The Self-improvement Project : A theoretical analysis on self-discipline & hegemonic masculinity

Sammanfattning: While the idea of self-help has historically been associated with women the growing popularity of online self-improvement groups has attracted both sexes. The growing popularity of people like Jordan Peterson and Andrew Tate - who speak of the importance of self-improvement alongside anti-feminist rhetoric - within the Manosphere online community also shows a trend of self-improvement moving towards a male audience. This study aims to examine the foundations of the self-improvement rhetoric and its relation to Michel Foucualt’s theory of the discourse of discipline and Raewyn Connell’s theory of hegemonic masculinity. Previous research on the topic of self-improvement has found arguments for the rhetoric as containing and perpetrating ideals of neoliberalism as well as the forming of citizens in line with the needs of capitalism. With the growing presence of more explicit promotions of masculine hegemony our study aims to provide another look into the world of hegemonic masculinity through less obvious promotions of it. With a thematic analysis of a Reddit-thread on self-improvement, our study finds that the rhetoric of the subreddit relies on (1) the presumed knowledge of a rational subject, (2) an ideal of control as the ultimate goal and (3) the reinforcement of these through specific strategies. Furthermore we find that the ideals that are perpetuated through this discourse are gendered in nature and correlate to the depiction of Connell’s transnational business masculinity.