A Postmodern View of Journaling

Creating our self through words

Photo by Vince Fleming on Unsplash

Many postmodern philosophers argue that the self exists mostly in language. We can only construct our notion of self through language. If it’s not in words, then it doesn’t exist.

If the self exists mostly in language, then this explains why journaling and reflection are key to knowing … or becoming one’s self.

Some people think that postmodernism has no use in the “real world,” but this lens can help us better understand the relationship between writing and creating our self. Whether you truly believe that the self exists entirely in language, here are few ways it might change your view on journaling.

It’s not just about recording events.

Understand how the words build your notion of self. Just recording events is like driving with the windshield wipers on all the time. Instead, take some time to reflect on what you have written. Examine it. Analyze it. Let it percolate in your mind a bit. And then, you go back and re-read what you’ve written.

You are writing literature.

Treating any text like literature elevates its stature. We examine “great works” as if it says something about the author, their time, or their culture. Most of us have not met Hemingway. We create our notion of Hemingway by the words he gives us. The same goes for your words.

There are things to discover.

Know that there are things to discover in even the most inane writing. There is always a reason you wrote something down, even if you don’t know it yet. Discoveries aren’t limited to big things either. The little things matter too.

Postmodernism actually breaks down the hierarchy between “great works” and everyday writing. Why is Hemingway such a great writer? Because a bunch of people said so.

Your writing is just as important … because we say so.

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