Thinking of Oneself as Someone: The Structure of Self-Representation.
Cognitive science February 1, 2026 Julian Hauser
Self-representation can involve different types of properties—spatial, temporal, bodily, or mental. This work argues that a distinction from spatial cognition, between egocentric and allocentric forms of representation, also applies to how other properties are represented. Using examples from animal cognition and developmental psychology, the author shows that creatures allocentrically represent their temporal, bodily, and cognitive properties. These allocentric representations are minimal self-representations: they differentiate the system from other objects or its actual from merely possible properties, are directly linked to behavior and sensation, and are immune to error through misidentification. Different creatures may self-represent more or fewer kinds of property, with more substantive forms requiring integrated minimal self-representations of the right kinds.