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Self-Consciousness as a Construction All the Way Down.

Massimo Marraffa1, Cristina Meini2

  • 1Department of Philosophy, Communication and Performing Arts, Roma Tre University, 00144 Rome, Italy.

Behavioral Sciences (Basel, Switzerland)
|March 28, 2024
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Humans need a strong subjective identity for psychological well-being. This identity relies on understanding others, which is an innate defense mechanism crucial for self-awareness.

Keywords:
narrative selfphysical selfself-consciousness constructionsubjective identitytheory of mind

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Philosophy of Mind
  • Psychology

Background:

  • Human life is driven by a fundamental need for subjective identity.
  • This need is as vital as biological survival and social competition.
  • Subjective identity underpins psychological equilibrium and mental health.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the cognitive, emotional, and affective components of subjective identity.
  • To investigate the role of Theory-of-Mind (ToM) in self-identity construction.
  • To challenge neo-Cartesian views by integrating cognitive science findings.

Main Methods:

  • Synthesizing theories and data from contemporary mind and brain sciences.
  • Analyzing the interplay of cognitive, emotional, and affective elements in identity.
  • Focusing on the developmental aspects of self-awareness and ToM.

Main Results:

  • Subjective identity is constructed through a complex interplay of cognitive, emotional, and affective factors.
  • Theory-of-Mind abilities are integral to building and defending one's sense of self.
  • Understanding others, an innate process, precedes and supports mature self-awareness.

Conclusions:

  • Self-construction is deeply intertwined with the innate ability to understand others.
  • Mature self-awareness is an evolutionarily developed defense mechanism, secondary to social cognition.
  • This perspective shifts focus from introspection to intersubjectivity in understanding the self.