When I was reviewing literature related to cognitive psychology a common thread that crossed my mind and one that I seem to find throughout my studies of the various branches of psychology were theories concerning how different cognitive functions relied on some form of input from internal or external stimuli to facilitate action potentials or behaviors cognitive or otherwise.
I’ve always been one to enjoy the more philosophical points of view regarding how we define ourselves and what people strive for as their ultimate goal and as I was reading I was distracted by thoughts of why people do anything. I had started to daydream a bit, and I had this feeling of nostalgia when I was a kid laying in the grass looking the sky, imagining what I thought was peace. I remembered the slight feeling of irritation when the feeling was coming to an end because of having to do something else. This train of thought led me through some general memories, and I thought to myself, “for all the things I’ve done, that I am doing, or didn’t want to do,why did I continue to do anything?”
The welcomed intrusive thoughts got me thinking about human cognition as it relates to how a “sense of self” or SS is defined and subsequently how a “state of being” or SB could be defined. I also asked myself, what is the purpose of the SB and SS. The internal discussion is more of a philosophical discussion, and I will share that with regard to this, I believe that the purpose of SS is a continued SB. I would argue that from a psychological standpoint, human cognition serves the process of facilitating the actions needed for the individual’s SS to develop and a sense of SB to continue.
SB and SS are theoretical in terms of how they operate depending on how the constructs are defined. I considered both as constucts and came to a few conclusions. The first conclusion is that a persons sense of self and perceived state of being not interchangeable. Second is that both are affected by the same stimuli to varying degrees and are dynamic in function and fluid in terms of structure. Third is that while both SB and SS are inherently subjective, SB has some sense of objectivity in regard to the experiences as perceived by an individual, such as with chronic pain.
A state of being as a construct may be viewed as the holistic state an individuals overall being to their environment in relation to their perceived sense of self. This involves perception of how biological circumstances affect an individuals ability to engage with their environment, spiritually in how individuals engage with spiritual and religious constructs externally as opposed to a defining characteristic of self, psychologically in regards to the attentional energy devoted to cognitive though placed on internal and external stimuli not withstanding that which is expected as given for an individual is each respect. Lastly, all of these factors may bring attention to an indivudals social circumstances. Theoretical constructs are inherent and dynamic in how they change and adapt.
Compared to a state of being, the sense of self exists as a construct that the individual determines as significant to defining who they are as an individual by themselves and/or within society at large. Some examples include thoughts, beliefs, values, behaviors, and personality. SB can be articulated through integrative models such as the biopsychosocial spiritual model. This model best considers the context of an individuals life in terms of biological, psychological, social, and spiritual associations that exist to some degree for everyone.
The biopsychosocial spiritual model works best in regards to this theory of attention, given that factors from any of these categories can be given for any individual at any time. Additionally, internal and external stimuli within and outside the body can have temporary to permanent effects to an individuals state of being or sense of self or have no effect at all. Depending on the stimuli, more attention may be drawn to certain stimuli than others, leading individuals to utilize more cognitvr resources or mental capacity to engage with society. By measuring and identifying where individuals’ attention is directed within the biopsychosocial spiritual model and the magnitude in which attention to those factors are presented. It may prove easier for professionals to target strategies and interventions for care.
These thoughts have since expanded a bit, and although I am lightly touching on a few here, I do plan to expand on some of the research and findings that support the theory as I’d argue there is much to gain from combining information from objective diagnostic evaluations along with focused subjective information.