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Sociologyofhumanconsciousness

FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopediaJumpto:navigation,searchThesociologyofhumanconsciousnessusesthetheoriesandmethodologyofsociologytoexplainhumanconsciousness.ThefoundationsofthisworkmaybetracedtophilosopherandsociologistGeorgeHerbertMead,whoseworkprovidedmajorinsightsintotheformationofmind,conceptsofselfandother,andtheinternalizationofsocietyinindividualsocialbeings,viewingtheseasemergingoutofhumaninteractionandcommunication(WalterBuckley,1996;NorbertWiley,1994).Recentwork(Buckley,1996;TomR.BurnsandErikEngdahl,1998a,1998b,Burnsetal.,2003,amongothers)bringssuchasociologicalandsocialpsychologicalperspectivetobearonseveralkeyaspectsofconsciousness,andindoingsoinvertsexplanation:startingfromcollectivephenomena,oneendsupanalyzingindividualconsciousness.Inmakingthisinversion,theydonottotallyrejectreductionistapproachesnordenytheirvalueinidentifyingthe"hardware"throughwhichcollectiveandsocialpsychologicalprocessesoperate.(However,theywouldrejecttheideathatacompleteexplanationcanbeformulatedonthebasisofeitherpurelysociologicalmechanismsorunderlyingphysical,chemical,neurological,hormonal,orpsychologicalfactorsandprocesses.ForacritiqueofreductionismfromtheperspectiveofmodernphysicsandbiologyseeMorowitz(1981)).Thebiologicalandbio-physicalbasesofhumanlifearerecognized.

Contents[hide]1Theory

1.1Humanconsciousnessasareflectiveactivity1.2Individualconsciousness1.3Constructionofselvesthroughreflectivity2Relationshipwithsocialorganization2.1Oppressivereflectivity3Outlooks4Bibliography

[edit]TheoryThesociologicalapproach(Buckley,1996;BurnsandEngdahl(1998a,1998b),Wiley,1994,1986amongothers)emphasizestheimportanceoflanguage,collectiverepresentations,self-conceptions,andself-reflectivity.Thistheoreticalapproacharguesthattheshapeandfeelofhumanconsciousnessisheavily

social,andthisisnolesstrueofourexperiencesof"collectiveconsciousness"thanitisofourexperiencesofindividualconsciousness.Thetheorysuggeststhattheproblemofconsciousnesscanbeapproachedfruitfullybybeginningwiththehumangroupandcollectivephenomena:community,language,language-basedcommunication,institutional,andculturalarrangements(Wiley,1986).Acollectiveisagrouporpopulationofindividualsthatpossessesordevelopsthroughcommunicationcollectiverepresentationsormodelsof"we"asopposedto"them":agroup,community,organization,ornationiscontrastedto"other";itsvaluesandgoals,itsstructureandmodesofoperating,itsrelationtoitsenvironmentandotheragents,itspotentialitiesandweaknesses,strategiesanddevelopments,andsoon.Acollectivehasthecapacityinitscollectiverepresentationsandcommunicationsaboutwhatcharacterizesit,orwhat(andhow)thisselfperceives,judges,ordoes,orwhatitcan(andcannot)do,orshoulddo(orshouldn

otdo).Itmonitorsitsactivities,itsachievementsandfailures,andalsotoagreaterorlesserextent,analyzesanddiscussesitselfasadefinedanddevelopingcollectiveagent.Thisiswhatismeantbyself-reflectivity.Suchreflectivityisencodedinlanguageanddevelopedinconversationsaboutcollectiveselves(aswediscussbelow,therearealsoconversationsabouttheselvesofindividuals,defining,justifying,andstigmatizingthem).

[edit]HumanconsciousnessasareflectiveactivityHumanconsciousnessinatleastonemajorsenseisatypeofreflectiveactivity.Itentailsthecapacitytoobserve,monitor,judge,anddecideaboutthecollectiveself.Thisisabasisf

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ormaintainingaparticularcollectiveasitisunderstoodorrepresented;itisabasisforre-orientingandre-organizingthecollectiveselfinresponsetoperformancefailingsorprofoundcrisis(economic,political,cultural).Collectivereflectivityemergesthenasafunctionofagroupororganizationproducingandmakinguseofcollectiverepresentationsoftheselfinitsdiscussions,criticalreflections,planning,andactions.

