ABSTRACT
This chapter seeks to uncover whether there remains a residue of notions of the self-contained individual within Michel Foucault's descriptions, and asks whether human existence as represented in his examples really is never anything more than the temporary conglomeration of disparate elements suggested by his theory of power. It examines Foucault's representation of the individual interacting with other artificial unities, such as the community, and assesses the implications of the perceived relationship between such unities, as well as the implications of Foucault's own particular use of specific case studies to support his arguments. The structure of Foucault's narrative carefully imitates what will happen to Jouy in reality. Jouy's carefree existence will become entrapped within processes of power that will then problematize its every aspect, and turn his life into a series of discourses. The developmental structures of Foucault's account bear a striking resemblance to the developmental patterns of the human mind detected by Freud.
