Entry 4: "Why the Self is Empty"

“The advertising industry, which Lears thought was another manifestation of “the therapeutic,” attempted to cure by implying that products could magically “transform” the customer’s life. In order to do that, ads became progressively less informative and more evocative, associating the product with happy, clean, vigorous models” (p. 34).

This idea of advertisements selling a lifestyle in order to make people think that they absolutely need a product has become very common in present day society. Everywhere we look there is some form of advertisement that does exactly that, whether it is in a magazine, on a billboard, on television. The ads that make us feel like our life will be transformed if we could just buy this one thing are in our face twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. In television commercials we see women at clubs being attracted to men because of the smell of their expensive cologne and just that smell sets the tone for an evening of sexy dancing and fun. Billboards show men on hammocks in tropical places drinking a certain brand of beer with a beautiful woman by their side. Some advertisements focus on the scenery or the glamorous models and the viewer has to closely examine it to even figure out what product is being advertised. But however the ad is shown the underlying message is always clear. If you buy the product being shown you will be able to vacation to tropical places, meet beautiful women at clubs, and overall live a fun, glamorous and stress free life.

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“Kohutian social critics would argue that the life-styles portrayed in advertising have become larger-than-life, glamorous selfobjects. For those despairing and hopeless about their real lives, the wish to consume and take in a new identity, a new life, can be very compelling.” - Cushman, pg. 38

This quote stood out to me because it went hand in hand with the other two articles. It focused on how people nowadays are becoming obsessed with material objects. It reminded me of Cross’ article in which people wanted to act rich and climb the social ladder. They could do this by consuming products. By buying what was desirable in society they could have a new identity and “keep up with the Joneses”. The overall article was confusing, but this quote did a good job summing up some of the main points of the article. It brought up the article’s points that people were empty and wanted to fill their voids with their desires. Unlike pre-WWII times, the focus was not on religion, morals or family, but what people wanted. The article can be debatable, as its ideals definitely did not apply to everyone. At the same time, the article did a great job creating a solution to most of America’s shift after WWII. Society became more individualistic and more consumer oriented.

"This hope of substituting one identity, one life, for another is used as the sales strategy for many products today." (Cushman, 37).

This quote reminded me of Mondays article because of the idea that buying products could make for a new identity. It made me think that the idea of empty self could be fulfilled with images or ideas that advertising sent out to viewers. For example, a cologne ad may show many women surrounding a man wearing a particular cologne. That advertising image shows that who ever wears the cologne will have a lot of women. The advertisers are aiming at people who are empty or alone. Suddenly someone puts on cologne and immediately they believe they will have a new, improved identity which involves beautiful women. This article showed that people who felt empty wanted to fill the emptiness with a consumer good, which in turn, made advertising much easier.

"Credit is only necessary when the individual's wish to buy outstrips his or her capital. Individuals do not wish to buy if they do not perceive a need for a product. But with an empty self people always need" (36).

I never could understand why people got into credit card debt. Spending money you don't have seemed like an idiot mistake to me. But this article helped me realize that as long as there are things to buy, people will buy them. There is no doubt that buying on credit has contributed to the growth of the American economy. However, credit is tricky and can destroy lives. I know that after reading this article I will think twice before using a credit card.

"It is a self that seeks the experience of being continually filled up by consuming goods, calories, experiences, politicians, romantic partners, and empathic therapists in an attempt to combat the growing alienation and fragmentation of its era" (p. 32).

To fight the idea that we, as individuals, might be empty or alone, we fill ourselves up over and over in any way possible until we feel a certain fullness or sense of completion. Much to the delight of manufacturers and the consumer industry, this fullness only lasts momentarily until we feel empty again. This can be seen as people fragment from each other and stray from their connection within a community. We've all heard the saying "I'm just going to eat my feelings", implying that when someone is sad about something, they feel the need to eat to fill that empty space. This is just one example of how we are constantly trying to keep ourselves full, especially when we are at a low point.

"Advertising began developing a highly effective strategy: By identifying the product with an "imaginary state of being," the ads sought to allay the customer's personal fears and feelings of inadequacy." (34)

I picked this quote because this was one of the only ones I thought I actually understood. The way I interpreted this is that advertisers hoped that by coming up with a strategy of selling goods, it would allow the consumer to trust the seller more and trust the product. The use of psychology helped because with psychology sellers were able to relate the consumer to the product with an "imaginary state of being." Since the product could relate to the consumer they were much more likely to trust the product and then buy it.

"In the second half of the century the empty self has made it much easier for advertising to exert influence and control."

This quote stood out to me because it reminded me of the Bernay story about using advertising as manipulation to get people to buy what you want them too. This quote is saying that because the self is empty it has made it much easier to manipulate peolpe and have control over them. Like the example of Bernay and the way he manipulated women to smoke. Its crazy how some ads actually work these days, and how much people will buy into it. Because the self is empty it can be easily influenced and controlled by advertising.

"In the decades immediately following World War II, the United States developed an economy that depended on the continual production and consumption of nonessential and quickly obsolete products, celebrities, and experiences" (Cushman 35).

