Introduction
People are very different from each other due to personality differences. The Cognitive Behavior and Self theories explore human nature in terms of material and spiritual aspects of life that determine the behavior of individuals. This essay explores the relationship between the Self and Cognitive theories advanced by Dennett.
Multiple Drafts Model
This is a mixed approach that aims at studying human behavior through two different ways that include the physical and spiritual aspects of life. The self theory proposes that human beings have a subconscious part called self. This means that the human brain is capable of influencing the body to produce words or actions without knowing what is happening (Ginot 2012).
The body becomes a puppet that is controlled by the mind. However, the soul has the responsibility to know what the mind is doing by assessing the importance of its actions to the body. This means that human behavior is influenced significantly by the mind; therefore, the body responds to instructions from the mind.
He uses this narrative to explain that human behavior is determined by what the mind dictates the body to do and not what the body wants. This is determined by tastes, likes, experience and motivation which are factors that influence the behavior of people. In addition, several people can share similar self and exhibit same behavior (Dunlop and Tracy 2013). This explains why people have a habit of looking for unique characteristics to identify individuals through language, narrative interactions and reason.
Therefore, he argues that human beings will always use self for expediency reasons by telling stories to ensure they make sense of their life and they appear as characters in these stories for convenience purposes (Ginot 2012). On the other hand, Cognitive Behavior Theory explains that human beings are aware of their actions since they are actors. They can regulate their behavior to conform to societal norms. Their actions are predetermined by the values attached to them by the society.
How Multiple Draft Model Supports and Explain Cognitive Behavior Theory
His model highlights the origin of human behavior and the relationship between the mind and body. The Cognitive Behavior Theory explains the path taken by people in various aspects of life and which influences their behavior. Personality is derived from the mind and behavior of an individual as exhibited through different ways (Dunlop and Tracy 2013).
The Multiple Draft Model uses basic behavior indicators like experience and reward to explain the role played by self in determining the behavior of human beings. This shows the attachment between the cognitive and narrative aspects of human life.
His Perception of Cognitive Behavior Theory through the Narrative View of the Self-Theory
His narrative view of the Self-Theory explains that human beings have mental constructs that enable them to behave in various ways. People perceive themselves as actors in this world and this determines their behavior. They usually associate themselves with their world through mental constructs that show their roles in various happenings (Ginot 2012).
This brings into perspective their ability to determine their behavior since they act according to their mental constructs. He believes that cognitive behavior arises from experience and motivations that make people to behave in different ways.
Conclusion
The way people manage, solve, approach and react to situations make them very different and this creates their personalities. Even though, there is no known criteria to examine the causes of these differences it is evident that people have diverse reactions towards various situations. Dennett is credited with efforts to examine human behavior through various models including the Self Theory.
References
Ginot, E. (2012). Self-Narratives and Dysregulated Affective States: The
Neuropsychological Links between Self-Narratives, Attachment, Affect, and Cognition. Psychoanalytic Psychology, 29(1), 59-80.
Dunlop, W. L., and Tracy, J. L. (2013). Sobering Stories: Narratives of Self-Redemption
Predict Behavioral Change and Improved Health among Recovering Alcoholics. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 104(3), 576-590.