Minimum Self

The concept of the Minimal Self (MS) is situated within self theories proposed from various neuro-phenomenological perspectives. This concept was initially introduced by William James in the early 1900s to distinguish the Minimal Self from the Narrative Self (NS).

Origins and Conceptualization

Building on James’s studies, Gallagher was the first, in the early 2000s, to systematically rework the concept, transferring it from the phenomenological domain to the neuroscientific one. In recent years, research has conceived each of these self-states as specific configurations of self-awareness and mental contents.

In neuroscientific research, the neuro-phenomenological paradigm initiated by Varela, Thompson, and Rosch aims to integrate:

• first-person subjective reports referring to the experience of self-awareness;
• third-person objective measurements, including electrophysiological measures;
• and in more recent studies, behavioral data related to Executive Functions.

Definition and Characteristics

The Minimal Self emerges from the awareness of a living body situated in space and allows a perception of the “here and now.” It arises from the awareness of a living body as a sensorimotor unit that enables ipseity in the physical world, has a short temporal extension, and possesses a sense of action, property, and non-conceptual first-person content.

The Minimal Self within the Sphere Model of Consciousness

In the neuro-phenomenological model developed by Patrizio Paoletti, called the Sphere Model of Consciousness, three types of Self are considered: in addition to the Narrative Self, the Minimal Self, the state of Self-Transcendence is included, in which any sense of self disappears. They are represented as concentric circles around a center, with the Narrative Self (NS) on the outermost layer, the Minimal Self (MS) in the middle, and Self-Transcendence (ST) at the center.

Each of them is characterized by a state of self-awareness and a particular phenomenology of first-person experience, expressed through components guided by functionality and cognition.

Figure 1 – A. The Sphere Model of Consciousness. B. The different Selves in the SMC and their main suggested electrophysiological correlates. The Narrative Self is linked to gamma and beta, the Minimal Self is linked to a transition toward alpha and theta, and Self-Transcendence is mainly associated with delta activity. [Adapted from Paoletti & Ben-Soussan 2019, 2020]

Electrophysiological Correlates and Connections with Meditation

According to a comprehensive review of scientific literature published by RINED, the Research Institute of Neuroscience, Education, and Didactics of the Patrizio Paoletti Foundation, the Minimal Self shows a strong correlation with alpha and theta brain frequencies, which appear in more relaxed states and are associated with meditation, inward-focused attention, and reduced arousalL'arousal è un concetto psicologico e fisiologico complesso... Leggi, especially when there is a directed internal attentional focus.

Research conducted by RINED, featured in multiple scientific publications, suggests that increased practice through meditation of psychological states associated with the Minimal Self may produce beneficial effects at various levels and across different psycho-physiological perspectives.