The Created Self: Reinventing Body, Persona, Spirit [Paperback]

Robert J. Weber (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2001

The Created Self takes readers to as-yet-unexplored regions in the modern psyche’s preoccupation with self-invention.

In today’s culture the self is considered largely a work in progress, and as we constantly reinvent ourselves, the challenge becomes one of coordinating change with the integrity and unity of the self. Using the insights of William James and evolutionary psychology as a springboard, Robert Weber explores the nature and meaning of our shifting selves. He proposes an ecology of the self based on three distinct but interdependent spheres: the body, the persona, and the spirit. Our bodily selves can be cosmetically nipped and tucked, and through new reproductive technologies extended in ways previously undreamed of. Our personas, comprising both our self-image and the image we present to others, are constantly assuming multiple roles in the course of our daily lives. And finally the modern changing self finds spiritual fulfillment in myriad traditional and nontraditional cultures, both sacred and secular, as we craft beliefs to suit our individual and communal needs.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

To what extent does evolutionary psychology, which tends to characterize behavior as a means to the ends of genetic recombination and replication, fully characterize the personal and spiritual motives of the human self? According to Weber, a psychologist, having a self enables the individual to pursue creative endeavors, which though often adaptive from an evolutionary standpoint, actually extend beyond what can be explained in terms of biological, reproductive aims. Using the model of the self developed by William James (1842-1910), the first American psychologist, Weber attempts to show that the self is a constantly developing, "unitary system," consisting of bodily awareness, persona and spirit, over which the individual has control. Such a concept of the self, Weber argues, is necessary in order to account for personal motives that defy evolutionary explanation. That human beings often invest disproportionate amounts of time in activities that lead to personal satisfaction (such as achieving career goals) at the expense of increasing reproductivity is, he contends, "at variance with an evolutionary psychology explanation, and indicate[s] that the rules now are different." Written for a general audience, Weber's account of the self is certainly provocative, exploring phenomena such as body piercing in an effort to show some of the ways that selfhood extends behavior beyond the ends prefigured by our genetic endowment. Although Weber never calls his presupposition of a Jamesian, tripartite division of the self into question, his basic point--that human behavior is more complicated than many evolutionary psychologists portray it and may be rooted in the nature of a self--is worth considering.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

New Mexico psychologist Weber draws on William James and evolutionary psychology in examining "personal transformation . . . of a chosen or voluntary sort." He defines three major components of the self: the body, the persona, and the soul. Within each area, once individuals are self-aware, they can think about and take action on how they want their bodies to look, how they want their personae to be perceived, and what traditions and rituals tap into their sense of the sacred. Blending theory with anecdote, Weber grants that culture has enormous impact on individuals, but he concentrates here on how and why people deliberately choose to alter appearance, image, or religious beliefs. Tattoos, piercing, celebrity obsession, and "the Roswell Creation story" are but a few of the puzzling current phenomena Weber places in an understandable psychological context. His book won't solve an identity crisis, but readers will be able to better understand such crises' universality and to pursue some interesting theories about their roots and purposes. Mary Carroll --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (March 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393321215
• ISBN-13: 978-0393321210
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,322,863 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exploring the self, February 20, 2000

By 

A. Kopp (Albuquerque, NM USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Created Self: Reinventing Body, Persona, Spirit (Hardcover)

The Created Self is a traveler's tale, a historical and cultural journey, a psychological meditation profiling that most compelling of characters--Our Self. Weber explores the human persona in all its many forces and forms-- evolutionary, physical, societal and spiritual, in defining what constitutes our creative, ever-changing selves. A fascinating read.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another way of looking at the "self", January 28, 2000

By 

Larry T. Brown (Albuquerque, NM) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Created Self: Reinventing Body, Persona, Spirit (Hardcover)

The Created Self combines in an evolutionary psychology framework the three parts of self that Weber proposes: body, persona, and spirit. The approach is used to explain, for example, why the death of Princess Diana attracted so much more interest than that of Mother Teresa. Weber's answer is based on ease of identification with the two women, and he spells out how that identification works.

"Wanting to be Another Self" is an especially interesting chapter. Here the case is made for crafting a self from the pieces of admired others, heroes and celebrities.

The Created Self is a thought-provoking book that brings to bear evolutionary theory on new psychological questions.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Confronting Evolutionary Psychology, July 17, 2000

By 

Dr. K.R. Clark,Jr - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Created Self: Reinventing Body, Persona, Spirit (Hardcover)

Until I read this book I hadn't the foggiest notion of what evolutionary psychology is. Bob Weber opened the doors to this discipline with his first rate book. I was intrigued by a psychologist who places great emphasis on the spiritual domain as well as who can write clearly and engagingly for the non-specialist. The chapter on body-piercing and tatoos is worth the price of the book alone. I also was taken with his notion of the need for "spiritual architects" who might assist people trying to develop a spiritual life. Perhaps the most significant trait exhibited in this book is Weber's openess to multiple disciplines-it is nice to find an authority who is not authoritarian.