On page 27, Iris Marion Young says that, "Self-respect names not some possession or attribute a person has, but her or his attitude toward her or his entire situation and life prospects." She goes on, "People have or lack self-respect because of how they define themselves and how others regard them, because of how they spend their time, because of the amount of autonomy and decisionmaking power they have in their activities, and so on." Young argues that distributive theories have shortcomings when it comes to nonmaterial goods (such as self respect) because "the distributive paradigm tends to conceive of individuals as social atoms, logically prior to social relations and institutions...such an atomistic conception of the individual as a substance to which attributes adhere fails to appreciate that individual identities and capacities are in many respects themselves the products of social processes and relations. Societies do not simply distribute goods to persons who are what they are apart from society, but rather constitute individuals in their identities and capacities." I see what she is getting at, in that how you regard yourself is influenced by how others regard you but I think she is putting too much emphasis on public influence. There is a difference between the private self and the public self; I feel like Young does not thoroughly separate the two. Personally, I feel like there is more to people than what the public expects from them and it seems like Young is saying that people come to be what society expects them to be. In the nature vs. nurture debate, I feel like Young is too far on the nurture side and while I don't 100% disagree, I do think there is more of a balance between the two, and if either side dominates, I think it would be the nature side. Again, I do agree that society has a major influence on individuals' actions but I think people have a private self that knows better, so to speak. For instance, a man in prison can have self respect without having the respect of the public, especially if he knows he is innocent. What do you guys think?
3 comments:
I see what you're getting at, but my interpretation was that Young suggested that people are influenced by how others define them in terms of self-respect, but also acknowledged that the opinion of oneself is also a vital component. When speaking about the distributive paradigm, she is only talking about society and its distributions through institutions such as Affirmative Action or Welfare programs. In terms of society, I do not think that people are thought of as human beings with certain attributes that make them distinct from one another, but as names on a paper or as Young says, "social atoms". The world is too big to appreciate all the private individuals through social institutions and I don't really think there is an alternative.
I agree with Olga that a man can have self respect regardless of outside influences, but it depends on the will of the man. If someone is easily influenced and society is constantly telling them they are stupid, eventually they will come to believe society. This point is clear when we look at the media portrayal of women in the U.S.: a woman is supposed to be tall, thin, tan, long-haired, have a career, and simultaneously take care of her family. If you can't achieve all those things then you should be ashamed of yourself. In fact, the average American woman is 5'6", 160#, with short dark hair. Yet, as we are bombarded with a consistent message to achieve the mold, we can't help but feel a little inadequate when it is unattainable. This will ultimately reflect in her self-respect.
So yes, society has a huge influence on an individual’s self-respect, but the individual can choose to accept or reject society’s influence, at least to some degree.
I agree with your opinion in that if one side were to dominate it would most likely be the nature side. To use your example of the man in prison, i think that he could definitely have his own private sense of self respect despite what others thought of him. However, that may be a unique example and if you think hard about the way in which a society shapes ones ideals and morals you really do begin to realize that social standards place a lot of pressure on people and how they act. I think that someone can be confident, and have self respect but i also think that they can be extremely impacted by what society tells them to act,look,be like. I think it is a fine line that Young address in a legitimate way.
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