Self And The Phenomenon Of Life: A Biologist Examines Life From Molecules To Humanity

164 Self and the Phenomenon of Life

b2726 Self and the Phenomenon of Life: A Biologist Examines Life from Molecules to Humanity “9x6”

between self and non-self. He or she is confronted with a chaotic mix of
sense data.^1 The jumble of sensations leads to perception once they are
filtered, selected, and categorized. In this manner the first reality of the
outside world comes as the taste of the milk, the texture and warmth
of the mother’s breast, and the tender cooing sound from the parents.
These perceptions are called exteroception, as they come through the
external sense organs — eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and skin.^2 At the same
time, a different set of perceptions, called interoception, arrives through
private sensation of one’s own body including the internal organs. The
distinction between intero- and extero-ception in Stage 1 leads to
the  separation of self from non-self, making possible the exploitation
of the latter for the benefit of the former. This is seen when an infant
strongly sucks the mother’s nipple to satisfy his hungry stomach. When
a one-year-old sticks everything into his mouth, he is evaluating which
part of the “non-self” is compatible with the survival of self.
By two to three years of age (Stage 2) the concept of self is well
established, as evident in the use of the pronoun “I” and its possessive

Table 8.1. Separation of Self from the Outside World

Stage Age Self World Examples

0 Newborn Nebulous chaos

1 Infant (3–12 mon) Perceives physical

self (interoception)

Perceives

physical world

(exteroception)

World as object;

other people as

object

2 Toddler (2–3 yr.) Reflects on physical

self

Projects self

outward

Self as object;

self-recognition

in mirror; self-

recognition in

picture

3 Young child (4–6 yr.) Reflects on mental

self (mind)

Recognizes other

people’s minds as

well as own mind

Passes “theory-of-

mind” test

Stage 1: First order perception.
Stage 2: Second order perception; first order reflection.
Stage 3: Third order perception; second order reflection; reflection on reflection; introspection
and recursive thinking on self.