In Judith Butler's "The Psychic Life of Power," the author explores the complex relationship between identity and societal recognition. The individual, or subject, strives for acknowledgment within frameworks and terms created by society, which often leads to a sense of alienation. This pursuit reveals a dependency on societal validation for one's existence, illustrating how individuals seek to affirm themselves through external signs rather than internal validation.

Butler emphasizes that social categories often reflect a hierarchy where subordination is inherent to existence. The individual's identity is shaped by their position within these structures, and the necessity for recognition comes with the cost of subjugation. Thus, to exist within society, one may be compelled to accept a subordinate role, highlighting the paradox of striving for identity in a framework that simultaneously enforces limitation and hierarchy.