This book argues that we have got it wrong in the West in our pursuit of what we consider to be 'self': an autonomous, self-driven, entrepreneurial entity, always on, always positive and always improving. This is a neoliberal self, stripped of the social.

This book argues that we have got it wrong in the West with our belief in a 'self' that is autonomous and separate from others, exemplified by the entrepreneurial self: always on, always positive and always self-improving. This is the neoliberal self, a particular creature of late capitalism. However, as argued here, this view is harmful to us. It is the source of much of our suffering.