Perceptions of the Self

There is no doubt that the images we encounter throughout our society have a significant effect on our perceptions. They change the way we perceive our surroundings and most importantly ourselves. Throughout this class, we have read texts that toyed and played with this characteristic of our society in order to bring us to an awareness of the effects images have upon us. Truly, our society has become engulfed with and formatted by images. What we are today is because of the images we saw, heard of, or imagined yesterday.

The most obvious example of this is the monster from Frankenstein. Here we find a technological creature that is for all intent and purpose a human being. He was no more monstrous than any average human creature; the only true difference was that this “monster” was a creation of science. However, his amiable and childish character became dangerous through an evolution of images. What he perceived in the faces and reactions around him eventually altered his character. Simply, the images that society, books, and the like created for him encompassed what he thought it was to be human. He became the monster that others expected him to be because this was the gap society created for him to fill. Images essentially created what the monster in Frankenstein believed to be himself.

A lighter example of how images change what we perceive to be the self can be found in the poems by William Blake. Although these poems do not deal directly with the sense of self we often imagine in society, the characteristics of the poems are strikingly similar. Uniquely, these poems are often dwarfed by the artistic decoration that surrounds them. In fact, the assessment that one may have of these poems is often drastically different if merely the words are provided. In this format, all the reader has to interpret is what the Blake has written. However, in Blake’s original publishing of the poems, there is a detailed picture that supplements each of the poems and changes our experience with them. Essentially, how we interpret the words with the images is entirely different than how we interpret the words alone.

Moreover, the core competencies of Frankenstein and William Blake’s poems are effortlessly paralleled with one of the most controversial arguments of modern culture: models’ effect on society and women especially. It is no surprise that the models in magazines are continually portrayed in a more and more slender frame, and our society decides to follow suit. It has reached a point where models must adopt an unhealthy life style to maintain their body frame: a lifestyle that most can not survive on. However, young girls still try to achieve that “perfect body” and ultimately fail. As a result, their perceptions of themselves change. They begin to think they are fat or ugly because they do not look exactly like the women from magazine articles. Images made this young girls change their perceptions of themselves just as society did to the monster in Frankenstein. Ultimately, there can be no doubt that images have a significant effect on our own perceptions of ourselves.

Internet Rape??

Is it possible to be raped without physical presence? Is rape a mental crime or one of physical oppression? These are several of the questions that are discussed in Julian Dibbel’s article “A Rape in Cyberspace”. The article converses about an incident that occurred on Internet technology known as a MOO in which several women claimed to have been raped by a fellow user. When I first read the title, I was certainly skeptical about the possibility of such an incident; however, I gave the idea a chance and listened to Dibbel’s argument. I can now whole-heartedly say Dibbel simply argues the most illogical proposal I have ever heard. The idea of cyber rape is about as irrational as the claim that the world will be ruled by apes in a matter of years. Moreover, throughout the article, Dibbel alludes to the exact reasons for why these incidents can not be considered rape.

There is frankly a very simple reason for why it is not possible to be raped across the Internet; there is no physical presence. In order to be raped, an individual must be forced to have sex against his or her own will, which may also include physical aggression. However, when a person is in a MOO, it is impossible to make them have sex because participants have no contact outside of the written word. There is no doubt that Internet communication can be prone to sexual harassment but not rape. It is simply impossible to be physically violated when the only means of connection is a system of cords and cables.

Certainly, I can apprehend, although not understand, how a “character” on the MOO can be raped by another “character”; however, all of these actions are not real. Nothing that happens in a MOO is a reality. There is no living room, and the people only exist under factious masks of there real identities. The entire idea of the MOO is a conglomeration of dreams and imagination. Moreover, even if some treat MOO’s as reality, they are still able to escape them. If a person does not approve of what is transpiring inside the MOO, he or she is more than welcome to leave the room or MOO entirely: a luxury most rape victims do not have in reality. The only true reason why anyone believes that it is possible to be raped through a MOO is that the individual is unable to separate reality from fiction.

Rape is certainly as much a mental crime as a physical one. An individual who is raped often acquires an alternative identity after the crime because of its mental effects. The criminal uses physical means to modify the identity of self the individual once had. However, it is also possible to accomplish such results through sexual harassment. Therefore, it is impractical to label an incident as rape because an individual’s identity is altered by the incident. The physical body is certainly more connected to the identity than is the mental, as is evident by the more evident affects of sexually violent crimes, yet sexual harassment and rape both have the ability to be to adjust an individual’s identity.

