Introduction
Consciousness pertains to the condition of the mind as it perceives people, things, and events. The ability to sense one’s immediate and even distant surroundings can be attributed to the consciousness of an individual.
The simplest example of consciousness can be exemplified by the capability of a person to feel that the wind is blowing against his face. Another level of consciousness may be associated with events that are occurring around and even beyond his sight, such as an individual who is aware that there is a war occurring in another country around the world. He is conscious that this is happening because he has seen this information from the news and has assimilated this recent information into his brain. This paper aims to discuss the theories involved in the study of consciousness and its associated bases.
Theories of Consciousness
There have been several attempts to study the concept of consciousness because the topic has been a focus of intrigue and mystery for the past several decades. To this extent, several theories regarding the concept of consciousness have been presented, all aimed towards the goal of generating a better understanding of this phenomenon, as well as providing solutions in those individuals that have been diagnosed with disorders associated with mental states. Two major schools of thought have arisen from these investigations. The physicalist school of thought examines consciousness at the physical level and even at its finer detail (Dretske 22). On the other hand, the anti-physicalist school of thought claims that consciousness can not be explained through physical attributes of the mind.
Another group of investigators that have attempted to study consciousness can be categorized as those schools of thought that follow deductive reasoning (Carruthers 46). The reductive school of thought generates theories that are simply based on objective reasoning. On the other hand, the anti-reductionist theories on consciousness claim that consciousness can be explained by observable facts and simple occurrences that are reported by observers. Most reports have originated from deductive reasoning, while almost the same amount of research is performed based on reductive and non-reductive theories.
Based on the two categories that have been described, consciousness is thus considered a unique topic that can be studied through the employment of two approaches. Since one approach is through physical means and the other approach is through phenomenal observation, the integration of these two approaches to the study of consciousness may be viewed through the combined theory of dualism. Such combination provides a more comprehensive approach in investigating the concept of consciousness and allows are validation of both approaches by providing opportunities for cross-examination of the results of each approach.
The phenomenal theory of consciousness is often conducted by observations of the mental states of different individuals. This theory is very interesting because it does not require any reduction in the mental state of an individual and thus simply collects information as it is directly observed among subjects of the study (Dennett 32). On the other hand, the reductionist theory of consciousness involves studies of individuals that are considered to be in a condition of lower or affected mental states, resulting in a reduction of consciousness. These attempts thus provide information on the functions of different components of the mind and its associated consciousness.
A representational correlation is often generated from reductionist-based theories on the study of consciousness. Research has thus described that consciousness is a resultant condition of causative and effectual factors that are influencing the mind. Simple mental states include sadness, which has been explained by the dualistic theory of consciousness as the result of grief and hurt that has been inculcated by an individual.
The functionalism theory of consciousness is a component of the phenomenal approach of mental states. One of the simplest examples of the functionalism theory of consciousness is the sight of a rainbow, together with its colors and the bow-shaped conformation of the rainbow itself. Such a phenomenon of seeing a rainbow through the consciousness of an individual thus provides a way of knowing that a person is still capable of seeing and perceiving things around him. Another interesting theory of consciousness is that of higher-order representationalism, wherein consciousness is explained as a means of representing things (Kriegel 33).
For example, the sensation of a tickle at an individual’s feet is not simply the result of being physically tickled, but a representation that the feet themselves are sensitive to tickles. Thus the same sensation of being tickled will always be observed even when the intention of coming in contact with an individual’s foot is not to tickle but maybe simply accidental. This higher-order representation thus provides another way of understanding responses of the mind based on its stimulus.
Another theory of consciousness is the self-representational approach which describes that consciousness serves as a simple representation of one’s self (Charmers 67). A simple example of this theory is to sit at the computer as one tries to type a letter to an individual. The writer sitting at the computer is thus only conscious of his position on his seat and the presence of his hands as his fingers continue to hit specific keys on the keyboard of the computer.
The individual is not conscious of his legs or his hair because he is busy composing a letter and making sure that he can hit the right keys on the keyboard to complete his letter. So during this state, the individual considers his hands as the representation of himself and the rest of the body is unimportant for the meantime.
There are several theories on human consciousness. According to Velmans (1996), the perception of an individual is a phenomenon that involves images that are created in the mind and projected out to the individual’s surrounding world. The Velmans theory thus involves generating information in the brain and what is seen in the environment is thus what the brain instructs the body to see. Other scientists consider Velmans theory of consciousness as a perceptual projection. To look at this concept critically, it is possible to agree to this theory on consciousness, that the environment or world around us will look like what is conceived in the brain.
For example, when an individual feels happy, everything he sees around him looks good. On the other hand, when an individual feels sad, the rest of his environment looks dull to him. This perceptual projection notion of Velmans may thus not fully explain the concept of human consciousness because there may be at least two issues that may be perceived by an individual as similar, yet in the actual sense, these two independent issues may mean different messages.