[edit]IndividualconsciousnessIndividualconsciousnessisthenormaloutcomeofprocessesofcollectivenaming,classifying,monitoring,judging,andreflectingontheindividualmembersofthegroupororganization.Andanindividualinacollectivecontextlearnstoparticipateindiscussionsanddiscoursesabout"themself",thatis,groupreflectionsonthemself,theirappearance,theirorientationsandattitudes,theirstrategiesandconduct.Thus,anindividuallearns(inlinewithGeorgeHerbertMead'searlierformulations)anamingandclassificationofthemself(self-descriptionandidentity)andacharacterizationoftheirjudgments,actions,andpredispositions.

Inacquiringalanguageandconceptualframeworkforthismodeofactivityalongwithexperienceandskillsinreflectivediscussiontheydevelopacapabilityofinnerreflectionandinnerdialogaboutthemself.Thesearecharacteristicfeaturesofaparticulartypeofindividual"consciousness".Thisconceptionpointsupthesociallyconstructedcharacterofkeypropertiesofthehumanmind,realizedthroughprocessesofsocialinteractionandsocialconstruction.Insum,individualself-representation,self-reference,self-reflectivity,andexperiences

ofconsciousness,derivefromthecollectiveexperience(BurnsandEngdahl,1998b;Wiley,1986).

[edit]ConstructionofselvesthroughreflectivitySelf-reflectivityasatypeofconsciousnessoftenfacililtatescriticalexaminationandre-constructionofselves,collectiveaswellasindividual.Thisplaysanessentialroleinhumancommunities(aswellasindividualbeings)inthefaceofsystematicorhighlyriskyperformancefailuresornewtypesofproblems.Throughself-reflection,agentsmaymanageinthecourseofdirectedproblem-solvingtodevelopmoreeffectiveinstitutionalarrangements,forinstance,large-scalemeansofsocialcoordinationsuchasadministration,democraticassociation,ormarkets.

[edit]RelationshipwithsocialorganizationLanguage-basedcollectiverepresenta

tionsofthepastaswellasofthefuture,enableagentstoescapethepresent,toenterintofutureaswellaspastimaginedworlds,andtoreflecttogetherontheseworlds.Moreover,inrelationtothepast,present,andfuture,theagentsmaygeneratealternativerepresentations.Thesealternativeconstructionsimagined,discussed,struggledover,andtested,makeforthegenerationofvariety,amajorinputintoevolutionaryprocesses,asdiscussedelsewhere(Burnsetal.,2003;BurnsandDietz,1992).Suchvarietymayalsoleadtosocialconflicts,asagentsdisagreeaboutrepresentations,oropposetheimplicationsorremediestoproblemsproposedbyparticularagents.Thisopensthewayforpoliticalstrugglesaboutalternativeconceptionsandsolutions(wheredemocraticpoliticsentailsattimescollectiveself-reflectivityparexcellence).Ingeneral,suchprocessesenhancethecollectivecapacitytodealwithnewchallengesandcrises.Thus,acollectivehaspotentiallyarichbasisnotonlyfortalkingabout,dis

cussing,agreeing(ordisagreeing)aboutavarietyofobjectsincludingthe"collectiveself"aswellasparticular"individualselves";butitalsohasameanstoconceptualizeanddevelopalternativetypesofsocialrelationships,effectiveformsofleadership,coordinationandcontrol,and,ingeneral,newnormativeordersandinstitutionalarrangements.

Collectivescanevendeveloptheirpotentialitiesforcollectiverepresentationandself-reflectivity,forinstancethroughinnovationsininformationandaccountingsystemsandprocessesofsocialaccountability.Thesepotentialitiesenablesystematic,directedproblem-solving,andthegenerationofvarietyandcomple

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xstrategies.Inparticularselectiveenvironments,thesemakeformajorevolutionaryadvantages.

[edit]OppressivereflectivityThepowerfultoolofcollectivereflectivitymustbeseenasadouble-edgedswordinrelationtoexpandingfreedomofopportunityandvariability,ontheonehand,and,ontheother,imposingparticularconstraintsandlimitingvariability.Collectiverepresentationsandreflectivityanddirectedproblem-solvingbasedonthemmaypreventhumangroupsfromexperiencingordiscoveringtheun-representedandtheunnamed;unrecognizedorpoorlydefinedproblemscannotbedealtwith(asdiscussedelsewhere(Burnsetal.,2003),forinstance,inthecaseoffailuresofaccountingsystemstorecognizeortakeintoaccountimportantsocialandenvironmentalconditionsanddevelopments).Reflectiveandproblem-solvingpowersmaythenbedistorted,thegenerationofalternativesandvarietiesnarrowandlargelyineffective,andsocialinnovationandtransformationmisdirectedandpossiblyself-destructive.Thus,thepresumedevolutionaryadvantagesofhumanreflectivitymustbequalifiedorviewedasconditional.

