Living to tell, telling to live: Experience, narrative, and the self

A robust sense of self is crucial for our mental wellbeing. This sense of self, philosophical research shows, is
constituted by our experiences and the socio-culturally shaped stories we tell about us. However, the fundamental
role of these self-narratives remains poorly understood: are they merely retrospective accounts of our
experiences, or can they influence them? By analysing the biological underpinnings of the human mind and
defining the core features of self-narratives, this project will lead to a novel theory about the sense of self. This
theory will enhance our understanding of the power of self-narratives and has the potential to provide theoretical
foundations for future applied research on the self and its disturbances.