Body Identity: Towards the Subjective Body
- Institution: University of Bialystok
- Year of publication: 2017
- Source: Show
- Pages: 32-46
- DOI Address: https://doi.org/10.15804/kie.2017.04.03
- PDF: kie/118/kie11803.pdf
This paper is a theoretical investigation of body identity. It is an attempt to deepen the analysis of body identity in its subjective aspect, which is framed as a constellation of complex identity senses: the sense of being, continuity of body self in time and space, inner consistency, separateness and bodily limits, as well as the senses of body ownership and agency. All the identified motives of body identity are regarded as pertaining to a special scope in the relationship with the body which produces the sense of body self, i.e., the sense of being an embodied subject. Ultimately, body identity is defined as a holistic and a higher order manner of experiencing one’s body self which anchors a human being in his/her subjectivity and uniqueness, thus complementing the individual and social aspect of identity.