[edit]OutlooksInsum,recentresearch,buildingontheworkofGeorgeHerbertMead,suggeststhatasociologicalandsocialpsychologicalperspectivecanbeapointofdeparturewithwhichtodefineandanalyzecertainformsofhumanconsciousness,ormoreprecisely,oneclassofconsciousnessphenomena,namelyverbalizedreflectivity:monitoring,discussing,judgingandre-orientingandre-organizingself;representingandanalyzingwhatcharacterizestheself,whatselfpe

rceives,judges,coulddo,shoulddo(orshouldnotdo)).The"hardproblem"ofconsciousness(Chalmers,1995)canbeapproachedfruitfullybybeginningwiththehumangroupandcollectivephenomena:community,language,language-basedcommunication,institutionalandculturalarrangements,collectiverepresentations,self-conceptions,andself-referentiality.Collectivereflectivityemergesasafunctionofanorganizationorgroupproducingandmakinguseofcollectiverepresentationsoftheself("we",ourgroup,community,organization,nation)initsdiscussions,criticalreflections,anddecision-making.Acollectivemonitorsanddiscussesitsactivities,achievementsandfailures,andreflectsonitselfasadefined,acting,anddevelopingcollectivebeing.Thisreflectivityisencodedinlanguageanddevelopedinconversationsaboutcollective(aswellasindividual)selves.

Individualconsciousnessisseenasderivingfromtheprocessesofcollectivenaming,classifying,monitoring,judging,reflectingon,andconductingdiscussionsanddiscoursesabout,theindividualthemself.Inacquiringalanguageandconceptualframeworkforthismodeofactivityalongwithskillsandexperiencesinreflectivediscussiontheydevelopacapabilityofinnerreflectionandinnerdiscourseaboutself,whicharecharacteristicfeaturesofindividualconsciousness.Onecanalsodistinguishmultiplemodesofindividualawarenessandconsciousness,distinguishingawarenessfromconsciousnessproper,andalsoidentifyingpre-andsub-consciouslevels(BurnsandEngdahl,1998b).Thispointsupthecomplexityofthehumanmind,inpartbecauseofitselaborationthroughprocessesofsocialinteractionandconstruction.

[edit]BibliographyBuckley,W.(1996)"Mind,Mead,andMentalBehaviorism".Appe

arsinK.M.Kwan(ed),IndividualityandSocialControl:EssaysinHonorofTamotsuShibutani.Greenwich,Conn.:JAIPress.Burns,T.R.,T.Baumgartner,T.Dietz,andNoraMachado(2003)"TheTheoryofActor-SystemDynamics:HumanAgency,RuleSystems,andCulturalEvolution."In:EncyclopediaofLifeSupportSystems.Paris:UNESCO.Burns,TomR.,andEngdahl,Erik.(1998a)."TheSocialConstructionofConsciousness:CollectiveConsciousnessanditsSocio-CulturalFoundations."JournalofConsciousnessStudies,5:No2,pp.6785.Burns,TomR.,andEngdahl,Erik.(1998b)."TheSocialConstructionofConsciousness:IndividualSelves,Self-Awareness,andReflectivity."JournalofConsciousn

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essStudies,5:No.2,pp.166184Chalmers,D.J.(1995),"Facinguptotheproblemofconsciousness."JournalofConsciousnessStudies,2(3),pp.20019.Morowitz,H.J.(1981)"RediscoveringtheMind."InD.R.HofstadterandD.C.Dennet(eds.)TheMind'sI:FantasiesandReflectionsofSelfandSoul.Harmondsworth:Penguin.Wiley,N.(1994)TheSemioticSelf.Cambridge:PolityPress.Wiley,N.(1986a)"HistoryoftheSelf:FromPrimatestoPresent."PaperpresentedattheGerman-AmericanTheoryConference,August1986,Berkeley,California.Retrievedfrom"http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sociology_of_human_consciousness&oldid=497625461"HelpimprovethispageWhat'sthis?What'sthis?Wikipediawouldliketohearwhatyouthinkofthisarticle.Shareyourfeedbackwiththeeditorsandhelpimprovethispage.Learnmore>>

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