America's era changed due to the war efforts in World War II. The industrial revolution brought on the mass consumption of every type of product, and changed the view points on celebrities and those experiences. Households began to get smaller, small families began to get bigger. The recession began to fade, causing people to strengthen their businesses by buying credit. "The increasingly powerful print and electronic media unleashed a flood of opinions about how post-World War II families should spend their money" (Cushman 35). Basically America began their comeback from recession from advertising conveniences like credit, and it affected America by building up their economy.

"Culture 'completes' humans by explaining and interpreting the world, helping them to focus their attention on or ignore certain aspects of their environment, and instructing and forbidding them to think and act in certain ways."
I completely agree with this quote. If we wanted to describe the self without relating to others, we could not do so because society is what gives us our social identity. Would you be able to describe your personality if you had no one to interact with? What opinions would you have if you had nothing to be opinionated about? Can a teacher still be a teacher if he has no students? I believe that the self is largely influenced by our experiences and environment. Case studies in which children have been raised in isolation without having been taught manners, let alone how to talk or walk properly, show that humans have an almost animal-like nature. I find it safe to say that without culture or society, life experiences and surrounding environments, and therefore the self, would be completely different.

"Because emptiness is, in part, an absence of communal forms and beliefs, individuals in the postwar era are thus particularly vulnerable to influence from cultural forms such as advertising that emanate authority and certainty." (37)

I found this quote to be very powerful and eye opening. The emotional state of a society has a huge impact on the the overall country and the dominant figures that lead our country. Emotions lead history to what it is today. Choices that were made in the past by the people were led by the peoples emotions. This made the society a very easy and vulnerable target, which could be persuaded to make drastic changes in the government and simply the lifestyles of the people. Previously controversial issues could be viewed from a new perspective and could become acceptable simply because of advertising and the peoples emotional state at the time. From personal experience it is evident that a lot of the time emotions are too radical and lead you to make silly choices, but realizing that these choices could have been government officials, idols, heros or any acclaimed individual that influenced our future generations makes me hope that these crucial decisions would not be made from an emotional and momentary stand point, and that critical thought goes into every single decision that affects our lives.

"The construction of the empty self, is, in fact, a product of a central cultural paradox." (Sampson, 1985)

This quote embraces the idea that fulfilling the "empty self" often requires the consumerist culture to dominate our identity. As one of the wealthiest nations on Earth, America finds itself to also be one of the emptiest nations of Earth. The "self improvement" industries alone make us feel that we can only fulfill inner emptiness through their products. With these products, we have the ability to free ourselves from having problems such as low self-esteem, drug abuse, eating disorders, chronic consumerism, and other expressions of inner emptiness. The central cultural paradox is the result of our country establishing identities through traditional ways of the American culture and consumerist products. We can be defined by both. Cushman states that "the dynamic society revolves around a fundamental paradox" are are always at odds with itself. As time goes by, consumerism defines identity more and more.

"Coincident with the decline of the large, extended family unit, the individual self came to be seen as the ultimate locus of salvation: the evolving constantly changing self on a never-ending search for self-actualization and growth" (Cushman 35).

This quote stuck me because I felt it described the changing lifestyle post WWII. Families started spending more time apart due to education, traveling, and living in the suburbs. Without the restrictions of family ties, individuals became more independent and chose what kind of life they wanted to lead. This new freedom of the “privileged generation” allowed for new ideas and activities with which to spend time. For this reason, people began to think more of themselves and who they were instead of thinking of their family as a whole. This lead to people feeling the need to “find themselves" and grow as an individual.

“These costumers buy life-style in a vain attempt to transform their lives because their lives are unsatisfying and (without massive societal change) ultimately unfixable.” (p.38)

I chose this quotation because I do not like the fact that individuals have to buy things in order to feel satisfied. And what is that about their lives being ultimately unfixable? How is buying a “life-style” going to make a person’s life any better? Are those “life-style” things you are paying for reliable? What gets me mad is the fact that the reason people want to change their lives is due to advertisements. We are surrounded by advertisements. Advertisements are the cause of eating disorders, dissatisfaction, and people buying things they cannot afford. I am positive that there are many individuals out there who are in debt with their debit cards and I bet it is perhaps primarily women. We women enjoy shopping and we tend to over-shop. We women satisfy ourselves by buying new clothing which will contribute to our “pretty” appearance. Advertisements affect mostly women. They are the cause of women eating disorders. When you open up a magazine, what do you see? Skinny women, right. As a mujer, I feel like the magazine tries to purvey that a skinny women is the type of body that seems adequate. Therefore, many women attempt to look like the model presented in the magazine and that is when eating disorders begin to contemplate and it becomes an issue.

"The late 20th century has thus become an advertising executive's dream come true: Life-style has become a product that sells itself, and the individual has become a consumer who seeks, desperately, to buy (38)".

I found this quote very interesting because it is absolutely true. Every day I see advertisements in commercials, magazines and newspapers that imply that the simple purchase of one's product, whether it be a toothpaste or a medication, will immediately turn around the consumer's life and diminish one's problems. People are always looking to have better and newer versions of their products, even though the difference between the current product and the new one is usually minute, if a change is even present. Everyone wants to have their life-style accompanied by the best products and as time passes we tend to forget that these products are superficial and it is clear that our society is only becoming more and more reliant on consumerism.

