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FRANK ÁUSTERMANN
communication and cooperation. Within the families of executives, too,
acceleration leads to a stronger burden on how family members interact and
on their relationships altogether.?
WHY FOUCAULT?
I am convinced that especially in the times of acceleration described, the
philosophy of the late Foucault is in a position to stimulate fundamental
learning processes with regard to successful interaction in coaching.
It goes without saying that it is impossible even to introduce the basic tenets
of Foucaults philosophy here. Ihis is why I shall concentrate on a few basic
ideas of the French philosopher and historian, which have led to book titles,
and in this context mainly on lectures and presentations.
According to Foucault, freedom is not a theoretical construct; he rather
wants to look at the practice of freedom.’ It is firstly characterized by the care
of oneself, secondly by the courage for the truth and thirdly by critique.
PRACTICE OF FREEDOM: THE CARE FOR ONESELF.”
How do I interact well with others in professional communication such as
coaching? To my mind, the best way is to take up Foucault’s impulses by taking
care of oneself in the first place.
What does this mean in specific terms? Foucault develops the care for oneself
by taking recourse to texts by philosophers from antiquity such as Platon,
Seneca and Epiktet. These and other philosophers concentrate on the care for
oneself. Platon refers to Sokrates, who summarises his mandate as follows:
“God has called him to admonish men to care for themselves, not for their
riches, not for their honour but for themselves and for their souls.” (Platon,
Apologie, 29d-e)"
Care for oneself is not a theory cognitively developed from which instructions
for action could be derived. On the contrary: Specific practices of self-care
invariably and every so often, for a whole lifetime, lead to existential findings.
8 Ibid., 181.
Michel Foucault, Die Ethik der Sorge um sich als Praxis der Freiheit, in Michel Foucault,
Analytik der Macht, Frankfurt am Main, 2015.
19 Ibid.
4 Tbid., 61.
e 118"