COMPARING MODERISM TO POST MODERNISM

The following is a compilation by a previous coordinator of SSK12, Phil Arena – it is

material on the Modernist view and Postmodernist view which might be useful.

A. Comparison 1.

A modernist view is fixed as opposed to the postmodernist view that it is changing/able and
fluid depending on external environment and time. There are many other differences
between modernism and postmodernism – the main one being that modernism is based on
paradigms while postmodernism has a pluralistic (plural = many) approach to knowledge,
encompassing all.

In Medieval times, God was the one overarching being that provided the answers to
whatever we sought. When Modernism became more 'fashionable' at about the time of the
Enlightenment or Scientific Revolution.....God was 'replaced' by the ideas of science and
technology. Humans, in times of crises, were just as likely or more likely to turn to Science
for their answers rather than to God. In Modernism, a person has an essential self and as
Rogers (1967) describes, this self can be discovered through therapy.

Postmodernists on the other hand, believe that the self is 'constructed' by social and cultural
influences. One can have many selves, paralleling their varied lives (see the article by
Turkle (1995) and decide what the main point of this reading is - and supporting points,
which all point to a postmodern view).

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Comparison 2.

A. Modernist view

We have a ‘true self’.

I can use a rational (scientific) approach to analyse and work out who I ‘really’ am,
including what my emotions tell me about myself [see Rogers]. In this way it is possible to
progress to become more consistent, to discover the ‘real me’ underlying all my different
roles. Society and culture have an impact on me and helps shape who I am, but in the end I
am an autonomous individual. There are also ‘grand universal theories’, such as Freudian
psychology, which are capable of explaining how human beings develop their individual
identities.

For example…
I am a mother with a baby and a concerned environmentalist, I need to work out what I
really believe in – will I use disposable nappies, or should I absolutely not do this?

B. Postmodernist view
Any idea that we have a ‘true self’ is an illusion.

I am fragmented, and the fragments are sometimes consistent and sometimes not. Instead of
roles, the way I operate is more like having a variety of windows open on my computer and
clicking back and forth between them all, depending on my situation [see Turkle]. Who I
see myself as being is ‘relational’ – it depends on how I compare myself to others, on the
groups I do and do not identify with in any given place or time [see the Health Report].
Society and culture ‘construct’ my sense of an identity, especially through the language and
discourses available to me, since these enable me to think and talk about some things and
are silent about others.

For example,
I am a mother with a baby and a concerned environmentalist, I do not need to work out
what I really believe in but can accept that I am inconsistent. However, even while knowing
that there is no ‘grand truth’ about me or the world, I can choose to take a stand and act in a
certain way.

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Comparison 3.

Charting the differences between modernism and postmodernism (in relation to the concept
of self).

Modern Self – essential self that you can discover (eg.Rogers)

PoModern Self – self is constructed by culture

Mod – psychology helps in discovery of the true self (eg. Rogers –therapy)
PoMod- psychology helps construct or create the subject – gives you the language to
define yourself.

M- Striving for self development

PM- Self is continually in flux, always changing

M- notion of a unified self. A whole person

PM- self is by its nature, fragmented (a repertoire of selves or subjectivities)

M-progress towards an ideal, towards what you want

PM- no progress, radical doubt, uncertainty

M- use of story in journals and autobiography to discover your self

PM- use of autobiography to tell your story

M- help you discover yourself

PM – help you construct yourself.

M- must conform to the norm of the good student (see Grant and disciplined students)
PM-different possibilities for being students
M- linear, continuous
PM- inconsistent, non-linear, decentered (see Turkle)

M- emotions, mind and body interlinked but separate

PM- mind and body can’t be separated

M- often relies on binaries and dualities (eg. male-female)

PM- even apparent biological basics such as gender are not fixed- their meaning varies
according to time and place.

M- grand universal truths or narratives (theories or belief systems which can explain
everything for everyone; so some knowledge systems are better than others)
PM- no grand narratives, if you take a stand, this is a constructed choice which does not
have the status of truth.
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I hope this is useful.

Regards

Phil (E-tutor)