“By the self I mean the concept of the individual as articulated by the indigenous psychology of a particular cultural group, the shared understandings within a culture of “what it is to be human”. (Heelas & Lock, 1981, p.3) The self embodies what the culture believes is humankind’s place in the cosmos: its limits, talents, expectations, and prohibitions.” (Cushman, p. 599)
The idea of self is culturally influenced, but it is something that links all cultures together. I still find it amazing that we are able to contemplate our own selves and to converse about it with others. There isn’t any evidence yet if other animals also wonder why they are alive.
Humans put an importance on existence and wonder what each of our place is in this world. I remember reading a story that brought up the idea of acceptance and a person’s place in life. The author illustrated a story built upon characters whose ultimate wish was to be accepted and to have a place in their world. In the end they realize that acceptance is something everyone is striving for.
Cushman also talks about how the “masterful self” emerged in Western civilization after the collapse of Feudalism. The self at this point had been given a set place in society, the feudal system being a fixed hierarchy. When this ended, the excuse that it was impossible to alter your destiny was slowly decreasing. People were faced with the issue that their “place” and sense of self was constantly in motion and susceptible to change. As lifestyles sped up, so did idea of choosing your life and carving out your own destiny. People became so fixated on the fact that they could get to a certain place and find acceptance somewhere else, they didn’t see they had a place in the moment. It’s not a fixed place in the universe, but it’s definitely there. This idea of having to find your part in the world perhaps made people feel lost, and eventually could have led to this empty self that Cushman describes. However, it is not the realization of individualism, but the exploitation of it. If people realized they were exactly in the spot they needed to be at the moment, and that the universe supported any changes to alter our idea of self, perhaps this empty self would not be so susceptible to manipulation.

"Culture is not indigenous clothing that covers the universal human; it infuses individuals, fundamentally shaping and forming them and how they conceive of themselves in the world, how they see others, how they engage in structures of mutual obligation, and how they make choices in the everyday world." (33)

I found this quote very interesting because it made me realize that indeed the human culture has altered its way into shapes that humans only see in the outside. I agree to the fact that, each and every culture shows a different part or nature to human beings. Although it is a large part of who we are as an individual, as Cushman has stated, I agree that culture, solely, does not cover up a person from the outside. It has indeed changed and altered the image but has not the way a person should be viewed within. I believe that culture is an integrated pattern of social networking, emotions, knowledge, behavior, etc. and that it has no meaning to it unless a person makes something out from their own subliminal viewpoints.

"The post World War II self thus yearns to acquire and consume as an unconscious way of compensating for what has been lost: It is empty" (32)

I chose this quote because I thought that it basically summed up the whole article in one very powerful line. I found it very interesting that he calls the post WWII self the "empty" self instead of using another word such as incomplete or lacking. Empty seems so powerful to me, like it is a void that needs to be filled instead of something that just remains incomplete or merely lacks something. The powerfulness of the word really latched onto me and whenever he described ways that people fill the void by being consumers I had this mental image of a guy filling himself with goods. That's really sad that in our modern world, we are all born empty and strive to find completeness in our lives by making purchases.

“Ads seem to criticize and condemn the average consumer while glorifying the model, extolling a standard of beauty and mastery impossible to achieve.” (pg. 37)

Our evolved wants and needs in life have reached an unattainable level. The advertising industry has superficially glorified the human being, all in order to sell their product.
Commercials and advertisements are filled with products we do not need. Therefore, the product needs to find a way to prove its worth, that being through the use of glitzy ads filled with supermodels and famous celebrities. For example, if we use “pro-active” we will be as beautiful as Jessica Simpson. I can tell you first hand, that’s not true!
People today need more and more to fill their bottom-less pit of desire. The advertisement industry is aware of this fact and uses it to their advantage. People will do anything possible to better themselves, whether it be physically or emotionally. When it comes to products, people behave like naïve children. They believe everything they read or hear, forgetting the fact that these companies simply want to make profit. The companies and corporations only choose beautiful models to represent their products because they know they wouldn’t sell any other way.

"The self has undergone extreme, erratic, often discontinuous change because it is part of the larger sociohistorical fabric of its time" (pg 33)

This quote stood out to me because it seemed to sum up what was being discussed in the article: the self has drastically changed because it is heavily affected by society, which has in itself revolutionized. For instance, in Victorian Era it was expected for women of class to entertain at parties by playing the piano or reciting poetry. However, in today’s society, women show their status their wearing Manolo Blahniks or sporting the latest Gucci bag. Although society once emphasized culture and the arts, it now encourages consumer goods and spending cash. This concept is further reinforced in ideas such as retail therapy. Material goods have come to be held in such high regards today that people resort to spending money to make themselves feel better, which supports the concept of the empty self. For example, after a break up, a girlfriend will take her friend shopping as if purchasing a dress or a new watch will somehow fill the void that is now left open by the absence of her significant other. The same goes for men. Often times purchasing expensive, lavish sports cars is a form of compensation for some insecurity. Therefore, instead of working on their problems, people bury themselves in consumer goods. However, just as it is with any new toy, the watch or car will eventually get old and news purchases will need to be made to keep from feeling the emptiness that everyone is so desperately trying to fill.

