Delve into the intriguing realm of solipsism, a philosophical concept that posits the self as the only verifiable reality. Explore how this idea intertwines with psychology, shaping our understanding of consciousness and the unique, private worlds we each inhabit.
Second part of a two-part series on the Kanye West, The Truman Show, and The Psychology of Egocentricity
Our own internal experience is the only thing we can possibly be certain about.
- We naturally assume that other people think, feel, and have internal experiences just as we do – even cat people.
Final Words on The Psychology of Solipsism
Mind perception is foundational – one of our most important tasks as social creatures is to understand the inner worlds of other people.
- We may have the capacity to understand other minds, even if we don’t always agree with the contents.
The Psychology of False Beliefs
The general process of understanding other minds is called mentalizing.
- This is a complex computation requiring our brains to instantaneously pick up nuanced cues, social norms, and background information in order to model another person’s conscious experience.
- However, before we can even begin to make these computations, we have to do something even more fundamental: differentiate our own minds from the minds of others.
The Psychology of Mentalization and Inhibition
Recent work on False Belief Tasks in adults suggests that more is at play
- Since we’re naturally biased towards our own egocentricity, we have to actively fight in order to suppress our own perception and keep it distinct from our model of another person’s.
- What happens when you directly stimulate the region of the brain responsible for mentalization?
- Using a new technology called transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), researchers now have the ability to do this while participants took part in a standard test of impulse control
