Title
Others in mind : social origins of self-consciousness / Philippe Rochat.
ISBN
9780521729659 (pbk.)
0521729653 (pbk.)
Publication Details
Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 2009.
Language
English
Description
x, 253 p. : ill. ; 23 cm.
Call Number
BF575.S4 R63 2009
Dewey Decimal Classification
155.2
Summary
"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? It is because we are members of a species that evolved the unique propensity to reflect upon themselves as the object of thoughts, an object of thoughts that is potentially evaluated by others. But, Philippe Rochat's argument goes, this propensity comes from a basic fear: the fear of rejection, of being socially "banned" and ostracized. Others in Mind is about self-consciousness, how it originates and how it shapes our lives. Self-consciousness is arguably the most important and revealing of all psychological problems."--BOOK JACKET.
Bibliography, etc. Note
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Introduction : main ideas
Self-conscious species
Six propositions
Variety of self-reflective mind states
Mind states in development
Birth of self-consciousness
Shame and self-knowledge
Roots of guilt
Giving and sharing
Origins of owning and sharing
Social construction of identity
Conclusion : moral space and the self.