“In the decades immediately following World War II, the United States developed an economy that depended on the continual production and consumption of nonessential and quickly obsolete products, celebrities, and experiences.”
I wholeheartedly agree with this quote. If we took the time to look around us, we would probably see quite a few things in our possession that are completely nonessential and unnecessary. There are so many things that we felt we just had to buy only to find it collecting dusts in the garage a few months later. Even when we know the product is completely nonessential and that we do not need it, we are obligated to buy one because everyone else has one or it projects the image that we so desperately try to portray. I admit that I am guilty of many obsolete purchases. Just a few months ago, I bought a Zippo lighter for $15. Why did I buy it when I do not smoke? Simply because it looked cool and had an Anarchy symbol on it. I felt that by owning such a lighter and having it on my person, it would portray to others that I am a lawless badass. It was an irrational and foolish purchase but I’ve always wanted to light up a cigarette for a lady like in those old time movies. The irony behind this is that I’m greatly turned off by a woman who smokes. But hey, it looked cool in the movies. If we were to only purchase essential items, our economy would suffer disastrously because no one would buy expensive cars, electronics, clothes, foods, ect. Everyone would buy a sensible and dependable car and drive it for years. Our economy thrives on people who buy expensive cars that require expensive auto insurance and requires expensive parts to repair. We’d be in a lot of trouble if everyone only bought the minimum necessities or made sensible rational purchases.

"I believe that after the war the configuration of the empty self coalesced and finally became predominant as a consequence of the loss of community and in order to match the needs of the new economy" pg 35

I found this to be interesting because World War 2 had a huge impact not only on the peoples conscious but on their relationship with others. The author suggest that because of the shift in society there was a shift in practices such as the advertising industry and the field of psychology. Which would make sense in the way that the war had such a big impact on everything and everyone it would change something like advertisment and psychology.

"Why do American's "need" these items and experiences now when they never did before? Again, I am speculating that it is the formation of the empty self that has made this situation possible; a sense of meaninglessness and absence feeds these businesses" (pg. 36)

I chose this quotation because I felt that it was one of Cushman's main points in the article. This article was very interesting. It was definitely a lot harder to read than the previous two because it was academic, but I stuck with it and forced myself to read it and many of the paragraphs I re-read, but I wound up learning a few new things. He makes interesting points about the concept of self and how it is mainly a cultural thing, but changes throughout different eras. He talks a lot about the empty self, and how the empty self is a post WW II thing. With an empty self comes the need for us humans to fill that inner emptiness. Whether that inner emptiness be low self-esteem or having a drug problem or an eating disorder, whatever that emptiness is, we find a way to fill that. Cushman argues that one of the main ways to fill the meaninglessness and absence is with goods, material objects; thus leading to the massive consumer society that we are. The reason why businesses do so well, particularly self-improvement businesses is because people need to fill the absence in their lives. And as long as people are empty, there will always be the need to buy and fill up the emptiness that they feel inside, whether that emptiness is conscience or not. This article was very interesting in terms of looking at consumerism as a result of wanting to fill emptiness, an empty self. I had never really looked at it that way before, but it makes a lot of sense. I've heard of therapy shopping before, but now that I think about it, it works for pretty much any problem. You are using food to fill your emptiness, you buy a lot of food. You are using drugs or alcohol, you buys lots of drugs and alcohol. And that is why advertisements do so well because they sell to person with an empty self looking to life a different, more ideal life or what not. "... ads sell by convincing the public that a certain product is indispensable to their well-being or by implicitly addressing or exacerbating a personal fear in the costumer that could be reassured or soothed by purchasing the product" (pg. 37). Basically that quotation supports the idea that we buy to fill the empty self and our empty self is easily influenced by ads that may or may not strike an emotional cord in them you could say. I liked that this article shed a whole new light on my preconceptions of consumerism.

"By this I mean that our terrain has shaped a self that experiences a significant absence of community, tradition, and shared meaning. It experiences these social absences and their consequences "interiorly" as a lack of personal conviction and worth, and it embodies the absences as a chronic, undifferentiated emotional hunger. The post-World War II self thus yearns to acquire and consume as an unconscious way of compensating for what has been lost: It is empty." (32)

I know this is a long quote, but I think that all of it is required to show the complete thought behind Cushman's argument. Many things about American society since World War II has acted as Cushman said, to decrease community, tradition, and shared meaning. As this great melting pot stirs, ethnic lines that once defined these segregated groups become blended. This is not to say this is a bad thing, but it is clear that these aspects of life may become dimmed in the process. I also could not help but to think of T.S. Eliot's Hollow Men as Cushman described the empty self. This parallel makes the possibility of the reality even more frightening; are we all just children of an age that produces shells of men designed solely for the purpose of filling with consumer goods? I think not personally, but that was the impression I was getting from the idea.

I chose this quote because I feel I can personally relate to this situation. I have fallen victim to buying magazines at the checkout counter that I do not need and taking shopping trips because I simply “feel like it.” Is it that hard for me to find something more important to do with my day than charge a bunch of clothes and things I definitely do not need on my credit card? We use excuses such as “I am being spontaneous” or “I have not shopped in such a long time” to excuse the fact that we just want new things. There is an instant gratification that comes with spending money and knowing whatever you bought will be waiting for you in your room whenever you need it. Now, not only are you incredibly satisfied with your purchase (because it was totally worth it), but you also do not realize the value of the money you just spent because looking at numbers go up and down on a Wells Fargo website does not make you feel as guilty as spending the cash in your wallet. Although money is valuable and important, I believe it is equally as important to let go sometimes and spend a little money for fun. As long as it is in moderation, shopping can be exciting and rewarding.

