While classical philosophy of mind regards cognitive faculties such as consciousness
attention and emotions as autonomous modalities modern neuroscience teaches us that these
should be considered with respect to the experiencing self. Fear anger joy or sadness should
not be considered as distinct phenomena but in relation to the self which experiences them on
the one hand and expresses them on the other. This book endeavours to draw a framework of
self-referential emotions as a plane in which the self is active. Using notions from classical
and modern analytical philosophy of mind as well as findings from cognitive psychology and
neuroscience the main idea presented here is that emotions and self-referential emotions in
particular are essential for the constitution of the self. Emotions provide the self with
evaluative information about the self's faring in the world. Moreover by facilitating
communication with other 'selves' emotions further promote understanding of other's
evaluations of the self enhancing the development of a self-concept and conscious
self-experience. It is proposed that highly salient emotional self-reference and evaluative
self-experience are at the core of various levels of self-consciousness. Self-referential
emotions therefore might have implications for understanding one's behavior as well as its
breakdown in various pathologies such as in Autism spectrum disorder and affective disorders.
