“Thinking about the body is thinking about the world” he wrote in another of his books, and it is from this perspective that he conducts his research, analyzing “Risk Behaviors” within the framework of the body-individual-society relationship.

The interpretations that the individual makes of his own body and of the world constitute the position that supports the "meaning of life" for each actor, placing it subjectively in front of himself and others. He traces a path where he proposes that in risk behaviors, what is put at stake is the body, in order to resolve the psychological discomfort produced by the interpretation of reality that each one makes from their place in the society in which they live.

Putting yourself at risk has different meanings at different ages, situations and for each individual. Le Breton compares the bravado and transgressions of young people, which can often be dangerous and even fatal, with the ancient rituals of passage to adulthood present in different so-called primitive societies.

He then suggests that if these rituals existed under social control, the suffering of young people would be alleviated, and often fatal risks could be avoided. In the absence of clear rules, of a passage regulation, young people seek their marks by crashing into society.

Reading this book suggests that living is a risk, where the only thing that is guaranteed is death. It is to this only certainty that we have that the certification of our right to exist and to enjoy life is demanded, in healthier or more pathological ways, depending on the relationship between the individual and society.

Carlos Trosman