Self/other: Guiding distinction for the social theory of the self

Abstract

This article introduces Niklas Luhmann’s systems theory into contemporary debates on the social dimension of the self. It focuses on the relevance of self/other relationships, as the guiding distinction in both micro-sociological and phenomenological approaches to the social self. Following a review of Dan Zahavi’s critiques of social constructivism, the article proposes an alternative account of the self from a systemic perspective. Two key arguments are presented: First, intersubjectivity theory observes the social dimension from a hierarchical use of the self/other distinction, treating the ‘other’ side as subordinate to the ‘self’ side of the distinction. Luhmann’s approach addresses this issue by rejecting the primacy of the subject and reinterpreting the self/other distinction through the concepts of meaning and double contingency. Second, Zahavi’s notion of the minimal self may be translated into systemic terms as the autopoiesis of the psychic system, although this requires a revision of some of Luhmann’s assumptions regarding self-referential identity. Moreover, a comprehensive systemic theory of the self must move beyond the autopoietic level of consciousness to incorporate the social dimension through interpenetration between social systems and human beings.