Legacy and self-denial

The monograph focuses on the person who talks about himself. The purpose of the study is to draw attention to the circumstantial nature of language and thinking and then to trace how it is expressed in the interaction of the individual with the world - both external and internal; and in particular how it affects the ability of the individual to understand himself. This goal is achieved through a number of objectives. First it is proposed to take a broader view of circumlocution - not only as a poetic means but also as a cognitive process unfolding in each act of interaction of the person with the world with other people and with himself. Secondly it has been shown that self-understanding is most directly dependent on the language by which a person describes himself or herself; that the language of self-understanding has an allegorical nature; and that therefore speaking about oneself is always allegorical. Thirdly the phenomenon of self-destruction as a consequence of self-statement is considered; in this connection the work describes the forms of self-destruction its social and personal functions. Fourth the question of the quality of self-determination and the possibility of overcoming self-denial in self-presentation is raised.