Chapter 5 ( second half ) - Essay Example

Ultimately, a definition of the self has been one of the more poor and debated aspects of psychology since it’s been very inception. Due to the fact that a greater and more appreciable level of understanding with regards to psychology must necessarily focus upon the individual, a firm and clear understanding of self is one of the key components to being able to explicate any of the psychological theories that have thus far been discussed to a more effective and/or actionable degree. The particular chapter raises a series of insightful questions that demand answer prior to further study being engaged.

In such a way, this brief analysis will mention and seek to quickly note why these questions are of importance as well as seek to underscore the key components of the chapter that were the most interesting with regards to this particular student. Firstly, the authors raise the question of what degree consciousness plays into an understanding of self. It can of course be understood that without a base line level of consciousness that any self actualization whatsoever would be impossible. However, this is not specifically what the authors are referencing.

Rather, they seek to raise the question and present information with regards to the degree that individual consciousness helps to define and differentiate understandings and representations of self within broader psychology and society. Tangentially, a further question is raised alongside this with regards to the universality of this consciousness and whether or not it varies, and to what degree, among individuals. Naturally, it can be assumed that consciousness varies precipitously; however, when acquiescing to this, the stakeholder must realize that giving too broad a range to human consciousness weakens to the level and extent to which the interpretation of the “self” can be universally verified and defined.

Yet, by the same token, too weak an understanding of the role that this consciousness plays lends the stakeholder to de-emphasize its overall importance.Furthermore, the chapter references the means by which the “self” is an ever growing and expansive reality. Ultimately, memory and the psychological interpretation of self is in an ever evolving metamorphosis. As a means of drawing a further level of understanding to this question, the authors present a variety of different psychological scholars that have performed studies and presented theories with regards to the ways in which different stages of human development and memory retention impact upon the definition of self that exists (Christian 174).

Although human nature seeks to define a concrete “self” that is intractable and impervious to change, the reality of the fact is that change in and of itself is something of a mechanism by which the individual and the self are perennially redefined. Moreover, change and the external mechanisms are not the only means by which self is determined. As the authors discuss, the means by which memory imprints within the individual determine the outlook and further growth, development, and/or regression for the key understandings of “self” are also profound and effect each and every person on a systemic level.

Work CitedChristian, James L. Philosophy : an introduction to the art of wondering. Australia Boston, MA: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning, 2012. Print.