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Show Chapter VI. Moral Interiority 252 Vicarious possession and self-absorption are also relative to the actual psychological boundaries of the particular self in question. The self is always constituted by (among other things) the particular social and cultural norms instilled in the process of socialization, as well as by the values, goals and practices that distinguish it both as an individual self and as a member of a specific social community. So what counts as vicarious possession or selfabsorption for one self might be a healthy expression of another's central interests or commitments. For example, a self unconditionally devoted to the problem of feeding the starving in India would satisfy the above criteria if it were Mother Teresa's, but would violate (a) if it were Faye Wattleton's; a self preoccupied by memories of its own past experiences might satisfy these criteria if it were James Baldwin's, but would violate (b) if it were Richard Nixon's. The boundaries of some selves circumscribe primarily other-directed or self-sacrificial ideals, whereas those of others circumscribe primarily selfdirected ones. Perhaps the more numerous and familiar selves - those that cement most human communities - contain both, in proportions varying with their roles and positions in the community as well as their personal aptitudes and inclinations. We must first know these facts about their individual commitments and relations to the surrounding community, in order to ascertain whether any particular self is vicariously possessed, or self-absorbed, or both. Cases in which valuable contributions to the world are offset by neglect of loved ones at home furnish numerous illustrations of selves unbalanced by selfabsorption in some areas and vicarious possession in others. Take Paul Gauguin, who abandoned his family to go off to the South Seas to paint. His psychological profile gives clear evidence of self-absorption, both in his neglect of his family and in the patent racism and sexism of his attitudes towards the subjects of his painting. On the other hand, his obsession with the island culture of Tahiti and of his own role in it might be viewed as evidence of vicarious possession, in his abdication to it of the self formed by his prior, longstanding social and familial commitments. Merely his central and overriding commitment to his art by itself - independently of the psychological and social attractions of his adopted as compared to his original environment - cannot be cited as evidence of one or the other, since such a commitment might have existed independently of or concurrently with both. There are other such cases, such as Dickens' Mrs. Jellyby in Bleak House: Mrs. Jellyby ... devotes herself entirely to the public. She has devoted herself to an extensive variety of public subjects at various times and is at present (until something else attracts her) devoted to the subject of Africa ... Mr. Jellyby ... is ... merged - in the more shining qualities of his wife. ... [Her eyes] had a curious habit of seeming to look a long way off. As if ... they could see nothing nearer than Africa! (Chapter IV). © Adrian Piper Research Archive Foundation Berlin |
