108
ECOLOGY OF EVERYDAY LIFE
marked by a conflictual struggle for power in which individuals vie for
attention and recognition, generally ending in a one-up situation. In contrast,
Benjamin asserts that the self may potentially yearn for die presence of others
out of a desire to develop. For Benjamin, development does not occur despite
others, but because of others: the relationship between an infant and mother is
potentially mutually beneficial rather than inherently conflictual.1^
According to Benjamin, development occurs within a social context,
preferably within a context that nurtures both individuality and connection.
Rather than constitute a series of negations, development represents a series of
increasingly complex expressions of relatedness and individuality. For instance,
a child does not necessarily have to separate from its mother in order to
mature. Rather, it may differentiate itself within that relationship, developing an
increasingly nuanced ability to be both related and independent, both
recognizing and being recognized by its mother, In this way, Benjamin
introduces the idea that development may be a cooperative, dialectical process
in which latent abilities for independence and dependence are developed and
expressed.
In addition to being marked by accumulation and cooperation, human
development can be marked by open-endedness and non-determination. For
instance, at birth, each individual represents a series of biological and
environmental ‘givens’. In turn, there exists a degree of chance, or spontaneity,
that informs how these ‘givens’ will be organized and how they will evolve.
Biological and environmental factors, then, represent a set of potentialities
rather than a set of determinants. There exists no determined blueprint which
guarantees how an individual will necessarily develop, or whether they will
develop at all. Organic life is marked by a dimension of potentiality which
provides a horizon of logical yet undetermined possibilities that may or may
not unfold.
Developmental desire is precisely the desire to develop the particular
spectrum of ‘logical possibilities’ that exists within each of us. It is the desire to
participate actively in our own development, differentiating ourselves into what
we could be, bringing ourselves to a new level of complexity and integration.
Developmental desire is not the desire to develop our abilities to dominate or
master our earlier or less mature impulses,* rather, it is the desire to integrate
our earlier ‘child self with our emerging ‘adult self. When this integration is
achieved, we are able to retain levels of spontaneity, flexibility, and authenticity
characteristic of the child, integrating these qualities into the cognitive,
self-reflexive, and empathetic capacities of adulthood.
We long to differentiate ourselves, to coherently unfold what is distinctive
within us. We yearn as well to develop cooperatively in a spirit of
open-endedness
and
possibility
rather
than
in
a
spirit
of
reductive