The multiplicity of self: neuropsychological evidence and its implications for the self as a construct in psychological research
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 13, 2026

Creating Virtual-hand and Virtual-face Illusions to Investigate Self-representation
Published on: March 1, 2017
Stanley B Klein1, Cynthia E Gangi
1Department of Psychology, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA. Klein@psych.ucsb.edu
Abstract:
This paper examines the issue of what the self is by reviewing neuropsychological research, which converges on the idea that the self may be more complex and differentiated than previous treatments of the topic have suggested. Although some aspects of self-knowledge such as episodic recollection may be compromised in individuals, other aspects-for instance, semantic trait summaries-appear largely intact. Taken together, these findings support the idea that the self is not a single, unified entity. Rather, it is a set of interrelated, functionally independent systems. Implications for understanding the self in various areas of psychological research-e.g., neuroimaging, autism, amnesia, Alzheimer's disease, and mirror self-recognition-are discussed in brief.
More Related Videos
04:51A Modified Mirror Test as a Visual Guide for the Self-awareness Trait in Wild Antarctica Penguins, Pygoscelis adeliae
Published on: July 8, 2025
06:05Employing Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in a Resource Limited Environment to Establish Brain-Behavior Relationships
Published on: April 20, 2022
Related Concept Videos
Understanding the Self
Understanding Self-Concept
Self-Schemas
The Sense of Self: Reflected Self-Appraisal and Social Comparison
Social Foundations of Self IV: Self in Digital Communication
Strategies of Self-Presentation III: Self-Monitoring