Part 1: An Overview

We live in an age of ‘the self’. Frequently as individuals we can be self-absorbed and self-obsessed. Rather than describing who we are, we ‘identify ourselves as…’ and sometimes even our self-identification is transient. In this talk consultant psychiatrist Professor Glynn Harrison explores what we mean by ‘personal identity’ and how we have arrived at the age of selfism. His argument is that the ‘self project’ does not serve us well and has largely failed. Instead, he shows how the Christian faith provides a reliable basis for understanding the true nature of human identity.

Our identity is found in the story we tell ourselves about ourselves and the headlines and themes that give coherence to our story. Traditionally our story was derived from our family and social context and even our understanding of God – it was a story which was open to the world around us. In the last 50 years that has changed. Now I tell my story in any way I choose, I find my identity inside myself, cut off from my traditions and the outside world. All I need to do is ‘allow myself just to be me’. Historically these ideas can be traced back to the philosophers of the 19th century, in particular the atheist Friedrich Nietzsche, who argued that there are no universals, simply ideas, and that the ideas that come out on top belong to the people with the most power. Today we might express this in the words of Elsa from the film Frozen  ‘no right no wrong, no rules for me’.

The central part of this talk is a critique of our modern understanding of the self. Glynn Harrison shows from evidence in modern psychiatry that the mantras of the modern view of the self, that you just need to look inside yourself, paradoxically produces a hollowed out, weakened version of ourselves intensely vulnerable to the pressures of social media. He shows that the ‘me project’ has failed leading to a lack of personal confidence and resilience.

A modern solution to this problem is to show that we need to be part of a story that is bigger than ourselves, that we need to serve a purpose larger than ourselves and belong to a story that is not just about me. Within a secular framework this could, for example, mean become an eco-warrier. However, Professor Harrison goes on to argue for a better way and shows how the Christian faith helps us make a more coherent sense of our identity.

Professor Glynn Harrison is a retired professor of psychiatry from the University of Bristol, where he was a practising consultant psychiatrist and was chair of the Department of psychiatry.