We often think of the self as something that exists independent of social relations, but without society, there would be no need for a self or any of the concepts that relate to the self, including morality, duties, belonging, or reputation.

Roy F. Baumeister is a professor of psychology at the University of Queensland and is known for his work on several areas such as the self, self-control, self-esteem, motivation, and free will. His latest book is The Self Explained which builds on previous books, including The Power of Bad: And How to Overcome It, where he explores negativity bias and Willpower: Rediscovering Our Greatest Strength.

Greg and Roy discuss how the notion of the self is used and why it evolved in the first place, along with the ways that humans are different from animals psychologically. Roy identifies a few key features of psychology and traces some of psychology’s concepts historically. In the end, they discuss the practicality and efficacy of different ways of building character and avoiding temptations.

*unSILOed Podcast is produced by University FM.*

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