Critically analyze the role of the mind in self-knowledge
Self-knowledge is the conscious knowledge of person’s own character, motives feelings and desires. The human mind plays a major role in self-knowledge in the following ways:
Self-knowledge is a natural process which is controlled biologically by the brain. It provides the necessary information for conscious self-monitoring which is referred to as metacognition. Metacognition is a tool that consciously controls our behavior and adjusts our experiences of the world around us.
Neuroscientists believe that there are three regions of the brain which are very important for self-knowledge. These are the insular cortex, the medial prefrontal cortex and the anterior cingulate cortex.
The paralimbic network of the brain is associated with self-knowledge. Shifting patterns of cerebral activation occurs with change in contents of consciousness which occurs when our minds wander during yoga, meditation or in the normal resting state of consciousness. In spite of the variability, in creating self-knowledge a set of medial paralimbic regions is continuously active which includes the lateral and medial prefrontal cortex, the right striatum and the right medial parietal cortex.
Self-knowledge in the brain is related to introception which refers to the sense of the internal state of our bodies which include things such as heart rate, hunger breathing among others. The region of the brain involved in processing senses related to self-awareness is the insular cortex with the insula being involved in introception which includes senses such as taste. The wider limbic system of the brain is the basis for emotions and interaction with cognition and it also play a big role in self-knowledge.