The Myth of Self-Improvement
We seem to be more free than ever before. We can order whatever food we’d like. We can travel almost anywhere and pursue any career that our heart desires. And yet, depression and burnout are everywhere. The mental health crisis has only increased. Why is this?
When was the last time you felt like you were enough? We are always striving to do more and to be more, to always be improving ourselves. I would argue that it is this cultural emphasis on self-improvement that leaves us so fundamentally burnt out and depressed. In such a culture, we embrace hyper-activity, finding ourselves in a state of compulsive striving. We have little time to connect, with both ourselves and others.
“We are steeped in the normalized myth that we are, each of us, mere individuals striving to attain private goals. The more we define ourselves that way, the more estranged we become from vital aspects of who we are and what we need to be healthy” p. 287. (Gabor Maté, The Myth of Normal).
Our culture is not good for mental health. And this shouldn’t be shocking news. Researchers like Tim Kasser have found the 4 principles of American Corporate Capitalism, self-interest, a desire for financial success, consumerism and competition, consistently lead to poor mental health outcomes. Why, then, do we continue to endorse and embrace such a culture? Michel Foucault wrote…
