ABSTRACT
This chapter suggests that Girardian mimetic theory and the Mikhail Bakhtinian concept of the dialogical self are more than just complementary ways of approaching the problem of consciousness and the self. It presents the convergence of discourses from different disciplines on the themes of intersubjectivity, embodiment, individual difference, and dialogical consciousness. Dialogical interaction is defined by human beings negotiating their positions with other human beings, asserting their needs and desires, and their versions of truth. Dialogical interaction is embodied interaction involving complex human abilities that cannot be separated from biological functions. The dialogical self is understood in terms of dialogically related separate voices or selves who "speak" to each other and co-define one another. Convergent evidence across the modern disciplines of developmental psychology and cognitive neuroscience demonstrate that imitation based on mirrored neural activity and reciprocal interpersonal behaviour is what guide and scaffold human development.
