The Multiple Self: Between Sociality and Dominance

Abstract

We begin from the current approaches to the multiple self - Bakhtin’s concept of polyphony, Mair’s community of self and Hermans’ dialogical self theory. Polyphony assumes that the self consists of multiple different voices, which simultaneously exist and interact in complex dialogical relations. The metaphor of the community of self enables us to perceive how the individual, depending on a specific social context, can use different selves, as subsystems of constructs which are mutually incompatible. Dialogical self theory enriches the idea of the polyphonic self with the idea of the extended I, in which the voices of others appear as simultaneous external and internalized I-positions. Further on this paper proposes that the understanding of the multiple self is complemented by the implementation of the concepts of sociality and relations of domination. Then, a methodological approach is presented for the study of sociality and dominance in the multiple self. The paper also presents a case study of a successful student’s community of self as an illustration of the implementation of this methodological approach. The case study shows that the student’s community of selves is marked by tension between dominant voices and voices of resistance which always have the potential to change the balance of power, making the sense of self as a student both changeable and inconsistent. The other significant finding is that the role relationships which are established between some voices could serve to either establish or maintain the domination in the multiple self.