S1E43 - Brian Lowery - Your Chameleon “You”

We met with social psychologist and business school professor Brian Lowery to explore the foundations of the self - nothing short of what makes us who we are.  Lowery argues that our social communities construct us, but that there isn’t a single “genuine self.”  Rather, we are the composite of all the masks we wear.  This paradox reveals a deep tension between the structure we seek because we like to think the world is stable and coherent, and the complete freedom of becoming our more expansive selves through broader relationships.  Lowery challenges Maslow to say that meaning is a fundamental human need as critical as basic safety.  We want to be seen, and we want to have what is reflected back by others match how we see ourselves.  When we talk about the self, are we talking about the physical self of cells, hormones and DNA, or are we actually talking about the meaning attached to those things?  If the latter, those exist in our social relationships.  Prepare to question your assumptions.  Join us.

Biography

Brian Lowery is the Walter Kenneth Kilpatrick professor of organizational behavior at Stanford University, author of Selfless: The Social Creation of “You”, and host of the podcast, “Know What You See by Brian Lowery.”  

Lowery received his doctorate in social psychology from UCLA in 2001, and has been on faculty at Stanford since 2002.  At the GSB, Prof Lowery is currently driving an initiative, Leadership for Society, to support the development of leaders for a diverse society. He was also recently named founding co-director of Stanford's new Institute on race. The mission of the institute is to "Produce cutting-edge research and solutions to realize racial justice."  

Lowery’s research has two major threads. The first thread examines the way people understand inequality, and the way these understandings affect their attitudes and behavior. The second thread examines the consequences of the reality that others shape our selves and we shape theirs. This work explores issues ranging from the nature of racial and gender identities to an understanding of the way others help us generate meaning in life. His work is published in a number of scholarly journals as well as captured in his book, Selfless: The Social Creation of "You". He also offers a course webinar open to the public, The Leadership for Society Series. All of which can be found at www.KnowWhatYouSee.com

Conversation recorded on July 21, 2023.