“There’s a Fundamental Difference Between a Butterfly and a Caterpillar”: Metaphors of Self-Transformation in Personal Growth Narratives

Abstract

The article explores the processes of self-transformation represented in the narratives of agents operating within the subfield of contemporary self-help related to personal growth. In contrast to reflexive approaches to construction of the modern self, we acknowledge nonreflexive tools involved in the process of self-creation. To consider self-transformation from this perspective, we draw on the concepts of rites of passage and liminality. Transforming the self is thus conceptualized as a ritual of changing the status associated with the arising inner conflict. Drawing on qualitative analysis of social media messages published by personal growth experts and their audiences, we reconstruct the symbolic structure of self-transformation by identifying metaphors and binary oppositions employed to describe this process. Four consistent metaphors of self-transformation are identified: healing, renewal, tune-up, and quest. This set of metaphors is united by the idea of symbolic death, which suggests that transformation is interpreted in terms of rebirth and implies intense emotional experiences.

Text in Russian