Abstract
This chapter holds that self-diversity is a natural expression of our inherently complex nature and formative experience in diverse relationships. Plurality of self is evident in everyday relations and experience, is reflected in serious literature and is apparent from psychotherapy dialogue. It is also receiving support in pertinent research, though more such study is needed to closely decipher how the multi-self works. Human relationships are seen here both as engines of self-formation and as emergent from the association of selves. Self and relationship are thus viewed as interdependent partners in human life. Felt loneliness is a frequent expression of this interdependence when the self is unduly divided internally or cut off from its life in key relationships or wider systems of belonging. Selves can easily stream pass each other with little relational connection and nurture in the turbulent ‘oceans’ of complex modern societies.
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Notes
- 1.
This chapter (Relationship Worlds and the Plural Self) is a sibling version of chapter “Interdisciplinary Research and Theory” (The diverse self in and from relationship) of Godfrey Barrett-Lennard's new book on "The relationship paradigm Human being beyond individualism" to be published by Palgrave Macmillan. While both "siblings" share the main theme of self-diversity, this chapter is a shorter and significantly revised version, additionally addressing the "bridge" to the Person-Centred Approach. Thanks to Palgrave Macmillan for granting the permission to include this related version and thus to support another live instance of the concept of plurality.
- 2.
At one extreme, a person’s subself modes might be so compartmentalized that while manifesting one mode they would disown or be unaware of any other mode. At an opposite well-functioning pole, the person generally would be quite aware of their diversity and each mode of self-being would be a congruent and adaptive expression of self in that context. No mode would simply repeat an exact pattern, but would work as a dynamic resource that continued to evolve through fresh experience and overlap with other permeable modalities. All this could in principle be empirically studied and tested.
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Barrett-Lennard, G. (2013). Relationship Worlds and the Plural Self. In: Cornelius-White, J., Motschnig-Pitrik, R., Lux, M. (eds) Interdisciplinary Handbook of the Person-Centered Approach. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7141-7_19
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