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“Americans in the post- World War II era seem to have become a people who have a deeply felt need to spend money and indulge their impulses.”

I chose this quote because I feel I can personally relate to this situation. I have fallen victim to buying magazines at the checkout counter that I do not need and taking shopping trips because I simply “feel like it.” Is it that hard for me to find something more important to do with my day than charge a bunch of clothes and things I definitely do not need on my credit card? We use excuses such as “I am being spontaneous” or “I have not shopped in such a long time” to excuse the fact that we just want new things. There is an instant gratification that comes with spending money and knowing whatever you bought will be waiting for you in your room whenever you need it. Now, not only are you incredibly satisfied with your purchase (because it was totally worth it), but you also do not realize the value of the money you just spent because looking at numbers go up and down on a Wells Fargo website does not make you feel as guilty as spending the cash in your wallet. Although money is valuable and important, I believe it is equally as important to let go sometimes and spend a little money for fun. As long as it is in moderation, shopping can be exciting and rewarding.

“…Ads sell by convincing the public that a certain product is indispensable to their well-being or by implicitly exacerbating a personal fear in the customer that could be reassure or soothed by purchasing the product” (37).

Advertisements are meant to somehow convincingly, though not always successfully, manipulate us into believing that we need the product to achieve self-improvement. It gets the viewer self conscious at times about something so minute and then manages to replay in the viewers mind because of its catchy representation. For example, the first time I saw a commercial for a Snuggie [see link - https://www.getsnuggie.com/flare/next?tag=os%7Csm%7Cgo%7Ctm], I laughed and thought it was absurd. What is the point of a Snuggie if we can use a blanket or wear a warm jacket? On a cold winter day while struggling to change channels on my TV cuddled under my blanket, I was so frustrated that my arms were receiving the chills and ruining my snuggly comfort. All I could think about was the Snuggie and how perfect it would be in my situation. Another personal example was years back, I was watching a commercial for Time Warners Cable that talked about TEVOing shows and movies and also having the ability to forward and rewind. How ironic is it that a commercial was advertising a product that gives the viewer the ability to skip commercials? I did not have a problem with commercials until I knew I could get rid of them. Advertisements create these insecurities within us and make us feel the need to advance, so that we don’t fall behind. Another example is ProActiv (or any other face wash). When watching a commercial, the “users,” who are on TV have flawless and amazing skin and it makes me self conscious of my own skin. They give facts that just make me worry when before the commercial I felt fine with my skin. Advertisements have the power to make products, that in theory sound so unnecessary, into must-haves. Sadly we are all victims of consumer society and submit to some form of advertisements whether it is what we wear, what gum we chew, where we get a gym membership from, or what resort we stay at for vacation. We all give in to ads to make us feel like we are upgrading our lives and ourselves, especially in areas where we feel discomfort and fear.

"The self must function within a particular cultural pattern: matching, maintaining, and replicating it." (33)

I picked this quote because the idea is simple, and yet whenever I'm reminded of the sameness, of the robotic tendencies of a group of people, it comes as a surprise. Though people are seeking individualism and uniqueness, by seeking the same thing and attempting to be the best they remain similar to each other. This makes the "empty self" even more hopeless because the lack of substance is not only filled by irrational "stuff" but by this constant need to keep up with the herd; here, within the trotting glamorous and trampled ideals, is loss of identity.

"...cultural conceptualizations and configurations of self are formed by the economies and politics of their respective eras." (31)

I chose this quote because I agree that the time period you are born into is more determining of self than any other factor. In psychology 1 I learned that people typically conform to their environment, even if it against humanistic morals, such as in World War II or in American Slavery. Even if the norm now is to be part of the consumer culture, I am glad that I was born into the information age, so that I can become self aware and make informed decisions. Also, because it is possible to be exposed to such a diversity of cultures, this era is becoming one where self identity can seem minuscule compared to the sea of nationalities in existence.

" Culture is not indigenous clothing that covers the universal human; it infuses individuals, fundamentally shaping and forming them and how they conceive of themselves and the world, how they see others, how they engage in structures of mutual obligations, and how they make choices in the everyday world." (pg 33)

I never thought of culture as what was shaping each individual to act or view the world in a certain way. I believed that culture did play a part in giving us something to base our past and traditions on. Each individual has their own lifestyle and personality and I do not think that it is caused by their culture. Although their culture may shape some of their perspectives and values, they are still personally responsible for their own actions and thoughts. There are many people who highly respect their culture and do their best to follow their traditions and morals. However, there are still those who do not agree with it and choose to go against it. Although culture may play a big role in our life, I do not think that it ultimately shapes who we are and what we base our decisions on.

"Unfortunately, many psychotherapy theories attempt to treat the modern self by reinforcing the very qualities of self that have initially caused the problem."

