An obsession called "Oneself". A political cartography of neoliberal techniques of the self

Abstract

This study aims to analyze key aspects of the production of neoliberal subjectivities and ways of life through the array of discourses, techniques and practices that individuals are encouraged to apply to themselves. These neoliberal techniques of the self are explored in terms of their philosophical assumptions, cultural expressions, and political implications. Their main dimensions include the emphasis on voluntarism, the imperative of adaptability, the standardization of habits and routines, and the therapeutic privatization of distress caused by performance pressure and continuous mobilization. In this sense, the study explores and advocates for the perspective of politicizing distress, seeking to establish connections between individual symptoms and their structural conditions, as a fundamental task of contemporary critical theory.