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Evolution of Self

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Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science

Synonyms

Consciousness; Metacognition; Self-awareness; Self-consciousness; Self-reflection; Self-thought

Definition

The term “the self” is broad. It can encompass: (1) knowledge that one is separate and distinct from others, (2) knowledge about the degree to which one is consistent over time, (3) knowledge about how one is a causal agent in the world, (4) information about the attributes (e.g., appearance, personality traits, habits) that one possesses, (5) information about one’s goals or motives as well as plans to execute them, (6) knowledge about one’s significant roles and relationships, (7) the result of judgments made about oneself, and (8) feelings or emotions that one experiences in response to self-thought.

Introduction

People experience “a sense of self.” This may include ideas about how they look, who they are now, how they were in the past, and what they have done in the past. They have the experience that they (not an outside agency) do things, and that they(and not an...

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Correspondence to John J. Skowronski .

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© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG

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Skowronski, J.J., Sedikides, C. (2018). Evolution of Self. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_2424-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_2424-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

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