For some reason, contradictions seem to stand out to me the most, and this was another one. This quote stood out to me because i found it disturbing that psychotherapy is essentially what provided the tools and knowledge to create modern consumer culture into what it is today. From psychotherapy, advertisers and companies learned how to control and manipulate the population for profit, and then practitioners turn around and use the same theories to attempt to treat the "modern self" from problems that were manifested by these theories in the first place. disturbing right?

"The late 20th century has thus become an advertising executive's dream come true: Life-style has become a product that sells itself, and the individual has become a consumer who seeks, desperately, to buy."

I found this quote interesting because I believe it is very true. We live in an age where people have been sucked into the world of name brands and instantaneous results. People are constantly looking for a quick fix to make their lives better and easier. All advertisements are formulated to make products seem like they can instantly make a person's life significantly better. Even the most insignificant products such as paper towels and toothpaste are advertised to make it seem like they have the ability save the world. Advertisers thrive on this mentality possessed by today's consumer society and exploit it every chance they get.

"By this I mean that our terrain has shaped a self that experiences a significant absence of community, tradition, and shared meaning. It experiences these social absences and their consequences"interiorly" as a lack of personal conviction and worth, and it embodies the absences as a chronic undifferentiated emotional hunger. The post- World War II self thus yearns to acquire and consume as an unconscious way of compensating for what has been lost: It is empty"
The concept of ones "self" has undergone major transformations throughout history. In this modern era, the concept of ones self has become rather vacant and empty. We no longer have a pure sense of originality or drive or culture. We have become puppets of the massive consumer market and culture. Our emotions, needs, and wants are carefully manipulated to such an extent, that we have lost a sense of our true "self" and identity. Our society now thrives on the need "to consume and ingest" materials, that eventually become old, and thus before we know it we are on the hunt for next best thing. Many times, we consume primarily to fill some form of an emotional void. However, this form of compensation leaves us with a false sense of satisfaction. This constant need to consume, leaves us hollowed out and empty, because our joy is rather short-lived.

“To accomplish this it is thought that the individual must develop an ability to be self-soothing, self-loving, and self-sufficient (Fromm, 1956; Sampson, 1985). An yet in order to develop this type of self, many psychologists argue that one must have a nurturing early environment that provides a great deal of empathy, attention, and mirroring (Horner, 1984; Masterson, 1981; Stern, 1985).”

What I would like to point out about this quote is not necessarily what the author states here but rather what he responds to this notion. I chose this part to quote because I agree with what is said, especially since Ism looking at pursuing a career as a psychologist. Now going back to his response, the author responds by saying “empathetic parenting is difficult to accomplish.” It is quite possible that I don't share this belief because my life has not always fit a sort of American lifestyle. I come from immigrant parents who are still deeply cemented in their roots. My parents both come from large families, 13 children on one side and 8 on the other. We also grew up in a very catholic household so I would say my practices, beliefs, and traditions may very well be not typical. Regardless I consider myself American. I was born here and this place has always been my home. I do find it possible that parents can raise their children with a great deal of empathy. Throughout this article it is to be understood that we have a created an “empty self” however it's a highly individualistic and autonomous self. This in itself I find to be contradictory. I agree our society has moved away from a communal type of living with the rise of industrialization and urbanization, but nonetheless I feel that there is still more to us than our sheer aspirations of an advertised lifestyle. In some sense being individualistic and autonomous doesn't seem to go hand in hand, if anything I would see them as oxymoronic. Is it to say that we are striving for more liberties and trying to break tradition only because we are manipulated to do so?

""...the state controls its population not by restricting the impulses of its citizens, as in Victorian times, but by creating and manipulating their wish to be soothed, organized, and made cohesive by momentarily filling them up."

I choose this quote because it is essentially the thesis of this article. The author Philip Cushman is arguing that the psychoanalytical conception of the modern self can be thought of as "empty," resulting in an ongoing need to "fill" it. Cushman notes that psychotherapy and advertising are the most relevant sources for "filling up" the self in the current post World War II era. Individuals have lost a sense of community with their neighbors and friends upon the the end of World War II, thus creating this empty self of which Cushman speaks of. Advertising has become so overbearing in our society because people thrive on consuming goods that will give them a momentary satisfaction, and advertisers can appeal directly to that feeling to sell their product. Psychotherapy is also a way for people to indulge their inner feelings to someone who will supposedly make sense of it all. The empty self of which all individuals are subject to, according to Cushman, is what makes our society so predominately consumer oriented.

"The thesis of this article is that the current self is constructed as empty, and as a result the state controls its population not by restricting the impulses of its citizens, as in Victorian times, but by creating and manipulating their wishes to be soothed, organized, and made cohesive by momentarily filling them up." (pg. 32)

I found this quote interesting because we call ourselves free yet this article is saying we are being controlled and manipulated by that same state that gave us our freedom. We have freedom of speech and the pursuit of happiness, but is it really freedom if people are influencing our choices so heavily through psychological means that we feel bad and even more empty if we do not chose what ads tell us to. And even this is not a permanent solution, consuming only fills us temporarily making us need more, which means we rely on the ads to tell us what to do and what to buy. It seems to be conflicting, although we are not being restricted and we do have freedom in that sense, we still do not seem to be entirely free from control of some kind or another. Advertising can influence a person through subliminal messages and can play to our emotions which to me does not seem to promote my freedom, just to influence and direct my choices to be how someone decided they should be, consumerist choices. This whole idea of how the self has developed into an empty self because of the economy and society can be difficult to think about but like the article says it is something that needs to be addressed at some point. Can we ever fill our self's up again? I think the answer lies heavily with how our consumer society continues to develop.

