ABSTRACT
This chapter considers two puzzles: How do humans in general form a cohesive consistent sense of identity despite constant change and how does each person form a sense of uniqueness—of individuality. The multifaceted experience of infants is the source of the core sense of self and continues with flexibility throughout life. Identity draws on the core sense of self, alters with the development of language and all later development, but retains a centrality for the person. Emerging from the brain's selective and integrative activity, the narratives—mini-stories of the sense of self as a doer doing, initiating and responding, give coherence to lived experiences. The core sense of self emerges from the interaction between a subjective and intersubjective perspective. It suggests that invariance in the sense of the uniqueness of each individual's identity derives from the emergence of qualities particular to that individual.
