The Inter-Processual Self

How should we understand the self, as well as personal, relational and systemic growth? This volume proposes a radical new way of answering this question. It rests on a non-representational theory of knowledge on how to approach and understand the self and action more broadly. Although it has never been lost, the Aristotelian emphasis on excellence in moral character and practical reason as preconditions for achieving happiness has gradually been degraded. This book suggests that this has happened thanks to a split between knowledge and action that can be traced back to the origins of modernity. Modern academic disciplines in general, and psychology in particular, are based on the idealisation of theoretical, hypothetical and abstract reason, suggesting that this morally neutral ideal must guide human action. This volume systematically integrates those domains in a more profound and meaningful proposal, relevant for current times and challenges.

Based on previous research bridging philosophy, psychology and neuroscience, the contributors here identify two alternative paradigms for conceiving of the self and human development: the so-called “autonomous self” (AS) and the “inter-processual self” (IPS). The book considers the person as an ethical being and as the foundational cornerstone of a new theory of self, action and knowing that achieves decisive distance from modern theory’s limitations. To keep on-going dialogue on human development open, the authors introduce a new theoretical model (IPS) which can be scientifically measured and tested; they also suggest its further application in concrete, practical realms, thus touching on how the adoption of the IPS paradigm inspires a renewed view of human cognition, education, governance, and business management.