The author, not the tale : memory, narrative, and the self

摘要: There is a confusing diversity of conceptions ‘the self’ in philosophical, psychological, psychiatric, and neuroscientific discourse. To remedy this, I propose defend naturalistic view the self: system view. The self here conceived as complex dynamic our higher-level self-monitoring functions, including capacities for self-representation over time. These are grounded more basic self-representational that widespread among different species. On view, not to be confounded with attributes personhood, it often has been philosophical Nor time product memory, philosophers Locke’s tradition, some popular intuitions, seem take be. discuss nature autobiographical memory argue that, given much remembering already reconstructive process, produced by memories, but produces them. also opposed currently fashionable views ‘narrative’. Narrative constructionism about an authorship problem: does account processes enable subserve narration oneself first place. these processes, rather than their productions, we should conceptually locate self. Neither narrative essential illustrate advantages autism spectrum conditions other defects disorders such dementia, dissociative disorders, schizophrenia. In conditions, particular differently configured, impaired, or absent, this entail wholesale loss lack Instead, better characterized specific malfunctions. conclude suggesting directions future research.