Online Personalities

When the Internet was invented, it provided the world with an entirely new and unique form of communication. The Internet has provided society will a slightly less personal form of communication as compared to the telephone. We are now able to communicate without even hearing the voice of the person we are talking to. As a result, a person can not even be sure if the individual they are communicating with is actually the person he or she says they are. Identities can be created and altered to fit the needs of their creator. To some extent, the Internet has created an imaginary world in which we can be who we want to be and no one questions it, which is exactly what Sherry Turkle implies in “Aspects of the Self”.

In this article, Turkle describes a method of Internet communication known as a MUD or MOO, which is basically a more advanced form of instant messaging and chat room technology. Furthermore, the text revolves around the methods that we use to recreate ourselves on this technology to be someone other than ourselves. Under many circumstances, individuals use MUD’s as an opportunity to become someone they wish they were: “I am a lot more outgoing (when online), less inhibited. I would say I feel more like myself. But that’s a contradiction. I feel more like who I wish I was.” (179) The barriers of society are vastly mitigated on the Internet, which allows people to say what they would not say and do what they would not do under ordinary circumstances. We are no longer afraid of the possible results because at any time the MUD window can be closed and we can escape our imaginary personality. Moreover, Turkle alludes to a variety of individuals who use MUD’s as a mean of “testing” out particular fantasy personalities that would not otherwise be accepted by society: “I remember doing that before tests. I would go to the MUD, pick a fight, yell at people, blow a couple of things up, take the test and then go out for a drink.” (189) Essentially, they use Internet technologies to fill the gaps in reality that they are unable to fill on their own: solve the problems they can not solve alone.

These core aspects of Internet communication are exactly what we experienced in our class on the MOO. We found that although our class is normally very quiet they were extremely talkative during this class because many of the boundaries were eliminated. It was no longer inappropriate to be off task because it is more difficult to control others and enforce punishment. There is really nothing that can be done to control what others say accept ignoring them. This is especially apparent when one witnesses how off task our class was during the entire discussion.

Moreover, our discussion was far different from those described by Turkle. Turkle made it seems as if those she spoke about used MUD’s as a crutch. They were dependent upon these forms of Internet communications as a way of becoming what they were not. I am not entirely sure that this was the intention of our class and that is where the true difference between the article and our class lies. Regardless, there is no doubt that we adopt alternative personalities while online then we do in person.

Multiple Personality

One of the many aspects of our character is the ability to change it when we are in different situations. A person does not act the same when having fun with friends as he or she would in a business interview. Different situations are simply socialized to have alternative modes of action. We act in the manner that is expected of us because if we did not there would be reactions from the various people around us. For example, no person goes to a funeral dressed in a bathing suit with a towel; it would simply be perceived as disrespectful and out of the ordinary. This is no different in my interactions with others.

I tend to be very light-hearted and boisterous when I am with friends. However, as soon as I step into a classroom, I mitigate this aspect of my character, and I become more serious and thoughtful. These different situations merely enlist different types of actions. If I was to act as I do with my friends when I came to class it is likely, I would not be successful or at least would be frowned upon by teachers. Moreover, when I engage in some type of business meeting or seminar, I am even more refined and professional because of the stipulations of that particular situation. Essentially, there are hundreds of different categories of situations and each of them requires a different demeanor and persona.

Therefore, when asked which of these personas are most representative of who I really am it is tough to say that any one is truly me. It is incorrect to say that when I am with my friends I am the most like myself because that is only one aspect of my character. As much as I love to have fun, I also have a much more serious side which is not as noticeable when I am with my friends. Accordingly, there is no time when I am truly myself because self is a combination of multiple demeanors. I am myself all of the time. The difference is that particular parts of my character are more emphasized at particular moments than at others. I still have the ability to have a good time when I am in a business meeting. I simply mitigate that part of my character because it is not appropriate for the situation.

