It’s time to stop looking for yourself

We're taught to seek our individuality, but perhaps we should just try to fit in and resist the craze for self-improvement

A vast array of books and courses is offered on self-development and self-improvement. Our lives seem to be in a state of flux and change, but legions of coaches, therapists and lifestyle counsellors are on hand to steer us safely through these choppy waters by teaching us self-esteem and authenticity. The message often is: be yourself! Look within yourself for answers and then you can achieve what you want.

This message might once have been emancipatory. When the counter-cultures of the 1960s objected to oppressive structures by looking inwards and seeking self-realisation, there was no shortage of good reasons to throw off the shackles of a rigid society. However, as social theorist Axel Honneth argues, while this may once have constituted a legitimate form of resistance to "the system" (patriarchy, capitalism, etc), it has subsequently become the basis upon which that very same system now legitimises itself.