CONSCIOUSNESS AND THE SELF
The SelfThe Self
The self is an accumulation of concepts of who
we are, who we were, and who we want to be. We
derive our sense of self in different ways, through
awareness of ourselves as physical beings, as
agents of our actions, and as a part of society.
What is the self?
The self is our internal sense of who we are, which
develops through our evaluation of our experiences
of the world. It is formed of two aspects: the
physical self (who we are as tangible beings)
and a mental self (which can be seen as our
autobiographical memory). There are several
linked areas of the brain that contribute to
our sense of self. Our physical sense of self
is created by areas that tell us how our
body occupies space, while areas that
allow us to reflect on our mental state
and retrieve memories contribute
to our mental self.The mirror test
To determine whether a human (or animal)
has the ability to recognize itself in a mirror, a
test called the mirror test is used. A mark is
drawn on the face of a subject to see whether
they will wipe it off; if they do, it indicates that
they have a sense of self. This ability develops
at about two years old in humans.Detects physical
interactions; confirms
body’s boundariesDetects sensations from
body; gives repeated
reminders of physical selfMaps body and
its relationship
to outside worldEnables consciousness of
mental state and characterMonitors
our actionsActive in personal memory
retrieval and awareness of
social interactionsBaby does not recognize
reflection as himself, so
points to “other” baby
with mark on his noseAdult understands
reflection is herself
so points to her
own noseMOTOR
CORTEX
SOMATOSENSORY
CORTEX
ANTERIOR
CINGULATE
CORTEX
PARIETAL
CORTEX
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