The mind may thus project a different meaning, depending on each individual’s perception, but this theory does not holistically explain how human consciousness works. More importantly, Velmans theory of consciousness does not distinguish reality from illusions of the mind because the theory only focuses on what the brain expresses to the rest of the body. The Velmans theory of consciousness may thus be helpful only in certain cases wherein psychology and its associated modified forms are needed to be analyzed, but to understand the theory of consciousness as a whole, the Velmans theory is not stable and sufficient enough to provide answers to specific questions.
Another theory of consciousness is that designed by Dennett (1991), which employs the contact of mystification in the perception of issues around an individual. In this particular theory of consciousness, every concept can be explained by the conscious feelings of an individual, as well as to things and other people. The Dennett theory of consciousness is thus another way of looking into the manner of how people may perceive things, but there are instances when one cannot use mystification in explaining every emotion that an individual feels.
This misguiding concern is based on the theory that even a simple item can be considered by an individual as a living entity and thus an individual may project emotions towards this particular material item. For example, an individual may say that his car is so tired from going around the town for the entire day, or his soup dish is thirsty so he needs to give the dish more water. Such a stance may be helpful in certain situations, yet when this theory of consciousness is employed for the majority of mental conditions, it will not likely solve and help a patient is feeling better or in perceiving that their immediate surroundings (Danckert 1037).
Another theory of consciousness is described by Flanagan (1996), which pertains to constructive naturalism, which employs the neurophysiological information in explaining brain sensitivity and consciousness. In his theory, phenomena are the prime movers for understanding how the mind works. A method of triangulation is also employed in his explanation of consciousness, wherein the brain, cognition, and phenomenon are unified into a novel philosophy for consciousness.
However, this theory may be prudent because there may be some very simple issues yet the application of his theory makes the issue appear to be very complicated. In addition, the inclusion of intuition in the analysis of events may result in making events mundane and unexplainable, although these are straightforward. Flanagan’s (1996) theory thus serves a purpose in the assessment of the unified theory of consciousness—that there is a need for a sensible, credible, and reliable investigation of human consciousness, to better understand how the mind works.
There are several objections and complications to the theories of consciousness. One complication to the physicalist theory of consciousness is that there are certain situations when people feel numb or as well as often say, zombie-like. Individuals at this state often feel insensitive to any type of emotion and they find themselves unable to appreciate or enjoy any type of activity, of which they know they used to enjoy performing. Individuals positively diagnosed with depression and generally found in this state of slack, wherein nothing is fun anymore and they tend to hide in their bedrooms or homes and choose to stay away and interact with family and friends.
Such a mental state of consciousness is thus difficult to understand because the reductionist theory of consciousness states that there should be a significant injury to the brain that results in the separation of an individual from the rest of the society (Danckert 84). However, in the condition of depressed individuals, their physical brains are intact, uninjured, and not even decreased in their function, yet they tend to move away from chances of interactions with the rest of the society. Such opposing explanations from these different schools of thought of consciousness are thus difficult to explain in terms of depression.
Adolescence is a stage of human development, which involves the maturation of a child into an adult. This stage generally involves biological, social, and psychological modifications within a child. According to the World Health Organization, adolescence is that stage of human life that starts at age 10 and ends at approximately 19 years of age (Goodburn 23). Oftentimes, the word teenager is used to depict an adolescent. In psychology, adolescence is strongly correlated with perceptions of self-esteem and body image.
Self-esteem is generally related to an individual’s sense of value. It can also denote the level of approval and appreciation an individual feels about himself. Almost fifty years ago, the definition of self-esteem was simply equated to whether an individual carries a favorable or unfavorable way of thinking towards himself (Rosenberg 47). Self-esteem is also believed to signify self-confidence about specific personal issues. It is thus regarded to operate like a trait and it usually lasts for a long time in individuals. This psychological concept of self-worth is commonly correlated with psychological concepts such as personality, behavior, cognition, and health.
Conclusion
There is a strong relationship between an individual image and consciousness. Theories of consciousness are powerfully influenced by an individual’s level of self-esteem and self-image. There are several theories on human consciousness. According to Velmans (1996), the perception of an individual is a phenomenon that involves images that are created in the mind and projected out to the individual’s surrounding world.
In Dennett’s (1991) theory of consciousness, every concept can be explained by the conscious feelings of an individual, as well as to things and other people. On the other hand, Flanagan (1994) claimed that phenomena are the prime movers for understanding how the mind works. Putting these theories altogether, it is thus observed that every developmental stage is characterized and influenced by the time when an individual learns more about his own identity, strengths, and weaknesses.
Hence, adolescents must be socially supported by their family and friends because any mental or psychological damage that adolescent experiences may strengthen or weaken the social identity of an adolescent. More importantly, the chronological impact of social and psychological events plays a major role in the normal human consciousness. Hence a balance between independence and dependence with the rest of an individual’s development should be achieved to develop into a well-matured individual.
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