Selfie: How the West Became Self-Obsessed

by Will Storr

are universal. All humans’ brains are structured in this way, because that’s how they’ve evolved. But there’s another clue, in John’s experience, that leads us to the next stage in our journey. During the night of the Devil, John’s mind grabbed the ‘story’ that would form the structure of his new life from his culture. He was raised in a Christian country, by a Catholic mother. His plan for the future and his replacement identity would be built from ideas from these sources. Tales from his culture were selected by his self, which rebuilt itself according to their design. This hints at the incredible power culture, and the particular stories it surrounds us with, can have over us. It also suggests that the separation between ‘self’ and ‘culture’ might not be so much of a separation after all. *