Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Self-Awareness and Its Effects

Self-Awareness and Its Effects

Self-awareness is a psychological state in which the individual becomes the focal point of their attention. This inward focus transforms the self into an object of contemplation and assessment, influencing how individuals perceive their actions and their alignment with personal and societal standards.Triggers and Contexts for Self-AwarenessSelf-awareness can be activated by external stimuli that make individuals visually or audibly aware of themselves, such as mirrors, cameras, or recordings.

Understanding Self-Concept

Understanding Self-Concept

The self-concept encompasses individuals' beliefs about themselves, structured through cognitive frameworks known as self-schemas. These schemas function as mental representations of specific traits or behaviors, influencing how self-relevant information is perceived, processed, and remembered. For example, individuals who are schematic for body weight are more likely to interpret routine experiences—such as dining out or shopping—through the lens of that trait. Conversely, those aschematic for...

The Influence of Cognition on Affect

The Influence of Cognition on Affect

Cognition plays a pivotal role in shaping emotional experiences, as demonstrated by Schachter and Singer’s two-factor theory of emotion. According to this model, emotion arises from a combination of physiological arousal and cognitive interpretation. The body’s physiological response to stimuli is ambiguous and only gains emotional significance through cognitive labeling. For instance, an increased heart rate and adrenaline surge while standing near an attractive person may be interpreted as...

Introspection

Introspection

Introspection, long upheld as a reliable route to self-knowledge, involves examining one's thoughts, emotions, and mental processes. It underpins many psychological practices, from mindfulness meditation to psychotherapy and self-help strategies. However, empirical evidence challenges the accuracy of introspection as a means of understanding oneself.Limitations of Introspective InsightSeminal work by Nisbett and Wilson demonstrated that individuals are frequently unaware of the true causes...

Understanding Consciousness

Understanding Consciousness

Consciousness can be defined as the state of being aware of and able to think about one's existence, sensations, and surroundings. It encompasses two major components: awareness and arousal. Awareness pertains to the recognition of environmental stimuli and internal states. At the same time, arousal refers to the physiological readiness to engage with these stimuli, which varies significantly between states like sleep and wakefulness.
Sleep, a crucial state, is characterized by reduced physical...

The Influence of Affect on Cognition

The Influence of Affect on Cognition

Positive affect significantly influences cognitive processes, including evaluation, memory, creativity, and social judgments. Compared to negative affect, positive emotional states promote more favorable interpretations of stimuli, cognitive flexibility, and heuristic processing. These effects highlight emotions' powerful role in shaping how individuals perceive, remember, and interact with the world.Influence on Evaluation and AttributionWhen individuals experience positive affect, they are...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

On being stuck: the pandemic crisis as affective stasis.

Phenomenology and the cognitive sciences·2022

Same author

Moral Agency, Rules, and Temporality in People Who Are Diagnosed With Mild Forms of Autism: In Defense of a Sentimentalist View.

Frontiers in psychology·2022

Same author

Oxidative Stress Differentially Influences the Survival and Metabolism of Cells in the Melanoma Microenvironment.

Cells·2022

Same author

<i>Onlife</i> Extremism: Dynamic Integration of Digital and Physical Spaces in Radicalization.

Frontiers in psychology·2020

Same author

Radicalization Through the Lens of Situated Affectivity.

Frontiers in psychology·2020

Same author

Moral Judgements on the Actions of Self-Driving Cars and Human Drivers in Dilemma Situations From Different Perspectives.

Frontiers in psychology·2019

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 5, 2026

Observing the Transformation of Bodily Self-consciousness in the Squeeze-machine Experiment

Observing the Transformation of Bodily Self-consciousness in the Squeeze-machine Experiment

Published on: March 8, 2019

Affective intentionality and self-consciousness.

Jan Slaby¹, Achim Stephan

¹Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Osnabrück, Albrechtstr. 28, D-49069 Osnabrück, Germany. jslaby@uos.de

Consciousness and Cognition

|April 18, 2008

Summary

Human affective states, particularly existential feelings, are crucial for self-consciousness and self-understanding. These bodily feelings shape our relationship with the world and reveal aspects of ourselves.

More Related Videos

Virtual Hand with Ambiguous Movement between the Self and Other Origin: Sense of Ownership and 'Other-Produced' Agency

Virtual Hand with Ambiguous Movement between the Self and Other Origin: Sense of Ownership and 'Other-Produced' Agency

Published on: October 28, 2020

A Modified Mirror Test as a Visual Guide for the Self-awareness Trait in Wild Antarctica Penguins, Pygoscelis adeliae

A Modified Mirror Test as a Visual Guide for the Self-awareness Trait in Wild Antarctica Penguins, Pygoscelis adeliae

Published on: July 8, 2025

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 5, 2026

Observing the Transformation of Bodily Self-consciousness in the Squeeze-machine Experiment

Observing the Transformation of Bodily Self-consciousness in the Squeeze-machine Experiment

Published on: March 8, 2019

Virtual Hand with Ambiguous Movement between the Self and Other Origin: Sense of Ownership and 'Other-Produced' Agency

Virtual Hand with Ambiguous Movement between the Self and Other Origin: Sense of Ownership and 'Other-Produced' Agency

Published on: October 28, 2020

A Modified Mirror Test as a Visual Guide for the Self-awareness Trait in Wild Antarctica Penguins, Pygoscelis adeliae

A Modified Mirror Test as a Visual Guide for the Self-awareness Trait in Wild Antarctica Penguins, Pygoscelis adeliae

Published on: July 8, 2025

Area of Science:

Philosophy of Mind
Psychology
Neuroscience

Background:

Human affective states, or feelings, are often overlooked in philosophical discussions of emotions.
Understanding self-consciousness requires considering affective intentionality.

Purpose of the Study:

To establish that human affective states are self-disclosing.
To demonstrate the central role of existential feelings in self-consciousness and self-understanding.
To explore the bodily nature of existential feelings.

Main Methods:

Philosophical argumentation and conceptual analysis.
Examination of affective intentionality.
Analysis of existential feelings and their role in consciousness.

Main Results:

Affective states, especially existential feelings, are inherently self-disclosing.
Existential feelings significantly pre-structure our intentional relations to the world.
A four-level ordering of existential feelings is proposed.
Evidence supports the essential bodily nature of these feelings.

Conclusions:

Existential feelings are a key manifestation of self-consciousness.
Self-understanding is deeply intertwined with these fundamental affective states.
Recognizing the role of bodily existential feelings enhances our comprehension of the self.