Constructing the self: historical roots, current challenges, and future directions
Constructing the self: historical roots, current challenges, and future directions
In this entry, we survey key ideas about the construct of “the self,” tracing its development from evolutionary origins to contemporary theories in psychology and neuroscience. We highlight three organizing features of selfhood: reflexive consciousness, interpersonal relatedness, and agency. Drawing on work from philosophy and the cognitive sciences, we outline how the self has been conceptualized as both a product of mental processes and a participant in social life. We connect early philosophical theories, such as those proposed by Hume and James, to later psychological models that address the self-concept, motivation, regulation, and narrative identity. We also consider current challenges, including how digital environments and artificial intelligence are reshaping the way individuals construct identity, relate to others, and reflect on experience. These trends raise questions about how the self functions in technologically mediated contexts and how emerging tools might change scholarly understanding of personhood. We conclude by considering interdisciplinary approaches and future directions in research on the self.
Selfhood, Reflexive Consciousness, Self-Regulation, Narrative Identity, Relational Self, Executive Function, Self-Concept, Neuroscience of the Self, Digital Self
Kelley, Nicholas J.
445e767b-ad9f-44f2-b2c6-d981482bb90b
Sedikides, Constantine
9d45e66d-75bb-44de-87d7-21fd553812c2
12 March 2026
Kelley, Nicholas J.
445e767b-ad9f-44f2-b2c6-d981482bb90b
Sedikides, Constantine
9d45e66d-75bb-44de-87d7-21fd553812c2
Kelley, Nicholas J. and Sedikides, Constantine
(2026)
Constructing the self: historical roots, current challenges, and future directions.
In,
Teo, Thomas
(ed.)
The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology.
Palgrave Macmillan Cham.
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Book Section
Abstract
In this entry, we survey key ideas about the construct of “the self,” tracing its development from evolutionary origins to contemporary theories in psychology and neuroscience. We highlight three organizing features of selfhood: reflexive consciousness, interpersonal relatedness, and agency. Drawing on work from philosophy and the cognitive sciences, we outline how the self has been conceptualized as both a product of mental processes and a participant in social life. We connect early philosophical theories, such as those proposed by Hume and James, to later psychological models that address the self-concept, motivation, regulation, and narrative identity. We also consider current challenges, including how digital environments and artificial intelligence are reshaping the way individuals construct identity, relate to others, and reflect on experience. These trends raise questions about how the self functions in technologically mediated contexts and how emerging tools might change scholarly understanding of personhood. We conclude by considering interdisciplinary approaches and future directions in research on the self.
Text
Kelley & Sedikides, in press (Palgrave Encyclopedia of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology)
- Accepted Manuscript
Restricted to Repository staff only until 12 March 2027.
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Accepted/In Press date: 10 September 2025
e-pub ahead of print date: 12 March 2026
Published date: 12 March 2026
Keywords:
Selfhood, Reflexive Consciousness, Self-Regulation, Narrative Identity, Relational Self, Executive Function, Self-Concept, Neuroscience of the Self, Digital Self
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Local EPrints ID: 507419
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/507419
PURE UUID: 34012b6b-e873-47c5-89e7-93574fc4dc96
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Date deposited: 09 Dec 2025 17:37
Last modified: 10 Dec 2025 02:56
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Contributors
Editor:
Thomas Teo
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