"What is important to note for the purpose of this article us that for object relations theorists the interior of the self is also emptiness. It is a space partially filled by the stable self-representation (the "true self) and by external "part-objects" brought into the empty self through the psychological mechanism of introjection"- pg36

As a philosophy article this entire article for me held several connections with ideas that we learn in terms of the study of philosophy of the mind. As presented earlier in the article, I felt one of the strongest ideas that could be linked to this article and help to provide more ideas on the individual self is found in the earlier works of Descartes. In terms of explaining the individual self and the individual mind in a dualistic notion of the self Descartes evil genius could be found to be a perfect suplement. The evil genius is a concept employed in Descartes meditations that has to do with an evil demon that tricks the individual mind into thinking that the world we exist in is real. This evil genius creates the world in which we live in and makes us believe it truly exists. In reality, this omnipotent demon has only made this world in our minds. The world is an illusion and all we can know is real is ourselves. I feel that the disconnect people feel in this modern era can be shown in this idea of the evil genius. As we have lost much of our communal unity we have lost the sense that other people truly exist. As shown in the article this modern era is mainly focused on the individual self and therefore has left us disconnected from others as we mainly think in terms of ourselves as singular entities.

"Humans are incomplete and therefore unable to function adequately unless embedded in a specific cultural matrix."(33)

This statement was somewhat disturbing, just because it made me realize how consumer society became the definition of the American people. We as a social being rely on others to make our decisions, we look to our neighbor when we are in doubt or adjust our feelings based on our actions when we are conflicted. Having discovered this, it became much easier to get people to become compulsive consumers. All it took was a powerful and admirable group, (such as celebrities) to begin the trend. And as that became the norm, we adjusted our feelings to accept this trend. Even today, we purchase items because a beautiful, famous person told us we should, giving us a temporary, rewarding feeling. The creation of our culture as an individualistic, consumer society has really made it as though we are replacing our need to be social with our need to buy, and as social people, are purchases may be never end until we make a change in our culture by focusing less on the self and more on the collective group.

“There is no universal, transhistorical self, only local selves; no universal theory about the self, only local theories.”
I agree with this quote because I feel that people are socially constructed. There are many different kinds of societies in which we live, therefore, there are many types of people and there is no one universal theory about the self. Different cultures in which we live control the minds of people, and create how they conceive themselves. This can be seen in the United States with media and consumer society. Self is created by this massive consumer society, and not by the individual. We are created by the context that surrounds us, not by ourselves, and therefore there can be no one universal, tranhistorical self.

“The advertising industry, which Lears thought was another manifestation of “the therapeutic,” attempted to cure by implying that products would magically “transform” the customer’s life” 34.
I think advertising is the greatest invention ever created for the business world. People buy stuffs not because they need it but they desire it all due to advertising. One thing the advertising industry did well is that they tapped into our inner emptiness and sell their products to make us feel whole. A good example is weight loss products; in a culture where thin is consider good/attractive, Customers believe by buying such products they can be thin and be happy. The truth is happiness comes from within one self not by outer appearances. However, most people don’t know how to be contempt by themselves therefore with the right advertising campaign they will buy anything.

“After the turn of the century, popularized forms of psychology and religion began to offer advice on how to impress others, become popular, and achieve monetary success and peace of mind. Advertising began developing a highly effective strategy: By identifying the product with an “imaginary state of being”, the ads sought to allay the customer's personal fears and feelings of inadequacy. “By the 1920's,” Marchand (1985) explained, :advertisers had come to recognize a public demand for broad guidance... about taste, social correctness, and psychological satisfaction... Advertising men had now become broader social therapists who offered... balms for the discontents of modernity”” Page 34

I chose this quote from the “Why the Self is Empty” article because I think it directly relates to our past classes discussions on advertising. The quote mentions that if you are able to create an “imaginary state of being” with a product it will most likely sell. In class we have discussed that cigarets were successfully advertised to woman because the cigaret companies related them to power and called them “torches of freedom”. I also chose this quote because it mentions advertisements as being public guidance. Advertisers will do what ever it takes to sell their product so they can make money, they should not be giving guidance for our community. Cigarets are harmful to people and with good advertising a fifth of the American population smokes. In our generation we have been manipulated through advertising. Today we spend many hours a week self advertising though facebook. We are able to post the pictures we want others to see and this creates and “imaginary state of being”.