Socialization in Society

How we perceive ourselves and believe we should act is based on a variety of different factors of socialization. Moreover, we do not acquire these beliefs upon our own accord because they are the result of a conglomeration of aspects in the environment that surrounds us. Two of the most significant factors in this socialization process are human interaction and literature. The two combine to account for the majority of what we do every day. Consequently, they also have a drastic affect upon the monster in Frankenstein. In fact, the two are almost solely responsible for the transformation of the monsters character.

The monster begins his life with a relatively normal outlook. He believes himself to be no more different than any of the individuals he first encounters. However, as the story progress, he is met with more and more hostility by the each individual he encounters. The monster is rejected from society and fails to be accepted because of his appearance. As a result, his character begins to change and initiates an understanding of his place in society. He is socialized by those around him about the manner in which he should act. The monster becomes violent because he is expected to be violent by society. He is merely living up to the expectations of those that surround him.

Moreover, it appears that he gains an even greater understanding of his role in society from literature. He reads books about monsters and observes how they are treated by those around them and then begins to relate to their situation. Rather than associating himself with those who are frightened, the monster associates himself as another monster and is thus socialized to act in that particular way. He mimics what he reads and relates to the roles of the characters that seem most similar to him. He sees his experiences mirrored in those which the characters of the novel experience. Again he is socialized by what he reads because literature sets a standard for how we should act under certain circumstances. Therefore, the monster begins to understand that because of the way he is treated he is expected to act violently. It is the lack of acceptance from society that eventually leads the monster to act the way that he does.

This idea is somewhat similar to the situation for Pip in “Great Expectations”. Here the young boy is first able to recognize himself as a self when he is aggressively confronted by a poor and homeless man in a graveyard. Although the alteration in the character of the boy alters only to a minor extent, his character does change as a result of this interaction with poor man. The boy begins to steal from his sister’s family because the man has told him to do so. However, it appears that the boy steals more out of pity and fright than anything else which is why his situation is somewhat dissimilar to that of the monster. However, the imaginary voices Pip hears as he steals the food are very similar to what initially caused the monsters particular actions. They represent the “great expectations” that society has of us. Pip is expected not to steal and is socialized by society as viewing the action immorally, but the simple fact is that the boy is simply too frightened to follow the norms of society. Essentially, the norms, values, and actions of society have a significant affect upon our character and how we eventually perceive the correct actions to be.

Frankenstein Again

As a society, we are prone to make assumptions about individuals based on their appearance nearly everyday of our lives. As the saying goes, “You have seven seconds to make a first impression,” and to a great extent, this statement is true. Our minds are programmed to take the information and observations of the environment that surround us and make sense of it. Often in order to do this, we must make assumptions and rely on stereotypes that are frequently incorrect. Moreover, to some degree, this instinct is necessary for survival; we need to make quick decisions in pressure situations. However, these notion that we create of other people are often difficult to debunk, and therefore, they often become the characters personality. We treat them in a particular manner, and they act accordingly. This semester we have encountered a perfect example of this process when we read Frankenstein.

In this novel, the monster is created with a relatively personable and peaceful persona despite his external appearance. However, over the course of the story, his persona changes, and the monster become more violent; he parallels what would be expected of a creature with his physical characteristics. This is not because he “grows into his body” but more a result of the reactions he receives from society. He begins to understand his role in society. The monster is socialized to act the way that he does because he is not accepted by any group of society. He is shunned, beaten, and degraded every time he shows his face in broad daylight. Therefore, he begins to understand aggression and violence as standards in society, and he believes that is how one is expected to act. He begins his life a relatively human, and within months, he is transformed into a monster. However, he is transformed not by the same methods as he was created, but rather by the socialization of society. Essentially, society teaches him how he is expected to act by projecting reactions to him that encourage a particular form of actions from him. They react with fright and defense against the monster, and as a result, the monster believes that he must give society something to be frightened of. The monster fills the expectations of society.

A more uplifting representation of this same process occurs in many of the honors classes across the Miami University. Teachers expect students to perform better than average students because of the credentials that they entered Miami with. Accordingly, most of the students do perform above par although many no more talented than the students in the average courses offered across the University. In fact, one course I am taking is taught in two honors sections and one regular section all with the same professor. Although many of the students in the regular section, who I know personally, are more intelligent and dedicated than the students in the honors sections, yet they still performed more poorly on the same test. This is simply because these “average” students expected to achieve lower standards. When given a different test a month later, they performed exactly as they should have the first test, receiving better scores. The simple fact is that we act the way society expects to act. This is exactly why the monster’s character transforms over the course of the novel.

