Environmental construction of self
In October 2011 I wrote in the blog about Sabat’s three selves. I’m having a discussion with one of my colleagues about whether that’s ‘enough’. He asks (with respect to artists) whether it’s possible for the self to be located in the object of creativity?
I would broaden this further – what maintains our identity in part are the things around us which remind us of who we are and who we have been. For an artist that will be their creations (perhaps paintings, drawings, sculptures). For those of us who lack artistic talents this function may be fulfilled by photographs of our family, our pets, pictures of places we have enjoyed spending holidays or photographs of us pursuing our passions (whether that be windsurfing, golf or any other pursuit). I’ve often been struck by how some people who go into Care lose something important – to me they sometimes even become physically smaller. This could be my imagination but I think that we can be put into a situation where the things around us help us to continue being the unique person that we are; alternatively we can be put into a situation where we lose the things that keep us going. Good Care Homes encourage people to bring some of their own furniture, photographs and belongings with them, but I suspect we don’t realise how important some of the clutter that surrounds us can be (that’s my excuse for an untidy office!) Is this environmental construction of self?
If someone moves into a Home and loses all the clutter that they have accumulated over their life, they are left in a bland featureless generic environment. It is not only lacking in mental stimulation, but also imposes on the person a template designed for the convenience of the Care Home staff – not one that the individual would choose for themselves or feel comfortable in. Maybe we have our environments the way they are because that is how we want them. If we compel someone to move away from their self-created 'optimum', perhaps they are inevitably going to do worse.
Moving people into a strange environment can precipitate a crisis but I don’t think I entirely appreciated the complexity of why this might be. Perhaps it’s not just our routines and familiar faces that keep us going, but also the places and things around us. Artists may not be greatly different from the rest of us.
Posted on Sun, January 15, 2012
by Susan Mary Benbow