In his first three novels, Chuck Palahniuk explores the issues of identity and individualism in regard to various influencing factors. He finds inspiration for his characters and the revelations they come to in philosophical works of the nineteenth and twentieth century. In Fight Club he deals with how the historical context and class affiliation affect the formation of one’s identity. For this purpose, the works of Karl Marx and Louis Althusser are consulted, particularly their take on the adversities of the workplace and state control. Invisible Monsters deals with the issue of having an external locus of identity. The characters in the novel only see themselves as others see them and their outward appearance is the determining factor for the realization of the self. This topic is explored through Jean Baudrillard’s writings on simulacrum and simulation in which he explores the relation between that which is real and that which is a symbol or a sign of the real, and Marshall McLuhan’s interpretation of the role that the media plays in the concealment of truth. In Survivor the development of individual identity is brought to a halt through discipline and control within an ostensibly religious cult. How this type of panoptic life, which is organized to the last minute detail, affects one’s individuality or, rather, a lack thereof, is explored with the help of Michel Foucault’s writings on discipline, transgression, and sexuality.