PERSONHOOD, IDENTITY AND THE GOOD LIFE FOR SOCIAL BEINGS

Blaine J. Fowers, Ph.D.University of Miami

Big Picture1. Personhood is central2. Identity core of personhood3. Identity is social in nature

a. Relational identity in infancyb. Relational identity in adulthood

4. Identity serves social functions5. Aristotle’s function argument6. The good life for social beings

What is a Person? Agency Rights Dignity Temporal unity Moral responsibility Self-awareness Self-interpretive

The Centrality of Identity Necessary for personhood Identity distinguishes No “I” without “you” No “we” without “them” Identity is relational

Neonate Sociality Facial recognition Synchrony

Rhythmic interaction Temporal matching Social contingency Mutual gaze first Body games

Infant Sociality Mutually Responsive

Orientation Responsiveness

Distress Needs Bids for attention Influence attempts

Shared positive affect

“Self”-Regulation Affect regulation Highest positive arousal “External” regulation Mutual regulation Self-regulation

Self-recognition Verbal self-reference

Toddler Sociality Committed Compliance Moral self

Recognize rules and standards Self-evaluation Moral emotions

Collective Identity Social

categorization Individual identity Collective identity

Social categorization heuristic

Social identity heuristic

Collective Identity

Identify who matters Transformation of motivation

In-group favoritism Prioritize in-group over self Loyalty heuristic

Group Goal Transformation

Before Feedback

After Feedback

140

150

160

170

180

190

200

210

220

Group IdentityIndividual Identity

Co

ntr

ibu

tio

ns

De Cremer & van Dijk, 2002

Group Loyalty

Unattractive Exit

Attractive Exit3

3.5

4

4.5

5

5.5

6

6.5

7

Group IdentityIndividual Identity

Rem

ain

in

Gro

up

Van Vugt & Hart 2004

Baseball Rivalry

Favored Team Success

Ventral Striatum Pleasure Ratings

Favored Team Failure Anterior Cingulate

Cortex

Rival Team Failure

Rival Team Success

Pain Ratings

AggressionEndorsement

Cikara, Botvinick, & Fiske, 2011

Aristotle’s Natural Ethics Priority of the Good Function argument

Function Argument

Human Social Functions Identity takes enormous energy

Social coordination Attachment Cooperation Coordinated activity Norms

Particularity Accountability

Ethical Beings

Essentially social creatures The Good Life for social beings

Ethical questions Social excellences Ubiquity of ethics “We” as important as “I”

The Good as an attractor

AcknowledgementThis work was funded by a generous

grant from the Arsht Ethics Initiatives and

the University of Miami Ethics Programs