Download pdf
Integrating David Hume’s Philosophy with Contemporary Psychology: A Dynamic Approach to Understanding Self-Identity
- 1 Columbia University
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The exploration of self-identity is a central theme in both philosophy and psychology, offering crucial insights into personal continuity and the nature of the self. David Hume's A Treatise of Human Nature presents a groundbreaking view that challenges the traditional notion of a stable, enduring self. Hume argues that the self is not a singular, unchanging entity but a fluid collection of perceptions, including sensory experiences, thoughts, and emotions, all in constant flux. This contrasts sharply with traditional psychological theories, which emphasize a consistent self-concept and stable personality traits. This paper integrates Hume's philosophical insights with contemporary psychological frameworks to develop a more nuanced understanding of self-identity as a complex, fluid, and context-sensitive construct. Hume's ideas on memory, imagination, and reflexive impressions extend traditional models of self-identity, offering a dynamic perspective that aligns with modern psychological theories emphasizing the evolving nature of personal identity. The integration of Hume's perspective has significant implications for clinical practice, suggesting the need for more flexible therapeutic approaches that acknowledge the dynamic nature of self-identity. This includes supporting individuals through identity transitions and embracing the variability in self-concept. By merging philosophical and psychological perspectives, this paper contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of self-identity, providing valuable insights for both theoretical exploration and practical application in psychological practice.
Keywords
David Hume, self-identity, self-concept
[1]. McAdams, D.P. and K.S. Cox, Self and identity across the life span. The handbook of life‐span development, 2010.
[2]. Hume, D., A treatise of human nature. 2000: Oxford University Press.
[3]. Freeman, J.W., Hume and Husserl: philosophy of the self. 2010, Memorial University of Newfoundland.
[4]. Luyten, P., J. Corveleyn, and S.J. Blatt, The convergence among psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral theories of depression: A critical review of empirical research. The theory and treatment of depression, 2013: p. 95-135.
[5]. Hixson, T.P., Psychotherapist personality, theoretical orientation, and integration: Personality traits of psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral clinical psychologists. 2003: Adelphi University, The Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies.
[6]. Pike, N., Hume's bundle theory of the self: A limited defense. American Philosophical Quarterly, 1967. 4(2): p. 159-165.
[7]. Lichtenstein, H., The dilemma of human identity: Notes on self-transformation, self-objectivation, and metamorphosis. Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association, 1963. 11(1): p. 173-223.
[8]. Segall, S.Z. and S.Z. Segall, Self and self-transcendence. Buddhism and Human Flourishing: A Modern Western Perspective, 2020: p. 115-141.
[9]. Strawson, G., The evident connexion: Hume on personal identity. 2011: OUP Oxford.
[10]. Moje, E.B. and A. Luke, Literacy and identity: Examining the metaphors in history and contemporary research. Reading research quarterly, 2009. 44(4): p. 415-437.
[11]. Somers, M.R. and G.D. Gibson, Reclaiming the epistemological other: narrative and the social constitution of identity. 1993.
[12]. Azeri, S., Hume’s theory of social constitution of the self. Filozofija i društvo, 2019. 30(4): p. 511-534.
[13]. Fernández, J., Memory: A self-referential account. 2019: Oxford University Press, USA.
[14]. Biro, J.I., Hume on self-identity and memory. The Review of Metaphysics, 1976: p. 19-38.
[15]. Valenza, R., Editing the self: David Hume's narrative theory. The Eighteenth Century, 2002. 43(2): p. 137-160.
[16]. Penelhum, T., Hume on personal identity. The Philosophical Review, 1955. 64(4): p. 571-589.
[17]. Winkler, K.P., " All Is Revolution in Us": Personal Identity in Shaftesbury and Hume. Hume Studies, 2000. 26(1): p. 3-40.
[18]. Schau, H.J., Identity projects and the marketplace. Consumer culture theory, 2018: p. 19-39.
[19]. Taylor, J.A., Reflecting Subjects: Passion, Sympathy, and Society in Hume's Philosophy. 2015: Oxford University Press, USA.
[20]. Herman, D., Storytelling and the Sciences of Mind. 2017: MIT press.
[21]. Siegel, D.J., The developing mind: How relationships and the brain interact to shape who we are. 2020: Guilford Publications.
[22]. Bornstein, R.F., Psychodynamic theory and personality disorders. Handbook of personology and psychopathology, 2005: p. 164-180.
[23]. Roberts, B.W. and A. Caspi, The cumulative continuity model of personality development: Striking a balance between continuity and change in personality traits across the life course. Understanding human development: Dialogues with lifespan psychology, 2003: p. 183-214.
[24]. Penelhum, T., Hume. 1975: Springer.
[25]. Noxon, J., Senses of Identity in Hume's Treatise. Dialogue: Canadian Philosophical Review/Revue canadienne de philosophie, 1969. 8(3): p. 367-384.
[26]. Alsaker, F.D. and J. Kroger, Self-concept, self-esteem, and identity, in Handbook of adolescent development. 2020, Psychology Press. p. 90-117.
[27]. Lynch, S.M., Hume on self-constitution: the interplay behind the fiction. 1998, UNSW Sydney.
[28]. Spencer, M.B., Social and cultural influences on school adjustment: The application of an identity-focused. Educational psychologist, 1999. 34(1): p. 43-57.
[29]. Jennings, P.L., M.S. Mitchell, and S.T. Hannah, The moral self: A review and integration of the literature. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 2015. 36(S1): p. S104-S168.
[30]. Neslioğlu, E.F., The formation of the self as mental unity and moral agency in hume’s philosophy. 2008.
[31]. Zavalloni, M., The affective-representational circuit as the foundation of identity. New ideas in psychology, 1986. 4(3): p. 333-349.
[32]. Erikson, E., Theory of identity development. E. Erikson, Identity and the life cycle. Nueva York: International Universities Press. Obtenido de http://childdevpsychology. yolasite. com/resources/theory% 20of% 20ident ity% 20erikson. pdf, 1959.
[33]. McAdams, D.P., The psychology of life stories. Review of general psychology, 2001. 5(2): p. 100-122.
[34]. Downey, G., J. Eccles, and C. Chatman, Navigating the future: Social identity, coping, and life tasks. 2006: Russell Sage Foundation.
[35]. Ainslie, D.C., Scepticism about persons in book II of Hume's Treatise. Journal of the History of Philosophy, 1999. 37(3): p. 469-492.
[36]. Klimstra, T.A. and J.J. Denissen, A theoretical framework for the associations between identity and psychopathology. Developmental psychology, 2017. 53(11): p. 2052.
[37]. Coyle, A. and N. Murtagh, Qualitative approaches to research using Identity Process Theory. Identity process theory: Identity, social action and social change, 2014: p. 41-64.
Cite this article
Guo,Z. (2025). Integrating David Hume’s Philosophy with Contemporary Psychology: A Dynamic Approach to Understanding Self-Identity. Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media,81,63-69.
Data availability
The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.
Disclaimer/Publisher's Note
The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of EWA Publishing and/or the editor(s). EWA Publishing and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content.
About volume
Volume title: Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Social Psychology and Humanity Studies
© 2024 by the author(s). Licensee EWA Publishing, Oxford, UK. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and
conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. Authors who
publish this series agree to the following terms:
1. Authors retain copyright and grant the series right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this
series.
2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the series's published
version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial
publication in this series.
3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and
during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See
Open access policy for details).