자아의 과잉 또는 소멸: ‘마음지킴’의 자기계발 문화

초록

This research examines the change of self-help literature in society from its initial popularization to the present. Through this analysis, we examine who defines what constitutes life's problems, what knowledge and practices are offered as response strategies, and what direction is presented as the ideal state of life. Over the past three decades, the central themes in self-development discourse have transitioned from professional success and advancement to healing and consolation, and subsequently to the regulation of affect and emotional states. Contemporary self-help discourse emphasizes subjective perception and emotional response over objective circumstances, thereby establishing individual affect as the criterion for determining well-being and distress. Specifically, it presents knowledge systems, techniques, and strategic approaches to “mindfulness”. The culture of mindfulness intensifies “self-reification” through its demand for continuous observation, reflection, and optimization of emotional states in the pursuit of happiness and avoidance of suffering.

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