Self as Object

Simone De Beauvoir
1908-1986

She believed in the self as an object. I believe this is pretty fascinating because often times I do find myself thinking about myself. She explains it as freedom vs. facticity. Often times I speak publicly and all of a sudden I see myself watching myself speak. I am also critiquing myself as i go along. de Beauvoir explains it as i have realized my self identity but now I am seeing myself in the situation I am in. I believe this is what she means when she says we have made ourselves objects. When step back and I examine myself, I put myself in the same category as I do everyone else around me. I observe myself from without and see myself as an object just as the rest of the people are. I finally see what everyone else sees. It's not quite like a mirror experience but it goes in to a thought process where I get to experience myself as the world gets to experience me everyday.