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El proceso de individualización en Occidente: ¿Narcisismo o autenticidad?

Summary: This article examines the modern “turn to the self”, in order to see if Western society is heading towards the ideal of authenticity or towards a sort of dangerous narcissism. Might it be that the right to be different and unique is degrading to a supposed right to be indifferent and egotistic? First this paper focuses on some sociological data about the increasing consciousness of self-identity and the value attributed to autonomy and privacy since the sixteenth century. In the second part, those data serve as a background to illuminate the present debate on authenticity. Finally, an appropriate theological answer is sketched to respond to the modern quest for self-fulfillment.