Self-model theory of subjectivity
 |
This article is an orphan, as few or no other articles link to it. Please introduce links to this page from related articles; suggestions may be available. (February 2009) |
The self-model theory of subjectivity (SMT), also known as the human self model, is a theory of conscious experience. This concept comprises experiences of ownership, of body-centered spatial perspectivity, and of a long-term unity of beliefs and attitudes. These features are instantiated in the prefrontal cortex. This theory is an interdisciplinary approach to understanding and explaining the phenomenology of consciousness and the self. This theory has two core contents, the phenomenal self-model (PSM) and the phenomenal model of the intentionality relation (PMIR).[1] Thomas Metzinger advanced the theory in his 1993 book Subjekt und Selbstmodell (Subject and self-model).[2]
Contents |
[edit] Role of the prefrontal cortex
The prefrontal cortex is implicated in all the functions of the human self model. The following functions all require communication with the prefrontal cortex; agency and association areas of the cortex; spatial perspectivity and the parietal lobes, unity and the temporal lobes.[3]
[edit] Relation to psychopathology
Disorders of the self model are implicated in several disorders including schizophrenia, autism, and depersonalization. According to this theory, long-term unity is impaired in autism, similar to theory of mind deficits and weak central coherence theory. Individuals with autism are thought to be impaired in assigning mental states to other people, an ability that probably codevelops with long-term unity of self. Weak central coherence, that is, the inability to assemble information into a cohesive whole, reflects the same problems with creating a unified sense of self.[4]
[edit] References
- ^ Metzinger T. (2008). "Empirical perspectives from the self-model theory of subjectivity: a brief summary with examples". Prog. Brain Res.. Progress in Brain Research 168: 215–45. doi:10.1016/S0079-6123(07)68018-2. ISBN 9780444530509. PMID 18166398.
- ^ Metzinger, T. (1993). Subjekt und Selbstmodell. Paderborn: Schoningh.
- ^ Vogeley K., Kurthen M., Falkai P., Maier W. (September 1999). "Essential functions of the human self model are implemented in the prefrontal cortex". Conscious Cogn 8 (3): 343–63. doi:10.1006/ccog.1999.0394. PMID 10487788.
- ^ Ben Shalom D (September 2000). "Developmental depersonalization: the prefrontal cortex and self-functions in autism". Conscious Cogn 9 (3): 457–60. doi:10.1006/ccog.2000.0453. PMID 10993669.
[edit] Further reading
- Metzinger, T. (2003). Being No One: the Self-model Theory of Subjectivity. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
- Metzinger, T. (Ed.) (2000). The Neural Correlates of Consciousness. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. ISBN 978-0-262-13370-8
