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Self-optimisation: Conceptual, discursive and historical perspectives
,
Anja Röcke
Current Sociology, Start page: 001139212211465
Swansea University Author:
Daniel Nehring
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DOI (Published version): 10.1177/00113921221146575
Abstract
Self-optimisation has arguably become a central socio-cultural trend in contemporary Western societies. The imperative to optimise our ways of thinking, feeling and interacting with others features prominently in public discourse, and a range of commercial products and services are available to assi...
| Published in: | Current Sociology |
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| ISSN: | 0011-3921 1461-7064 |
| Published: |
SAGE Publications
2023
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| Online Access: |
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| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa61936 |
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| Abstract: |
Self-optimisation has arguably become a central socio-cultural trend in contemporary Western societies. The imperative to optimise our ways of thinking, feeling and interacting with others features prominently in public discourse, and a range of commercial products and services are available to assist us in our quest to become the best version of our selves. However, self-optimisation has so far received scant attention in sociological research. Addressing this knowledge gap, we aim to introduce self-optimisation as a concept for sociological analysis. We first situate self-optimisation in several closely linked strands of academic debate, on transformations of self-identity under conditions of globalisation and neo-liberal capitalism, and on the spread of a therapeutic culture. We then map the socio-cultural antecedents of self-optimisation, survey its rise as a salient public discourse and as a form of everyday practice and consider some political implications. In the conclusion, we set out an agenda for further research on self-optimisation and discuss its conceptual and empirical relevance beyond the Global Northwest. |
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| Keywords: |
Self-identity, self-optimisation, sociology of psychologies, technologies of the self,therapeutic culture |
| College: |
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Start Page: |
001139212211465 |