Selves and Moral Units

Derek Parfit claims that, at certain times and places, the metaphysical units he labels selves may be thought of as the morally significant units (i.e., the objects of moral concern) for such things as resource distribution, moral responsibility, commitments, etc. But his concept of the self is problematic in important respects, and it remains unclear just why and how this entity should count as a moral unit in the first place. In developing a view I call Moderate Reductionism, I attempt to resolve these worries, first by offering a clearer, more consistent account of what the concept of self should involve, and second by arguing for why selves should indeed be viewed as moral (and prudential) units. I then defend this view in detail from both conservative and extreme objections.     

Different Subjects: Postmodern Selves in Psychology and Religion

This paper explores the postmodern suspicion toward the notion of a unified self in light of the scholarship of Michel Foucault and Michel Certeau. Foucault’s analysis critiques modern subjectivity by highlighting the dangers of the human sciences and the pastoral power of Christianity. His ethical alternative of re-appropriating classical concepts of caring for the self is intriguing but remains unfinished after Foucault’s death. Drawing on Foucault’s ideas, Certeau articulated alternative psychoanalytic and Christian mystical perspectives that describe human subjectivity based not on unity, rationality, and universality but on multiplicity, myth, and possibility.     

Hebrew and Buddhist Selves: A Constructive Postmodern Study

Our task will be to demonstrate that there are instructive parallels between Hebrew and Buddhist concepts of self. There are at least five main constituents (skandhas in Sanskrit) of the Hebrew self: (1) nepe? as living being; (2) rūah as indwelling spirit; (3) lēb as heart-mind; (4) bā?ār as flesh; and (5) dām as blood. We will compare these with the five Buddhist skandhas: disposition (samskāra), consciousness (vijñāna), feeling (vedanā), perception (samjñā), and body (rūpa). Generally, what we will discover is that both Buddhists and Hebrews have a ‘bundle’ theory of the self; both see the body as an essential part of personal identity; both overcome the modernist distinction of the inner and the outer; and both avoid language about the will as a distinct faculty. In sum, both present us with a fully somatic and nondualistic view of being human.     

Fuzzy Fault Lines: Selves in Multiple Personality Disorder

Abstract

This paper outlines a multidimensional conception of Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD) that differs from the ‘orthodox’ conception in terms of the content of its commitment to the reality of the self. Unlike the orthodox conception it recognizes that selves are fuzzy entities. By appreciating the possibility that selves are fuzzy entities, it is possible to rebut a form of fictionalism about the self which appeals to clinical data from MPD. Realism about self can be preserved in the face of multiple personalities.     

One Personality, Multiple Selves: Integrating Personality and Social Roles

ABSTRACT How do people maintain multiple, role-specific self-conceptions as well as a consistent sense of self? In a sample of middle-aged women, we examined three issues: (a) the ways in which people view themselves as both different and similar across social roles (e.g., parent, friend, worker), (b) how role-specific self-conceptions and general self-conceptions are related, and (c) the merits of predicting role-specific criteria from role-specific and general self-conceptions. Results showed that subjects' self-conceptions were specific to role contexts, yet highly correlated across those same role contexts. In addition, role-specific self-conceptions were more similar to the general self-concept for roles with which the individual was more satisfied. Finally, as predicted from the bandwidth-fidelity trade-off, ratings of the general self correlated moderately with outcomes across all role domains, whereas ratings of role-specific self-conceptions correlated strongly with outcomes for the same role, but not in other roles.     

Theorizing Hyphenated Selves: Researching Youth Development in and across Contentious Political Contexts

In this article, we present social–psychological notions about critical consciousness, change, and power that we consider foundational to the study of youth under siege. Relying on Lewin's field theory and Du Bois' dual consciousness, and critical psychology literature on sociopolitical understandings of conflict, we propose a new conceptual and theoretical framework that we call 'hyphenated selves' to better understand youth identity in and across contentious political contexts. Specifically, we report briefly on our own work with Muslim-American youth in the US post-9/11 and post–'war on terror' as a context from which we may reflect on a social psychology of youth identity and global conflict. At the same time, we want to think forward about critical methods for researching complicated subjectivities across politically and culturally contentious terrains.     

