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Psychological Approach To Personal Identity Essay

1480 Words6 Pages

HD214 Recurrent Themes in the History of Ideas (BAJH) Topic 2: Personal Identity: Continuity through Time, Selfhood and Responsibility For the purpose of this assignment I have decided to discuss the psychological approach to personal identity. The personal identity theory questions the ideas about life and death and what happens to us after we die? Personal identity looks at the idea of a person and philosophical questions which may arise about “who am I” or “what will I become.” It questions our existence of who we are and how we change overtime. The issue of personal identity has been a contemporary issue for many philosophers over recent years. Many philosophers including Descartes and Plato believed that we are all immaterial souls or pure egos and firmly believed that we can exist after …show more content…

Much of the work done to support the theory of personal identity has been through thought experiment and illusory scenarios. The psychological approach to personal identity discusses the theory of memory and the importance of our mind and brain in personal identity and creating who we are as an individual. Likewise, the psychological approach to personal identity addresses the role of our brain in creating what we’ve become through our past experiences. John Locke, the key theorist in the theory of memory believed consciousness and personal identity were strongly related. However, this theory fails to acknowledge a person’s beliefs, desires or characteristics through which they express themselves through. Furthermore, we are left unaware about death and what happens to our identity after we pass away. To end, we must be open to the ideas and beliefs other people may hold in terms of personal identity through narrative and bodily approaches. However, the psychological approach to personal identity best summaries the main principles many possess about our personal

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