Personal Identity, Fission and Time Travel

One problem that has formed the focus of much recent discussion on personal identity is the Fission Problem. The aim of this paper is to offer a novel solution to this problem.

The presence of the past: Identity continuity and group dynamics

Social psychologists are increasingly interested in the temporal dimensions of social life and in identity continuity in particular. Focusing on ethnicity and national identity we discuss the implications of perceived group continuity and collective self-continuity, and their interplay, for group dynamics. Using the social identity perspective and theories of identity motivation, we show, first, that the need for collective self-continuity forms a unique motivational basis for group identification. Second, we demonstrate that people are more likely to derive a sense of collective self-continuity from groups that are seen as relatively stable and immutable over time (i.e., essentialist in-groups). Third, we find that existential threats to group identity strengthen a sense of collective self-continuity, which, in turn, increases in-group defence mechanisms in the form of negative attitudes towards immigrant out-groups and towards social developments that potentially undermine in-group continuity. Fourth, we discuss empirical findings that indicate that group-based nostalgia for the nation is an identity management strategy in response to in-group continuity threats and that nostalgia leads to immigrant out-group exclusion.     

The analytic present in psychoanalytic reconstructions of the historical past.

The psychoanalytic reconstruction of specific influential past events has been a regular feature of psychoanalytic practice from its inception. More recently, as reconstructions of incestuous sexual abuse have become more frequent, the reconstructive process has attracted attention, and doubts have been expressed about the validity of the analytic evidence used to substantiate their inference. Over the years, psychoanalytic discourse about the adequacy of this evidence has moved from Freud's uneasy confidence to a rather sharply divided debate between advocates and skeptics. From beyond psychoanalysis, memory research raises questions about the validity of this evidence, and research on influence raises questions about the procedures by which it has been collected. A reexamination of several cases in which reconstructions emerged from unstable therapeutic circumstances leads to the conjecture that dynamics located in the analytic present may have been displaced to the historical past. Although logically "truth in the past" need not foreclose on "truth in the present," in practice, once a reconstruction surfaces, the latter seems to disappear behind the former.     

Identity moderates the effects of Christmas displays on mood, self-esteem, and inclusion

In two experiments we examined the differential psychological consequences of being in the presence of a Christmas display on participants who did or did not celebrate Christmas (Study 1), or who identified as Christian, Buddhist, or Sikh (Study 2). Participants completed measures of psychological well-being in a cubicle that either did or did not contain a small Christmas display. Across several indicators of well-being, the display harmed non-celebrators and non-Christians, but enhanced well-being for celebrators and Christians. In Study 2, we found that the negative effect of the display on non-Christians was mediated by reduced feelings of inclusion. The results raise concerns about the ubiquitous presence of dominant cultural symbols (such as Christmas displays) in culturally diverse societies.     

The use of the past and the present in the clinical setting Pasts and presents

The author provides a brief summary of Latin American literature concerning temporality. She shows that a common theme throughout all these papers is that the analytical relationship is considered to be bipersonal and symmetrical, thus demonstrating a concern for establishing the basis by which social subjectivity can be reconsidered. This literature displaces the idea of linear time from its central position and introduces other measures of time. The analytical relationship takes place not only in the past but also in a newly created present. This is the ongoing present, of what is happening now, instantaneous and without a prior history attached to it. This leads the author to suggest that there is a present to one's history and a history to one's present. She then analyses the consequences of this proposition by examining some clinical material where she attempts to pinpoint those instances in which the analyst may have reacted defensively, tending to position himself in the analysand's past instead of being able to take action in the present. Clinical material from the IJP is used.     

Representationalism,Symmetrical Supervenience and Identity

According to some representationalists (M. Tye, Ten problems of consciousness, MIT Press, Massachusetts, USA, 1995; W.G. Lycan, Consciousness and experience, MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, 1996; F. Dretske, Naturalising the mind, MIT Press, Massachusetts, USA 1995), qualia are identical to external environmental states or features. When one perceives a red rose for instance, one is visually representing the actual redness of the rose. The represented redness of the rose is the actual redness of the rose itself. Thus redness is not a property of one’s experience but an externally constituted property of the perceived physical object. In this sense, qualia are out there, in the external world. Here, I argue that the main representationalist arguments to this effect, if successful, establish no more than a symmetrical supervenience relation between representational content and qualia, and that a supervenience relation alone (albeit symmetrical) doesn’t suffice for identity. This supervenience thesis between qualia and representational content leaves open the question as to the essential nature of qualia.

Identity dynamics in adolescence: Processes,antecedents, and consequences*

Abstract

Identity formation is the core developmental task of adolescence. The three-factor identity model provides a parsimonious framework for unraveling the dynamic process by which youth form and revise their identity over time. In this article, studies conducted with the three-factor model are reviewed, showing how they can provide new insights to address three main questions: (a) How do adolescents develop their identity? (b) How is adolescent identity related to well-being and psychosocial functioning? (c) How does the cultural context in which adolescents come of age influence this process? Importantly, the extent to which adolescents are successful in forming and maintaining a stable identity is influenced by the context in which they live, and is strongly intertwined with their psychosocial functioning.     

