THE PROCESS OF LIQUEFACTION IDENTITY IN THE LIGHT OF ZYGMUNT BAUMAN

Abstract

This article aims to analyze whether, as a result of a fragile society in which nothing is maintained or perpetuated for a long time, the individual goes through a process of identity liquefaction or not. Taking into account that from the second half of the 20th century onwards there was an abrupt break with a society that until then had remained stable and strictly controlled, it is clear that the new corporate model opened up space for consumption and consumerism to be widespread. The thought that until then was in favor of the collective, became centered on the self, seeking to ensure that each selfish interest within a society of consumption and consumers was embodied. To develop the article, the literature review method was chosen, specifically using the book “Liquid Modernity” by Zygmunt Bauman. The sociologist's thinking added a new characteristic to the society we are part of: liquidity. For Bauman, modern society is in a constant process of liquefaction, immediacy and dissatisfaction, making individuals unable to maintain a healthy, strong and lasting relationship. However, he also argues that the individual of the consumer society is also the commodity itself, undergoing a self-manufacturing process in the market itself. It was then questioned: what is the possibility of human beings losing themselves (in identity) in this marketing context? It was concluded, therefore, based on the sociologist's thinking, that when space is opened for subjective freedoms to be disseminated within this new social organization, there is a high probability of the human being losing the notion of his own self within this vast range of possibilities commercials.