Keywords
phenomenology; philosophy of identity; narrative identity; developmental psychology; philosophy of mind
Abstract
This thesis is primarily concerned with how the narrative self emerges, as conceptualized in literature spanning phenomenology, philosophy of identity, and psychology. The first chapter focuses on an argument given by Dan Zahavi, in which he claims that an account of narrative self-constitution necessitates an account of minimal subjectivity, which he terms the “minimal self.” I argue against this claim on the grounds that an account of minimal intersubjectivity is a far more pragmatic and compatible model in determining how the narrative self emerges and develops throughout the lifespan. The model of minimal intersubjectivity that I propose is Trevarthen’s primary intersubjectivity, a model of direct, immediate intersubjective interaction that has been explicitly linked with the development of narrative capacity, an important developmental precursor for understanding the self through the context of a narrative. The second chapter examines the linear development of the narrative self, through the development of primary and secondary intersubjectivity to narrative capacity and finally to the beginnings of narrative identity. Ultimately, I outline a hypothesis that sources the emergence of the narrative self in the period of early childhood socialization, in which competing self-conceptions demand resolution in the form of “narrativizing” the self. This interpretation of the narrative self and its emergence resolves long-standing tensions regarding our need to frame our lives into a meaningful narrative, and the role that others play in the formation of that narrative.
Thesis Completion Year
2026
Thesis Completion Semester
Spring
Thesis Chair
Mason Cash
College
College of Arts and Humanities
Department
Philosophy
Thesis Discipline
Philosophy
Language
English
Access Status
Open Access
Length of Campus Access
None
Campus Location
Orlando (Main) Campus
STARS Citation
Mendez, Dylan, "The Signature of the Self: Toward a Critique of the Phenomenological Origins of Self-Constitution" (2026). Honors Undergraduate Theses. 617.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/hut2024/617
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