*****This dissertation has been published as : "Love and Selfhood : Self-understanding Through Philosophy and Cognitive Neuroscience" and can be found at : https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007...Show more*****This dissertation has been published as : "Love and Selfhood : Self-understanding Through Philosophy and Cognitive Neuroscience" and can be found at : https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-06801-0 *****‘Who am I really?’ When people ask themselves this question, they often find themselves in situations or dilemmas that may be labeled ‘existential’. They need to take an important decision, for example, and reflect on what is of fundamental importance to them. Also without explicit self-reflection, people’s behavior and experiences are influenced by what they care about most. Several philosophers have reflected on this existential aspect of selfhood. These days, cognitive neuroscientists too investigate e.g. love and self-reflection. What contributions to our understanding of the existential aspect of human lives can philosophy and cognitive neuroscience (CNS) make?I investigate existing CNS research into love and self-reflection and existing philosophies of existential selfhood, by Harry Frankfurt, Søren Kierkegaard and Charles Taylor, amongst others. I argue that CNS and philosophy are not in opposition with each other, as they address different types of questions. Moreover, CNS may benefit from cooperation with philosophy where reflection on moments of interpretation in its research process is concerned. I develop conceptual review as a tool to do so. I end with a philosophical view on existential selfhood and existential self-understanding that improves on existing philosophies and integrates insights from CNS where applicable. Show less
The human body is inherently designed to be able to adapt to challenging situations. However, some experiences are so severe that they can lead to substantial and longerlasting disturbances in an... Show moreThe human body is inherently designed to be able to adapt to challenging situations. However, some experiences are so severe that they can lead to substantial and longerlasting disturbances in an individuals’ behavioral, psychological and physiological functioning. Importantly, there is a degree of inter-individual variation, as not all individuals show similar reactions to severe stress. Neuroimaging techniques can help to unravel the brain characteristics related to vulnerability and resilience to severe stress. In the research for this dissertation several neuroimaging modalities were used to further explore the brain characteristics related to (dys)function after exposure to severe stress and after exposure to hypercortisolism, such as voxel-based morphometry and diffusion tensor imaging to study the structure of gray and white matter in the brain, and resting-state fMRI to study functional connectivity patterns. We studied brain characteristics in several groups consisting of: patients in long-term remission of Cushing’s disease, and individuals with a history of childhood emotional maltreatment to examine the effects of hypercortisolism and severe stress on the brain. In addition, we studied a group of police officers and a group of individuals with a history of childhood maltreatment to investigate the brain characteristics related to resilience to stress. Show less
