ABSTRACT
In this chapter, I explore the way that self-imaginings can be negatively influenced by the society in which we live and, in particular, how societal factors work to constrain our imaginings of ourselves and our futures. Because the range of possibilities that we are presented with are too often limited and constrained, societal interactions can serve to stultify our imaginations, that is, to hinder our ability to imagine different experiences for ourselves. Rather than opening up new options, the pressures and norms imposed by society can often serve to foreclose them – or, even worse, to keep them entirely invisible. By focusing on two different types of imaginings where social influences are especially in play, I am able to flesh out some of the ways that social norms and pressures constrain imagination. I then offer an explanation of socially constrained imaginings in terms of the notion of imaginative rigidity. The chapter concludes with a discussion of three complementary strategies that we can use to combat imaginative rigidity and a consideration of some specific, real-world examples where we can see the results of such strategies.
