Representing Oneself and Others.
Experimental psychology November 1, 2018 DOI: 10.1027/1618-3169/a000433 via PubMed
Summary
The self-concept emerges from active exploration of one's physical and social environment during infancy and childhood, as well as through cultural learning, and its main purpose is social communication rather than online action control. Self- and other-representations can overlap to the degree that they share features, especially when those features are particularly relevant or salient and the individual is under a particular metacontrol state. This theoretical framework, inspired by the Theory of Event Coding, explains how people represent themselves and others, how these representations interact, and what consequences this has.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Self-representation Metacontrol Minimal self Narrative self Social sognition |
| Citations | 44 |
| Key finding | Self-concepts emerge through active exploration of one's physical and social environment during infancy and childhood, as well as through cultural learning, and their main purpose is related to social communication but not online action control. |
Abstract
Human beings are assumed to own a concept of their self, but it remains a mystery how they represent themselves and others. I shall develop a theoretical framework, inspired by the Theory of Event Coding, of how people represent themselves and others, how and under which circumstances these two kinds of representations interact and what consequences this has. In a nutshell, I shall argue that self- and other-representations can overlap to the degree that they share features, that the shared features are particularly relevant or salient, and that the individual is under a particular metacontrol state. Then I shall argue that self-concepts emerge through active exploration of one's physical and social environment during infancy and childhood, as well as through cultural learning, and that their main purpose is related to social communication but not online action control.