autotelic self

autotelic self

(GIDDENS, 1994) a self-directing ‘self, possessing ‘inner confidence and self-respect’, grounded in a sense of ‘ontological security’ originating in ‘basic trust’, and also capable of a positive appreciation of social difference’. This kind of self is that which Giddens sees as conducive to levels of personal ‘responsibility’ and ‘pluralism’ increasingly demanded by contemporary societies.