The self

Self-knowledge and personal growth Relationships, work and leisure Values and ethical living

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A child in a red shirt sits at a desk with a black and white cat. Sunlight and shadows create an intricate pattern through the window.

Psychoanalysis and the unconscious

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Three ways to get in touch with your Shadow self

Jung believed we all have a Shadow self. Facing up to it could help you live more fully and be more forgiving of others

by Ruth Williams

A double exposure image of a person using a smartphone overlaid with a bustling city street scene with cars and tall buildings.

Technology and media

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What I learned from sharing my private self with an AI journal

‘Quantified self’ apps analyse our physical and behavioural data. Now, AI journals want to access our emotional lives too

by Angela Chen

A person stirring food in a steaming pot on a stove in a kitchen. Several other stainless steel pots are also on the stove. The foreground shows a blurred image of bread rolls, and a jar with cherry tomatoes can be seen on the right.

Emerging therapies

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How to use cooking as a form of therapy

No matter your culinary skills, spend some reflective time in the kitchen to nourish and renew your sense of self

by Charlotte Hastings

Silhouette of a person climbing a steep, diagonal staircase against a gradient sky in grayscale.

Dance

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A darkly playful dance of shadows, surreal visions and transformation

Directed by Douglas Bernardt

A display of various hats, including a red floral hat, a black hat with a coloured brim, a blue hat, and a beige lacy hat, shown on stand in a shop window. A blurred street with a bicycle is visible outside.

Identity

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You have multiple ‘social identities’ – here’s how to manage them

As social beings, our identities are bound up with different groups – here’s how to juggle all the various hats you wear

by Anna K Zinn

Sticky reminder notes are seen on a mirror and on various other items on top of a chest of drawers

The self

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What my mother’s sticky notes show about the nature of the self

Dementia accelerates a process we all experience, as our memories become increasingly externalised into the world around us

by Crispin Sartwell

Man in white shirt leaning out, speaking into a large megaphone overlooking a sea filled with distant ships and smoke on the horizon.

Communication and language

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How to find your voice

Do you sometimes feel silenced or afraid to speak up? Learn to use your natural voice and be heard for who you really are

by Sophie Scott

A dark room with a table, chair, bookshelves, and numerous faint, ghostly figures sketched on furniture, walls, and floor.

The nature of reality

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An animated figure’s world grows enigmatic when he begins to doubt reality

Directed by Jeong Dahee

A person with a black watch on his wrist is touching a realistic prosthetic hand resting on a white surface, with a dark shirt in the background.

Psychosis and schizophrenia

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Rubber hand illusions shed new light on our bodily sense of self

Testing the illusions on those who have entered altered states offers clues about the experience of being in control

by Shayla Love

An art installation with bright yellow-and-blue paintings by Vincent van Gogh projected onto walls and floors, with a person standing in the background.

The self

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Boost your self-understanding with a navigational approach

Physical and mental navigation involve overlapping brain processes, casting new light on the notion of an ‘inner journey’

by Nick Kabrél

Two women sitting indoors, one in the foreground wearing a headscarf and the other in the background with short blond hair, both looking to the side.

The self

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How to connect with your future self

Does the future ‘you’ seem like a stranger? Getting to know them better will help you to make healthier, wiser decisions

by Shayla Love

Black and white photo of a man in a suit sculpting a thin figure, surrounded by small sculpted busts, in a studio with textured walls.

Painting and sculpture

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Stretched between dignity and despair, Giacometti’s fragile human figures

Directed by Michael Gill