Others in Mind: Social Origins of Self-Consciousness

In this book, Philippe Rochat explores self-consciousness, how it originates and how it shapes our lives, arguably the most important and revealing of all psychological problems. Why are we so prone to guilt and embarrassment? Why do we care so much about how others see us, about our reputation? What are the origins of such afflictions? Rochat argues that it is because we are members of a species that evolved the unique propensity to reflect upon themselves as an object of thoughts; an object of thoughts that is potentially evaluated by others. Based on empirical observations, this is a book of ideas, tapping into both developmental and anthropological phenomena and guided by strong existential intuitions regarding the human condition. At the core of these intuitions, there is the idea that human psychic life is predominantly determined by what we imagine others perceive of us.

Table of Contents:
Foreword; Introduction: main ideas; 1. Self-conscious species; 2. Six propositions; 3. Variety of self-reflective mind states; 4. Mind states in development; 5. Birth of self-consciousness; 6. Shame and self-knowledge; 7. Roots of guilt; 8. Giving and sharing; 9. Origins of owning and sharing; 10. Social construction of identity; Conclusion: moral space and the self; Post-script note.

About the Author :
Philippe Rochat is a professor in the department of psychology at Emory University in Atlanta, GA. Born and raised in Geneva, Switzerland, he earned a Ph.D. at the University of Geneva, where he was trained in psychology by Jean Piaget and his close collaborators. The author of The Infant World (2001), Rochat's current research focuses on learning and creativity and the development of social intelligence and the emergence of a moral sense during the preschool years in children from all over the world in highly contrasted cultural environments, as well as in highly contrasted socioeconomic circumstances.

Review :
'Rochat's book combines both theoretical and empirical support for the view that the self is socially constructed through interactions with others. Philosophers and psychologists interested in development, embodiment, the self, or relationships, will find that Rochat's book offers a concise and persuasive account which challenges a traditional internalist conception of the self. In short, it is the kind of work that will prove to greatly benefit the discourse on the nature of the self.' Lucas A. Keefer, Philosophical Psychology '… an ambitious and fruitful project … Rochat's theory of the social construction of the self will undoubtedly be valuable for both philosophers and psychologists, with the caveat that there are unexplored theoretical issues in need of development.' Philosophical Psychology