In this episode, Dara looks at defiance as a central attitude and strategy of wellness. Understanding defiance as an expression of personal conviction allows it to be utilised in the service of personal autonomy. It can inform and be informed by one’s certitude, but that certitude is best deployed with an understanding of imperfection and flexibility.
Also discussed is the idea of ownership and authorship of self and narrative. Using Roland Barthes’ theory of the Death of the Author, Dara asks whether the self can be understood as a text, and if so, what happens when we present ourselves to the world? How are we interpreted and understood, and what is the impact on our agency?
Conformity and convention are also considered, and an argument is made for the power of stepping outside the tide of consensus without embracing contrarianism for contrarianism’s sake.
There is also the discomfort of being forward-facing, the attraction of anonymity, and contrived aesthetics!