A Neurocognitive and Socioecological Model of Self-Awareness
Abstract
In the past, researchers have focused mainly on the effects and consequences of self-awareness; however, they have neglected a more basic issue pertaining to the specific mechanisms that initiate and sustain self-perception. The author presents a model of self-awareness that proposes the existence of 3 sources of self-information. First, the social milieu includes early face-to-face interactions, self-relevant feedback, a social comparison mechanism that leads to perspective taking, and audiences. Second, contacts with objects and structures in the physical environment foster self-world differentiation in infants; this environment also contains self-focusing and reflecting stimuli, such as mirrors and video cameras. Third, the self can develop bodily awareness through proprioception and can reflect on itself using imagery and inner speech. Furthermore, self-awareness is mainly mediated by the prefrontal lobes. The author establishes various links among these different neurological, social, ecological, and cognitive elements of the model.
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Cites
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Self-awareness and the left inferior frontal gyrus: Inner speech use during self-related processing
Morin, A., & Michaud, J. (2007) · Brain Research Bulletin · doi:10.1016/j.brainresbull.2007.06.013 · Cited by 141 · see citing works
Self-citationAriel, B., Sutherland, A., Henstock, D., Young, J., Drover, P., Sykes, J., Megicks, S., & Henderson, R. (2018) · Journal of Experimental Criminology · doi:10.1007/s11292-017-9311-5 · Cited by 85 · see citing works
- Authors
- Morin, A.
- Affiliations
- Mount Royal University (CA)
- Corresponding author
- Morin, Alain
- ORCID
- Morin, Alain
- Venue
- Genetic, Social, and General Psychology Monographs
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2004-08-01
- Volume
- 130
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 197-224
- ISSN
- 1940-5286 (ISSN-L)
- 8756-7547
- OpenAlex
- W2044380337
- Cited by
- 59
- References
- 10
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 7 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 4 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 3
- FWCI
- 2.38
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Genetic Social and General Psychology Monographs (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Child and Animal Learning Development
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Philosophy and Theoretical Science
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Embodied and Extended Cognition
- Keywords
- self-awareness, self-perception, social comparison, perspective taking, social environment, video cameras, body awareness, proprioception, inner speech, mental imagery, prefrontal lobe, neurocognitive model, socio-ecological model, infants
- MeSH terms
- Awareness, Cognition, Humans, Imagination, Physical Stimulation, Proprioception, Self Concept, Social Environment, Speech, Prefrontal Cortex
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