Parental Marital Discord and Treatment Response in Depressed Adolescents

Evidence suggests that parental marital discord contributes to the development of internalizing and externalizing symptoms in children and adolescents. Few studies, however, have examined the association between parental marital discord and youth’s response to treatment. The present study examined the impact of interparental discord on treatment response in a randomized control trial of adolescents with major depression enrolled in the Treatment for Adolescents with Depression Study (TADS). Participants were 260 adolescents from two-parent households randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups: fluoxetine (FLX), cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), their combination (COMB), or placebo (PBO). Logistic regressions revealed that parental marital discord interacted with youth gender and co-morbid oppositionality symptoms to predict group differences in treatment response.     

These Bizarre Fictions: Thought-experiments,our Psychology and our Selves

Abstract

Philosophers have traditionally used thought-experiments in their endeavours to find a satisfactory account of the self and personal identity. Yet there are considerations from empirical psychology as well as related ones from philosophy itself that appear to completely undermine the method of thought-experiment. This paper focuses on both sets of considerations and attempts a defence of the method.     

The Relational Co-Construction of Selves: A Postmodern Perspective

Viewed in postmodern perspective, psychotherapy functions less as a context for self-analysis or self-actualization than as a dialogic sphere for the co-construction of a new sense of identity within and beyond the therapeutic relationship. This article considers some of the implications of this shift for postmodern practice, focusing especially on the place of narrative and performance in consolidating a preferred sense of self.     

Dynamic Biculturalism: Socially Connected and Individuated Unique Selves in a Globalized World

In an increasingly connected world brought about by globalization, opportunities abound for countries and individuals to become bicultural or multicultural. This paper reviewed experimental studies that were designed to test bicultural Chinese individuals' responsiveness to Chinese and Western culture primes with regard to autobiographical memory, the inclusion of significant others in the self-concept, and how such self-inclusiveness can be revealed by functional magnetic resonance imaging of the bicultural brain. Results showed that across all three areas, bicultural individuals resonated to the specific cultural context by displaying their socially connected or individuated unique self in support the 'alternation' model of biculturalism ( LaFromboise, Coleman, & Gerton, 1993 ) and its underlying dynamism.     

Modern Maladies of the Self: Borrowed Selves and Collective Faith

Cultures give rise to and support different kinds of self-constructions and types of faith. In this article I argue that particular Western beliefs and values can give rise to modern maladies of self and faith—borrowed selves and collective faith. Borrowed selves reveal a fundamental insecurity or anxiety that comes from a felt lack of possessing or owning the attributions of one's identity, which in turn shapes the very relationships and faith upon which identity is linked. More specifically, I identify two distinct, though related, manifestations of borrowed selves—normotic selves and nomadic selves—and their concomitant types of collective faith—merged faith and eclectic-autonomous faith. Both self-constructions and types of faith manifest persons' specific stance with regard to community and its traditions, and both are fueled by an unconscious anxiety and a belief in what I call relativistic individualism.     

Possible Selves in Adolescence: Development and Validation of a Scale for their Assessment

Possible selves (PSs) have a significant role in adolescents' development. For this reason, it is of great importance to have adequate measures to operationalize them. The aim of this work is to present the construction and validation of a scale to assess PSs at the end of high school in multiple domains. Participants were adolescents (n = 320) of both sexes (female = 51.3%) from high-schools in Buenos Aires City, Argentina (age, M = 14.9, SD = 1.5). The scale was developed based on a literature review and a previous qualitative study. Expert judges' assessment revealed that it has good content validity. The scale's structure was studied with exploratory factor analysis and a 5-factor structure with theoretical meaning was found. Spearman's correlations between current and future self-perceptions show evidence of convergent validity. Mann-Whitney U test shows that the scale can discriminate by sex and age. The scale shows adequate to very good internal consistency. These results show that the scale has adequate psychometric properties to assess PSs in Argentine adolescents. The advantages of this scale relative to existing measures of PSs are discussed. Scale development allows us to know more about how adolescents think they will be during a significant life transition such as the end of high school. This is particularly important for planning interventions that focus on motivation and behavior regulation.     

Continuity and Change in Possible Selves in Later Life: A 5-Year Longitudinal Study

This study explored how older adults' possible selves (i.e., images of the self in the future) are influenced by the passage of time. We investigated whether possible selves would display continuity or change, and whether balance exists in the possible selves repertoire (i.e., presence of a hoped-for and a feared self in the same domain). In addition, we examined the influence of psychosocial factors (i.e., health locus of control, life satisfaction). Findings show that both hoped and feared possible selves remain stable and balanced over time. When change was found it was generally emergent in nature, with domains becoming important over time. This was especially true for the domain of health. As the first reported longitudinal study of possible selves, this study highlights the developmental sensitivity of possible selves as a tool for understanding the age-related concerns of older adults.