by that with uncountable possibilities, Social Media
is contributing to the multiplicity of options of our daily-life reality. While digital
progress is leading us to a constant and over-connected world, the symptoms of
anxiety and depression, linked with loneliness, are alarmingly increasing. Laura
Turner writes for “The Atlantic”: [Social media networks are] “a megaphone for
achievements and a magnifying glass for insecurities, and when you start comparing
your insecurities with another person’s achievements, it’s a recipe for anxiety”5. We
were meant to be enriched by sharing pictures, exchanging culture and beliefs,
adapting new styles and aesthetics, but in the end, we seem to get lost.
The result is an emptiness, a void, the absence of order, sense and belonging.
Absence of hyper individuality : Conformism
Appearing contractional to the individualized mind-set of Postmodernism, we
observe as a consequence of this described emptiness a strong conformism, blind
obedience to so called “influencers” on social media platforms. For every part of
human life, we find a “role model” that dictates us which hair style to wear, which
denim to buy, which party to vote for, which food to eat for dinner etc. By doing so
they relieve us from the tiring duty of inventing everything we are and do ourselves,
to think and question our way of living. We conform to a given image, trying to
imitate and copy, because of the subconscious believe that this will bring as the
happy and glorious life we perform. “Appearing as or better than others perhaps we
feel less alone, or believing ourselves to be better we delude ourselves and build a
mask in which we truly believe. In doing so, however, there is the risk of losing a
precious value, that is, one's individuality, only to enhance an image of oneself and
increase media consent.”
Absence of balance : Simmel's Dualism
Still, it appears clear that humans tend to not give themselves to either complete
conformism, nor entire individualization. Self-definition as well as self-differentiation,
the base for human identity, have been analysed by German philosopher Georg
Simmel. In his essay on fashion from 1895 he suggests that there is dualism within
every human: On the one hand there is a desire to adopt to his surrounding
community, so to say into society. On the other hand, there is a longing to be
individualized from its appearance and demands. Simmel states that “fashion is
merely a product of social demands”, concluding that without the need for satisfying
both desires there would be no fashion. “Fashion represents nothing more than […]
the aid of which we seek to combine […] the tendency towards social equalization
with the desire for individual differentiation and change.”7 Fashion relates to the
described dualism, separating humanity into social classes by providing the
opportunity to both imitate and differentiate. The diverse ways of dressing within
social classes, which are nothing else than exclusive groups, satisfy the desire of
dissociation (being different from other groups) and the need to still feel included
(fitting in with their own social class).
Absence of responsibility : Self-created Victimism
Overwhelmed by the task of fulfilling both demands at the same time, we feel
helpless. Blaming parents, teachers, politicians, society, an abstract, external power,
so to say everybody but ourselves, for our own inner conflicts, we become masters in
shifting guilt, identifying ourselves as victims and refusing to take up responsibility
for our lives: “What this current Lordship [in the western world] is in part we all know
and we will never know in part: a force, however, that tries to make us a mute
sheepfold, to depress our liveliness, to put crushing weights on our backs.”
Absence of solution : Consumerism
Practically speaking, unconsciously or fully aware, the fight for liberation from what
was described as the “grey emptiness” generally leads us into slavery of measureless
consumerism: “When we are unhappy with the life we have, we often create the life
we want through our trappings. With all of our new stuff, we can set the scene for our
ideal life even if it is not really there. Our fancy cars, big homes, plush furniture, and
designer shoes are merely optical illusions that hide the financial strain, the family
conflict, and the general emptiness.”9 Neither money nor what one can buy with it is
the solution to fill the hole that we feel due to the loss of orientation, belonging and
identity.
In between
Individuals thus, find themselves in a state of “In-Between”, a place of neither one
nor the other, an empty place.
Emptiness as a human condition is defined as a sense of generalized boredom, social
alienation and apathy. Feelings of emptiness often accompany dysthymia,
depression, loneliness, anhedonia, despair, or other mental/emotional disorders,
including schizoid personality disorder, post trauma, attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder, schizotypal personality disorder and borderline personality disorder.
Western sociologists and psychologists view a state of emptiness as a negative,
unwanted condition. This sense of alienation may be suppressed while working, due
to the routine nature of work tasks, but during leisure hours or during the weekend,
people may feel a sense of "existential vacuum" and emptiness. 10 There is a deadly
split between humans and the soul of the world, aka everything “natural”. As we
destroy this natural condition we live on, reject the planet we live in, with which we
are connected because we are part of its existence and life system, we deprive
ourselves of its life-relevant and life-giving force. Rudolf Steiner (1861–1925), gestalt
psychologist, argued that western culture became "empty of spirit" and "ignorant of
the needs, the conditions, that are essential for the life of the spirit". People
experience a "spiritual emptiness" and their thinking becomes marked.
1 Julia Kristeva in Interview with Susan Sellers in Women's Review, no. 12. Jurgi Persoons, 1999
2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcissism#Seven_deadly_sins_of_narcissism
3 DUST Magazine #13 We have no Fathers SS18
4 “When the west lost its fathers”, DUST Magazine #13 We have no Fathers SS18
5 https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/07/how-twitter-fuels-anxiety/534021/
6 https://compassunibo.wordpress.com/2017/11/22/mostrarsi-sui-social-lossessione-di-apparire/
7 “Fashion”, Georg Simmel, 1895
8 https://gliocchidiblimunda.wordpress.com/2009/12/22/teatro-valdocamariangela-gualtieri-–-
paesaggio-con-fratello-rotto/
9 „You are what you were“, Dr. Jennifer Baumgartner, 2012