How cisgender identity is maintained through the disciplining of desire and the channeling of intellectual and emotional energy into prescribed forms.
Sor Juana's entry into the convent can be read as a strategic discipline of desire—redirecting sexual, romantic, and reproductive desires toward intellectual and spiritual pursuits. This concept applies Foucauldian analysis to cisgender identity: it is not a natural state but a continuous production achieved through disciplinary practices. For women, cisgender identity formation involves learning to discipline intellectual ambition, sexual expression, and anger; for men, it often involves disciplining vulnerability, dependence, and care. Sor Juana's life illuminates how discipline is not simply repressive but also productive—it enabled her intellectual work. Yet the concept reveals the cost: her intellectual labor occurred within constraints that limited her freedom and ultimately silenced her. In examining contemporary cisgender identity through this framework, we recognize how we are all formed through disciplines that produce both capacities and restrictions. The framework invites critical reflection: What desires are we disciplining? What becomes possible through discipline? What remains foreclosed? How might different disciplinary practices or resistance to discipline reshape our cisgender identities?
Peri can explain this concept, give practical examples, help you decide whether it applies to your situation, or recommend a journey if appropriate.
Explore related journeys or tell Peri what you're working through.