Self-Consciousness as a Construction All the Way Down.
Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) March 1, 2024 Massimo Marraffa, Cristina Meini 2 citations
Human life depends on building and defending a subjective identity, which is foundational for psychological well-being and mental health, as important as biological needs or social competition. Drawing on contemporary cognitive sciences rather than neo-Cartesian philosophy, the authors examine how cognitive, emotional, and affective elements intertwine to construct subjective identity, focusing on the role of Theory-of-Mind abilities. They suggest that at every stage of self-construction, individuals engage in largely innate processes of understanding others, and that mature self-awareness is secondary to knowledge of others, serving primarily as an evolutionarily refined defense mechanism.