Yesterday, Jamie L. Mullaney discussed her new book Everyone Is NOT Doing It: Abstinence and Personal Identity on BBC Radio 4’s program "Thinking Allowed." Mullaney and host Laurie Taylor discussed abstinence and the significant role it plays in the formation of personal identity. In contrast to such earlier forms of abstinence as social protest, entertainment, or an instrument of social stratification, not doing something now gives people a more secure sense of self by offering a more affordable and manageable identity in a world of ever-expanding options.
You can listen to an audio file of the program by visiting the Thinking Allowed Web site.