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To Live Inside One’s Head: an infant’s testimony

Solipsism is a philosophical term involving a narcissistic perspective about the non-existence of aspects outside of one’s own head. No other minds exist except for the one perceiving her/his particular reality. The developmental characteristics of infants incur a solipsist view of life; it is them, and them alone reeling through the valleys of the unknown—looking for meaning and connectivity amid their own realm. However, as infants obtain maturation through developmental phases of adolescents, etc., solipsism is no longer applicable; the belief that other children, teenagers, etc. share an intrinsic experience becomes actualized.

To implement the religiosity of the status quo, even as adults, the solipsist perspective becomes volatile with an intolerable thirst for missionary conviction. The belief that only their god exists (or even exist at all), or the authoritative proclamation that gays are an abomination (theologically motivated) to society is solipsism carried over into adulthood. By what merit does one proclaim the morality of the day; is it innate through some moral genetic DNA strand; or is it merely justifications through ancient writings concocted by people like us?

To be ethical is to transcend societal morality; an agreed upon status quo amid the oligarchy. Solipsism…the lack of maturation of an adult mind strapped in the girdle of theological infantilization; it’s all about me.

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Tom Sarbeck on October 11, 2011 at 12:20am

Might 'solipsism' describe philosophically what 'sociopathy' (now a personality disorder) describes psychologically?

Permalink Reply by Ashleigh Carter on October 11, 2011 at 12:50am

I'd agree with this.

Permalink Reply by Robert Affinis on October 14, 2011 at 3:14pm

Funny you should ask that. Would it not be fitting to label religious zealots as sociopaths under the guise of religion? There could be a definite link.

Permalink Reply by John Cantor on October 19, 2011 at 8:13am

A sociopath cannot empathize with others. To a solipsist, there are no others. A similar state of being; but what the solopsist will ignore, the sociopath will often exploit.

Permalink Reply by Maruli Marulaki on October 11, 2011 at 12:35am

Narcissists, no matter if as children as a phase of their development or as more or less disordered adults, experience all other persons as only existing for the one purpose of being a commodity and utility serving the narcissist's needs.
An imaginary good, who can be commanded by prayer, or bribed by rituals, donations and sacrifices is just another being in existence for the personal convenience of the narcissist. Considering the fact, that there are billions of people on earth but that there is supposed to be only one god, it needs a lot of narcissistic delusion to think, that this god is there exclusively and with priority for this one narcissist, who believes, that this god especially listens to him, whenever he prays.

Permalink Reply by Robert Affinis on October 14, 2011 at 3:15pm

So "god"? is the biggest narcissistic character of all...I agree.

Permalink Reply by Tom Sarbeck on October 15, 2011 at 1:45am

Having cared for two newly born siblings during my teens, it makes sense that young children see caregivers as utilities, or servants.

I was about fifty when I heard children's nay-saying described as a process of individuation that starts when they are 18 months old. I recall it's being said that until individuation, children don't distinguish themselves from their caregivers.

Unless the thinking about individuation has changed, kids' seeing their caregivers as utilities or servants would seem to begin after individuation, and begin to end when they have to start obeying their parents or be punished.

In Catholic schools, having say zillions of times the words "Lord, I am not worthy...." ended any narcissistic delusions of grandeur I had. I took years to regain those delusions.

Permalink Reply by Robert Affinis on October 16, 2011 at 9:08pm

Your last statement is interesting; laying bare the alleviation of narcissism based on the feeling of unworthiness. However, so-called blessings and the omnipotence that believers have in their gods shifts the narcissistic position in another direction...god only watches over the ones in my religion.

Permalink Reply by Tom Sarbeck on October 17, 2011 at 12:09am

So true. Nuns again and again saying "Error has no rights" helped shift the narcissism in the direction you point out.

Permalink Reply by Jim DePaulo on October 14, 2011 at 4:55pm