Mind : Self : Identity : Existence

Confusion

There is a potential for confusion in studying PH4-Experience.

Every element within the Taxonomy is recognized or created by coming into awareness as an experience—at minimum as an idea-PH4L4.

Q: So how is the awareness/experience of experiences-PH4 to be differentiated from (say) the awareness/experience of purposes-PH6 or of inquiry-PH2?

A: The difference is simple and based on principles that are long-established:  the essential differentiator is found in the function.

As specified in the analysis of endeavour, the function of experience-RL4 is to provide a reference gauge for any aspect of endeavour. (Purpose-RL6 and inquiry-PH2 have different functions, so awareness/experience of their elements does not lead to confusion.)

Evolution, it seems, has ensured that only those aspects of endeavour requiring or potentially benefiting from conscious evaluation come into awareness.

Mind v Self

It is difficult to discuss experience without referring to «self». Within the elements, the higher 5 Levels were inextricably associated.

Many regard «the self» as the superordinate hidden or illusory entity that controls «the mind». In everyday speech, many use «mind» and «self» interchangeably. Others regard the «self» as something within «the mind».

I refer to «a sense of self» which is an inner feeling and different to «the self» which is an inner idea or concept. While everyone has some «sense of self», not everyone has a well-formed, stably constructed and bounded «self-concept».

The taxonomic location of development of a «a sense of self can be found in the PH'4C-Spiral Complex.

The position developed in THEE is that the mind is a metaphor, and a scientifically unsatisfactory synonym for personal functioning. The very notion of personal functioning implies that it enables a «sense of self» or conceptions of «a self», otherwise how would functioning be personal? The sense of self involves handling experiences of various sorts.
Is using «mind» prohibited?Closed
The term will continue to be used on this website where it facilitates the natural flow of an exposition. But that must not be taken as a refutation of the above principle.

Those who deny that experiences have any reality, will also deny psychosocial reality, and will probably view any discussion of «self» as futile and illusory. However, in the present analysis of experience, it will be possible to clarify the self as a psychosocial entity.

Anticipatory Note:Closed A «Sense of Self» is believed to be one of the Primal Means. In developing the Spiral-PH'4C, we will see how and why it is formed and developed, how it gets value, and what its properties and relations are—all within psychosocial reality.

Identity v Self

An identity is the sameness of an entity and its difference from other entities, especially those that are closely related or seemingly similar. When applied to the self, the notion is closely associated with a wish to preserve that identity.

Identity for a person usually refers to a sense of a self with feelings about its:

■ continuity (sameness and stability over time)
■ integrity (coherence, unity)
&
■ positivity (well-being, self-esteem)

From the perspective of mental illness and psychotherapy, disturbances of identity refer to problems in regard to these properties.

ClosedIdentity in the Taxonomy

The Taxonomy contains a plethora of identity phenomena not directly related to experience or the self (i.e. not within RL4/PH4). The most striking identity states are those generated by a person's use of a Type within a particular relevant Typology. These taxonomic Typologies are sets of related and competing value systems (PH6L6), which, from the perspective of psychosocial reality, is where identity is primarily rooted.

The particular Types identified within Experience-PH'4 are more pervasive in their use than other Types. I view them as «forms of existence». As a result, they have direct links to psychological disturbance and personality disorder, which other Types do not.

Identification & Existence

Identification is an experience intrinsic to our continuing existence. As noted earlier, it forms the 6th Level of the 4th Primary Hierarchy.

We feel and think about our identifications and we can recognize identifications in others. We use identification-PH4L6 transiently, either unconsciously or deliberately, to relate to others and to influence them and ourselves.

Stable enduring identifications are the basic components of a human identity. We may say that a «human identity» is an organized system of persistent interacting identifications-PH4L6.

Identification-PH4L'6 is not merely what defines our self or makes us recognizable. It is intrinsic to the choice and pursuit of endeavours, and to our very existence and survival.

Originally posted: 10-Oct-2014. Last updated: 20-Jul-2022.