Neuroscientific Research On The Self

What is Neuroscience?
Neuroscience is the study of the nervous system concerning the biological basis
of consciousness, perception, memory, and learning. Neuroscience links our
observations about cognitive behavior with the actual physical processes that support
such behavior. (Oktar, 2006)

What is Neuropsycology?
Neuropsychology is the discipline that investigates the relations between brain
processes and mechanisms on one hand, and cognition and behavioral control on the
other. (Berlucchi, 2017)

Why are neuroscience and neuropsychology important in understanding the self?

Philosophers and psychologists from various cultures have written extensively
about the self. However, we require a more contemporary strategy. Recent cognitive
neuroscience research has identified neural foundations that underpin the processing of
many aspects of the self. Following the discovery of evidence for differences in self-
construal styles between Western and East Asian cultures by social psychologists,
subsequent transcultural neuroimaging study looked for potential brain mechanisms
controlling culturally specific self-related processing. Transcultural neuroimaging
research contributes to a better understanding of the culture-dependent character of the
self and its brain foundations.

How does neuroscience relate to the self?

The neurological basis of self is the concept of applying current neuroscience
principles to define and comprehend the biological mechanisms that underpin human
self-awareness. The neural basis of self is closely related to self-psychology and has a
stronger neurobiological foundation. This also clarifies how to think about the self from a
psychological and philosophical standpoint.