Fans and Identity

ABSTRACT

This paper develops an understanding of the nature of sport fans that helps rebut the charge of nihilism leveled against identity anti-essentialism as represented in the work of Butler, Appiah, and Rorty. Through focusing on what Russell calls the ‘arbitrary’ yet committed nature of being a fan of sport (i.e. a fan’s fandom has a causal explanation not a reasoned justification but nonetheless deep meaning for the fan), I argue that we can see the anti-essentialist accounts of gender, race, and selfhood offered by Butler, Appiah, and Rorty respectively as claiming that this arbitrary, but at the same time meaningful, nature is consistent across all identities. Passionate commitment in the face of often self-consciously recognized arbitrary fandom exemplifies identity anti-essentialism, and it is in terms of it that the charge of nihilism against identity anti-essentialism (i.e. identity anti-essentialism makes identity insubstantial and politically ineffective) leveled by those such as Nussbaum, Habermas, and Rawls, is undercut. With that case made, I conclude on a political note. I observe that the rise and role of identity in contemporary politics, especially nativist, nationalist, and populist politics, can be both explained (at least in part) as well as defended against by seeing the growing acceptance among elites of identity anti-essentialism and its fan-like quality. Galvanizing many on the ‘right’ to fight elites by fighting against the identity anti-essentialism binding them together, it is by ‘doubling down’ on identity anti-essentialism and its embrace of the fan-like play of identity that hope lies in fighting against nativism, nationalism, and populism.     

Psychoneuroimmunology: past, present, and future

Provides a brief overview of the history and current status of behavioral immunology research, as well as speculation on likely future directions, and suggests that the field may have broad implications for basic biological sciences and medicine. In addition, the field has clear relevance for health psychology; its relevance to actual health outcomes, however, is not yet known.     

Identity in 4D

Four-dimensionalists offer a unified picture of various puzzles about identity over time, including the puzzle of fission, the puzzle of constitution and the puzzle of undetached parts. What unifies the four-dimensionalist approaches to these puzzles is the possibility of temporal overlap—the possibility for distinct continuants to share a common temporal part, or stage. I claim that the unified picture is inconsistent, if there are informative criteria of identity over time. I will show that while temporal overlap is compatible with four-dimensionalist criteria of diachronic composition, temporal overlap is incompatible with any four-dimensionalist criteria of diachronic identity.

Identity continuity and loss after death,divorce, and job loss

This paper examined the relationship of constructs identified by identity continuity and attachment theories of grief to adjustment to loss from the framework of identity theory. Connections between loss salience, identity construal, and balance of identity construal on grief intensity via their association with post-loss identity disruption were examined across three types of self-relevant losses; death of a family member, job loss, or divorce. We hypothesized that lower salience, higher endorsement of identity attributes represented by relational and individualistic self-construals, and an overall balance across identity attributes would be related to decreased grief severity across all types of loss. Results supported hypotheses with the exception that the hypothesized ameliorative effect of increases in relational self-construal was only seen in the bereaved group.     

Personality,Ideological Attitudes,and Group Identity as Predictors of Political Behavior in Majority and Minority Ethnic Groups

Prior research on personality and politics has largely investigated relationships using national samples from North America and Europe. In contrast, we used multigroup path analysis to assess how Big Five personality, ideological attitudes (RWA, SDO), and group identities (National and Ethnic Identification) predicted right versus left Political Behavior (party support, past voting, present voting intention) across majority and minority ethnic groups in a New Zealand national sample (N = 6,333). The effects of personality on ideological attitudes and group identities were mostly invariant across ethnic groups and consistent with prior findings. In contrast, the effects of ideological attitudes on Political Behavior varied across ethnic groups being moderately strong for the European majority but nonsignificant for the minorities. Group identities had little effect on Political Behavior. We discuss cultural and contextual factors that might account for this disconnect between ideology and politics among the minority ethnic groups.     

Functions of Identity in the Context of Being a Student: Development and Validation of the Functions of Student Identity Scale

A promising approach to the understanding of identity is the identity functions framework. However, its developmental specificities associated with adolescence remain unexplored. The aim of this study was to develop and test a new measure of the functions of identity as they relate to being a student. Consistent with the theoretical framework, an exploratory analysis with a subsample of high school students revealed five identity functions. A confirmatory analysis with a second subsample found that a higher-order model incorporating these five subscales demonstrated good fit to the data. A bifactor model and statistical indices indicated that it is appropriate to interpret a total student identity score using this instrument. The five subscales, and total scale, demonstrated good convergent validity with a measure of academic behavioral change. These preliminary results suggest that this new instrument presents good psychometric properties and that it is a suitable assessment instrument for the measurement of students’ processes and outcomes. For example, its associations with academic performance stages of changes suggest that this instrument will be useful for identifying students at risk for poor academic trajectories.     

Body image: past, present, and future

This brief editorial article introduces the new scientific journal, Body Image: An International Journal of Research, and describes its rationale and mission in relation to the history and future of the study of body image and human appearance.     

Change blindness: past, present, and future

Change blindness is the striking failure to see large changes that normally would be noticed easily. Over the past decade this phenomenon has greatly contributed to our understanding of attention, perception, and even consciousness. The surprising extent of change blindness explains its broad appeal, but its counterintuitive nature has also engendered confusions about the kinds of inferences that legitimately follow from it. Here we discuss the legitimate and the erroneous inferences that have been drawn, and offer a set of requirements to help separate them. In doing so, we clarify the genuine contributions of change blindness research to our understanding of visual perception and awareness, and provide a glimpse of some ways in which change blindness might shape future research.     

Pastoral research: past, present, and future

In healthcare environments of excellence, clinically trained chaplains are valued members of the medical treatment team. There are skills and values they hold in common with medicine and allied health disciplines: enhancing the health and well-being of the patient as a unity of body, mind, and spirit within a unique family and cultural system. This article examines the past, present, and future of pastoral research, including the chaplain's moral imperative to examine practice and to share what is found.     

Hippocampal sequences link past, present, and future

Disrupting the reactivation of hippocampal neurons during sleep impairs memory consolidation in rats. However, the functional importance of reactivation during awake states is unknown. An experiment in which awake reactivation was disrupted suggests that this phenomenon could adaptively guide behavior by linking previous learning with the current state of the world.