The Integrative Process in Todays Fragmented Society

     "Social critics ... (are) descriptively correct in pointing to the fragmented & fluctuating character of modern identity. Given the multiplicity of demands within postindustrial economic systems and the absence of stable psychological supports for the individual, people will predictably ex- perience alienation and conflict in many life roles. 

     It may be a rare person who, within our present overstimulating and relationally unsupportive society, is able to experience the preponderance of the 'me's' he or she has internalized as being volitional & congruent. Such a person would undoubtedly have high global self-actualization in the traditional sense.

     But the current perspective would underscore that even when this occurs it is not solely an individual accomplishment — it is an attainment made possible by interpersonal supports that nurture one's security, competence, and freedom. 

     In the postmodern world, it becomes even more necessary to specify the social nutriments required to maintain an integrated "I"within a psychic house crowded with 'me's'."
        Ryan RM. Psychological needs and the facilitation of integrative processes. J Pers 1995; 63(3): 397-427. 

Klaus Nigge   http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/