New Sources of Self (PDF)

New Sources of Self investigates the self and its origins, functions, development, and expression. A central theme in this book is that the psychobiological capacities of individuals are in the process of being replaced in ""modern"" society by the electromagnetic capacities of technology, by the decision-making and control capacities of business systems, and by the physical capacities of modern industrial machinery. Some of the consequences of this replacement are explored.
This monograph is comprised of seven chapters and begins by reexamining the assumption, that self and society are intertwined and challenging the necessity of the social order being the primary source of ""human nature."" The next chapter considers the delineation and measurement of the self-system, the cybernetics of self-control, and the sociological and psychological perspectives of self. The argument that the separation of self and society is tragic is also analyzed, together with some contemporary social movements as ventures in the private construction and private use of self; the processes by which self is linked to social structure and whether these processes are operative in the large-scale organizations typically found in a complex industrial society; and some sources and uses of self.
This text will be of interest to sociologists, psychiatrists, clinical and social psychologists, and psychiatric social workers.