Selfpresence

Selfpresence is the subjective state of being aware of and in tune with one's own thoughts, feelings, sensations, and identity in the current moment. It encompasses self-awareness and embodied presence, allowing authentic interaction with the environment.

The term selfpresence combines "self" and "presence" and appears in philosophy and psychology literature exploring first-person experience; it is sometimes used in mindfulness and neurophenomenology to describe how individuals cultivate direct access to their internal states.

Theoretical foundations are rooted in phenomenology (Husserl, Merleau-Ponty) on the intentionality of consciousness and the embodied self, as well as in psychology's concept of the sense of self, including minimal and narrative aspects, and in mindfulness traditions emphasizing nonjudgmental present-moment awareness.

Researchers use selfpresence scales, experience sampling, or behavioral proxies to assess selfpresence, and it is studied in contexts such as meditation, therapy, education, human-computer interaction, and virtual reality to gauge users' sense of self during tasks.

Applications include enhanced concentration, emotional regulation, and interpersonal empathy, along with implications for design of digital interfaces and environments that support users’ sense of self and authentic engagement.

Criticisms focus on conceptual overlap with existing terms, the subjectivity of introspective reports, cross-cultural variability, and the lack of standard definitions and metrics, suggesting caution in comparing findings across studies.

See also mindfulness, self-awareness, embodiment, phenomenology, and presence.