The self
The self
idea
When your authenticity is an act, something’s gone wrong
Authenticity has changed from an inward gaze to a social display. Can we reconcile the performance with the real thing?
by Joseph E Davis
History and philosophy of mental health
idea
For Donald Winnicott, the psyche is not inside us but between us
For Donald Winnicott, your psyche isn’t just in your head – it emerges from your relationships with others and the world
by James Barnes
Personality disorders
idea
Some people feel so utterly alone it’s as if they don’t exist
People diagnosed with ‘avoidant personality disorder’ fear getting close to other people, yet crave greater connection
by Kristine Dahl Sørensen & Marit Råbu
Compassion and empathy
idea
Self-compassion is not self-indulgence: here’s how to try it
Contrary to popular belief, it’s not self-indulgent to practise self-compassion. In fact, it helps you to care for others
by Christina Chwyl
The self
idea
The self of self-help books is adrift from social and economic facts
Self-help books are a broken parachute: to win friends and influence people, take advice from a social scientist instead
by Craig Schamel
Imagination
idea
Aphantasia can be a gift to philosophers and critics like me
Aphantasia veils the past and the future from the mind’s eye. That can be a gift to philosophers like Derek Parfit and me
by Mette Leonard Høeg
Memoir
idea
Learn the art of journaling and archive your life
Journaling is an art and a daily practice that allows you to write your life and find your way, one sentence at a time
by Sarah Boon
The self
idea
Memory involves the whole body. It’s how the self defies amnesia
People with anterograde amnesia can’t rely on memory alone for their sense of self. Instead, they remember with their body
by Ben Platts-Mills
The self
idea
When Nietzsche said ‘become who you are’, this is what he meant
Behind the philosopher’s cryptic phrase is an invocation to sculpt your ideal self out of the hard stone of your psyche
by Ryan A Bush
The self
idea
A stable sense of self is rooted in the lungs, heart and gut
Exciting new research findings are validating ancient folk beliefs that root the sense of self deep in the body’s organs
by Alessandro Monti
The self
idea
Sudden amnesia showed me the self is a convenient fiction
Sudden amnesia let me experience what Buddhists and philosophers have been saying all along about the existence of the self
by Steven Hales
The self
idea
What does it take for someone to become a ‘different person’?
What does it really mean when you say of an individual that they are so transformed as to be a ‘different person’?
by John Schwenkler