I have to say, by and large I did not enjoy this article, not because of the points it brings up but because there seems to be an excessive amount of "intellectual" jargon, that really doesn't enhance the article, but instead limits it to a small "professional" audience. Why? Why hack out a huge amount of people who might find equal value in the points it brings up? For me there's no excuse not to say things simply and clearly (I try to, although I tend to jumble things in my mind anyway), if it's important enough to tell someone in "academia," why not broaden your audience? I mean sure, if you have to use technical terms, go ahead, but don't get MEGA fancy for no reason. And I swear to god, if I hear "Autonomous, bounded, masterful nature" one more time I'll puke. What an ugly way to say something simply. BUT anyway. I found his points interesting to say the least. Here's my quote:

“[…] the individual self came to be seen as the ultimate locus of salvation: the evolving constantly changing self, on a never-ending search for self-actualization and “growth.” Personal fulfillment is seen to reside within the purview of the individual, who is supposed to be self-sufficient and self-satisfied” (Cushman 35)

I agree with him that there is an emphasis on individual growth, and achieving individual aspirations, but what he proposes seems to be that this is a negative repercussion of modern American life, that this mindset detracts from the human community. I believe what he’s trying to illustrate is that community has been replaced by personal growth as the “locus of [our] salvation.” But does this illustrate an empty self? I really don’t think so. He offers the hypothesis that with a modern lack of “culture,” there is a void that we must fill and to fill it we turn to personal satisfaction. I could not disagree more. Empty self???? No culture???? Get with the program man! This is the age of a million cultures, the largest one being the CONSUMER CULTURE. We don’t have a cultural deficit as he proposes, if anything we have a cultural overload. It may not be situated in the same way, but it defines just as relationships always have. I don’t know if I can agree that the self is empty, I don’t believe that we fill a void with goods, or that our self has shifted. This wants and needs have always been here, in some form or another, so I can’t believe that we are any more empty than we were a hundred years ago. YES there has been a shift in our focuses, and YES there is an emphasis on consumption, but consumption in itself is a culture. I don’t think you can argue that there is a culture deficit, but It may not be the culture you’re used to. As for this idea that a focus on personal growth is a “bad thing,” I disagree. He gives it a negative connotation as if the quest for self-actualization is a fruitless endeavor. Sure we may see ourselves as needing completion, but in a world based on evolution, and development, isn’t it logical to want to better yourself? To strive to make yourself a better person? I know these are vague relative terms, but theoretically we can never be “perfect,” but isn’t the journey towards becoming it enough? I have always thought that personal development, focused on becoming a better member of a community, is the ultimate personal aspiration, not to know your perfect, but to know you are constantly striving for it. Anyway, this kind of became a rant. Bottom line, this quote is relevant in describing how we try to fill ourselves, which is an important point to make in this paper. I found his points interesting, although I did not agree for the most part, he was unclear sometimes, but I still enjoyed this, anyway! Cool! Laterrrrrrr.

"The post-World War II self thus yearns to acquire and consume as an unconscious way of compensating for what has been lost: It is empty" (Cushman, p.32).

I would have to slightly disagree with this quote. I feel like Americans were already doing a lot of spending and consuming before WWII. In the 1920's there existed an increase in spending and consuming at uncontrollable rates. The introduction of credit also aided in the increase in spending and consuming. This led to the unawareness of increasing debt and spending which then led to the Great Depression. I feel like the post-WWII era did include an increase in spending but not in an unconscious manner. People were well aware by this time that it was the increase in spending and consumption that led to the economies destruction. The reason why there was such an increase in spending and consumption was because there wasn't much of it being done during the Great Depression which was a time of unemployment, poverty, and struggle. So, of course there would be an increase in such things when jobs and the standard of living were higher. However, I don't believe it was unconscious.

"broad historical forces such as industrialization, urbanization and secularism have shape the modern era"

our current generation are experience many things that are very different before the second war. the have been many technological advancement, industrialization, urbanization and secularism have contributed to what the self is now because of all this innovations, we are witnessing the bounded self that once was about community, tradition and a shared social meaning to a self that has become very individualistic and we seeing the absence of this social life style that once was very important to people. Advertisement and psychotherapy has been the cause of this social break down and more importantly, advertisement is turning our society into individualistic beings who don't really care about community way of doing things.

"During the last 200 years in Western society the self has become increasingly more individualistic, more subjective, and "deeper".

I think this is definitely true. Nowadays, as compared to say, the dark ages, people are increasingly knowledgeable about everything, especially themselves. People are more independent, as they don't have to live in groups to survive, and everyone has their own mindset. As this quote also says, this individuality brings more variation in peoples and thus there is more subjectivity as a consequence.

"Why do Americans "need" these items and experiences when they never did before? Again, I am speculating that it is the formation of the empty self that has made this situation possible; a sense of meaninglessness and absence feeds these businesses." (36)

The author makes an interesting point with his idea of the "empty self" which describes the social phenomenon of a vacancy within ourselves that can theoretically be filled with the acquisition of material goods. I believe this phenomenon to be true though I do not believe that humans can not escape this current reality. It would require major social and economic reform, on a global scale, but if we were able to function before our lifestyles became so dominated by material goods, then we can revert back to a different mindset.

"Three beneficiaries of this narcissistic dynamic are the modern state, the advertising industry, and the self-improvement industries (including psychotherapy). All three perpetuate the ideology of the empty self, and all three profit from it" (Cushman, 40).

I have always had a negative view on psychology and other social sciences that seek to make logical and quantify things that should be looked at in a larger context. In the end, these social sciences lead to narrow, isolated views and they are ultimately used for profit and control. It is interesting to read about the progression of how this happened as I already had this view, but did not know the history of how it came to be.

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