Under Construction Journal Issue 6.1 UNDER CONSTRUCTION JOURNAL 6.1 | Page 67

to the original person there would be a great change. For regardless of the fact there is a new replica of
himself in another country, only the original John Smith experienced what it was like to disappear!
Essentialists say that what is essential to us, is what is recognisable- our personalities and memories or
our likes and dislikes. However, could it not also be said that we are actually recognized by our physicality?
A large part of our social existence relies upon our face and our physical form - our passports, driver’s
licences and even social media profiles all display pictures of ourselves to allow us to be recognised as it
is the fastest way of being identified by others. Although our identities largely lie in our memories and
beliefs, we would be much harder to recognize with a different face and body. Yet, if you had lost all of
your memories, the fact others could still recognise you as you would not help, if you could not recognise
yourself in the mirror.
Social Interaction
Our social interactions are integral for our development from an incredibly early age. For example, in
young children there is what is known as “the Critical Period” meaning that there is a set time period to
be able to develop language skills- and the “the Critical Period” is the period within our development that
means if we are not properly communicated and socialised with, we will be physically incapable of fully
developing language skills (Brogaard 2017). In other words, we would never be able to communicate
properly without sufficient and timely socialisation. This is best demonstrated in the case study of Genie.
Genie’s parents kept her secluded from society in a basement and throughout her life, she never met or
saw another person and her own parents didn’t ever speak to her due to an intolerance for noise (Fromkin,
1974, p. 84). According to investigations carried out on the child, once she was saved from her
confinement- there was no evidence of her being born with any impairments (mental or physical) or
disabilities: “she had a normal birth, she wasn’t born with any mental or learning difficulties” (Fromkin,
1974, p. 85). However, when Genie was saved from her cruel confinement, she wasn’t physically capable
of speaking as she had never been communicated with and thus had missed “the Critical Period”, meaning
she would never actually be able to communicate or talk properly. Therefore, without existing in some
sort of social circumstance, we are unable to communicate and, really, without communication how are
we to develop experiences that then shape our consciousness?
Philosophically, this concept is reinforced by George Mead’s theory of the mind. This theory
begins by expressing the idea that the mind and body are not separate entities, as many philosophers
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