Metaphors of the Mind

Metaphor One:

In this metaphor, the mind is compared to a washing machine. It relates water to the natural pain reducers of serotonin. Therefore, just as clothes are not cleaned without a correct level of water, this metaphor implies that a healthy brain must have correct levels of serotonin. Accordingly, individuals in depression are often treated in a manner that raises their serotonin levels. Essentially, the metaphot has made psychologists believe that correct levels of serotonin will eventually heal the individual.

Metaphor Two:

The human mind here is compared to a radio in the sense that we are depressed not because some aspect of us (or the radio) is broken but because we are not tuned correctly. Therefore, rather than treating the depressed with drugs as in the first metaphor, it would be expected that psychologists using this metaphor would more likely treat and individual through theropy, believeing that the individual's internal composition is correct but they are unable to adjust to it. Simple alterations in the "tuning" of an individual is hence viewed as the solution to the problem.

Metaphor Three:

The metaphor in this quotation by Sigmund Freud compares the human mind to a ruined structure that has been distroyed. Therefore, the solution to depression and mental illness from this viewpoint is to look through the rumble to determine what the monument once looked like. Accordingly, Freud believes that to solve a psycological problem one must look into the past and connect the pieces so that the source of the suffering can be discovered. It is only after this point is discovered that one is able to begin the healing process.

Metaphor Four:

This metaphor is significantly different than the previous three. Here the human mind is compared to a machine. It is believed that every individual has a machine within him or her that is the mind and can be used to benefit society. Individuals who employ this metaphor would likely disregard the relationship side of human interaction. Since our minds our viewed as machines, we are dehumanized by this metaphor. We are less like people and more like tools of the ecomony in this sense.

Metaphor Five:

The final metaphor is very similar to the previous metaphor from Freud. Both metaphors believe that one must look into the past to begin to understand how to solve the situation in the future. However, this particular metaphor says that the once the events of the past transpire we tend to represses these unpleasurable memories. This is an aspect of the third metaphor, but it is not as apparent as repression is this particular quote.

From Printing Presses to Computers

Just as much of societies standards have evolved over time so to does the use of language. The definitions of words alter as time progress, and the metaphors we use to describe the environment that surrounds us change. The reason for this is simple as our culture evolves our understanding of the world around us evolves with it. We create new technologies and philosophical theories that allow us to perceive our surroundings in an entirely different manner. Essentially, technologies permit individuals in society a new lens with which to interpret the world. A perfect example of this evolution is apparent in the metaphors that we have used to describe the human mind.

Originally, there were authors and intellects that compared the human mind to a printing press in the sense that printing presses create impressions. As with all metaphors, there are certain aspects of the human mind that are hidden and highlighted by this comparison. The most apparent insight that this metaphor provides is the fact that much of what the human mind does involves creating memories, which are essentially impressions in our minds of the past. Just as printing presses replicate the images on the plate that is pressed, the mind creates a replication of what is perceived to be reality for an individual. In both instances, the eventual result is a lasting record of some form of information.

On the other hand, this metaphor hides the fact that much of what the brain does involves the processing of information, which is exactly what the mind is a computer metaphor highlights. Our intellect is far more powerful than merely creating lasting images of the events throughout our lives. We also possess the ability to reason, analyze, and assess a multitude of information as we receive it from our surroundings. In a sense, our minds are computers that are able to both record information and process it so that we are able to make informed and logical decisions.

Neither of these metaphors is entirely correct. In fact, both are very accurate in describing particular aspects of the human mind. The computer metaphor does not emphasize the process of creating memories as well as the printing press metaphor, but the printing press metaphor fails to introduce the sense of control that our human mind provides us with. Perhaps the most significant aspect of our intellect is our ability to reason and process information, but this characteristic is hidden in the metaphor of the mind as a printing press. On the same accord, we are not able to reason correctly or efficiently if we are not able to accurately remember prior experiences and recall the information from these events. Essentially, both metaphors provide some sense of understanding in regards to what the human mind truly entails. Therefore, both are useful in acquiring an understanding for what the human mind is.