In a world where technological and scientific advances are realized daily, communication with people around the world is a common occurrence, and knowledge is becoming increasingly accessible, a wider window has opened for the individual to explore, discover, and/or create their ideal self. We see ourselves passing the times of idle wonder and theory of our past philosophers and intellects. The consequence, however, is that knowing yourself, as well as projecting and thereby sharing this self with others, has become a necessity in today’s world. A New Way to Be Mad, a scholarly article from the semester which I will frequently reference, stated such in the following manner. “…we shouldn’t be surprised when any of these people, healthy or sick, use phrases like “becoming myself” and “I
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Both situations involve an individual feeling “incomplete” or “wrong” in their current body or self. In the case of transsexuals, they feel that they have been born in the wrong body in the sense that they feel they should be another gender. Those with apotemnophilia also feel that they should have a different body, but in the sense that they perceive one or more of their limbs as “extra” or “not a true part of themselves.” Both situations involve building one’s identity around what will make them their desired self. As A New Way to Be Mad states, “…an identity can be built around a desire. The person you have become may be a consequence of the things you desire.” (pg. 80, A New Way to Be Mad) Often, desires such as this are not entirely internal, however. They often are a result of social influences. For example, many of those studied and written about in A New Way to Be Mad “…describe…a “life changing’ experience with an amputee as a child…most trace their desire to become amputees back to before the age of six or seven, and some will say they cannot remember a time when they didn’t have the desire.” (pg. 76, A New Way to Be Mad) In this case, it seems to be a
Both situations involve an individual feeling “incomplete” or “wrong” in their current body or self. In the case of transsexuals, they feel that they have been born in the wrong body in the sense that they feel they should be another gender. Those with apotemnophilia also feel that they should have a different body, but in the sense that they perceive one or more of their limbs as “extra” or “not a true part of themselves.” Both situations involve building one’s identity around what will make them their desired self. As A New Way to Be Mad states, “…an identity can be built around a desire. The person you have become may be a consequence of the things you desire.” (pg. 80, A New Way to Be Mad) Often, desires such as this are not entirely internal, however. They often are a result of social influences. For example, many of those studied and written about in A New Way to Be Mad “…describe…a “life changing’ experience with an amputee as a child…most trace their desire to become amputees back to before the age of six or seven, and some will say they cannot remember a time when they didn’t have the desire.” (pg. 76, A New Way to Be Mad) In this case, it seems to be a