Who Are You? the Self as a System of Multilevel Interacting Mechanisms

This paper proposes a theory of the self as a multilevel system consisting of social, psychological, neural, and molecular mechanisms. This account provides integrated explanations of many phenomena concerning how people represent, control, and change themselves. The multilevel system theory of the self provides a scientific alternative to transcendental and deflationary views favored by many philosophers. The paper identifies more than sixty aspects of the self that divide naturally into nine groups, and provides multilevel accounts of one representative from each: self-concepts, selfconsciousness, self-deception, self-presentation, self-criticism, self-esteem, selfaffirmation, self-regulation, and self-development. In place of reductionist and holistic approaches to cognitive science, this paper advocates a method of multilevel interacting mechanisms. WHAT IS THE SELF? The concept of the self has been theoretically important in philosophy, psychology, and related social sciences, including sociology, anthropology, and political science. The nature of the self is relevant to explaining many interesting phenomena, including: self-abnegation, self-absorption, self-actualization, self-admiration, selfaffirmation, self-appraisal, self-assessment, self-awareness, self-blame, self-concepts, self-confidence, self-consciousness, self-consistency, self-construction, self-control,