Dissociation and self‐awareness in directed daydreaming

Abstract

Self‐awareness, as the ability to be the observer of one's own cognitive. affective, and volitional states, was explored in directed daydreaming. Self‐awareness of varying complexity and depth was found in the dissociated ego states, which were experienced as relatively discontinuous with each other in space and time, and discontinuous with the subjects' usual experience of a cohesive self. An extreme expression of shallow self‐awareness was found for a few subjects who reported a fantasy with no experience of a self. The most elaborate form of self‐awareness, coconsciousness, was found for the majority of subjects in the two‐ego state group, where both of their ego states were associated with an identity feeling, and where one ego state evidenced full awareness of the thoughts and feelings of the other state. Coconsciousness was found to be a prerequisite for deep self‐awareness in directed daydreaming.