itselfanticipation

Itselfanticipation is a coined term for the cognitive and affective ability to anticipate future states and changes that concern the self. It emphasizes projecting the self into future scenarios and predicting how present actions will shape future identities, preferences, emotions, and capabilities. The term can apply to bodily states, psychological states, social roles, and personal trajectories, for individuals, groups, or artificial agents modeling a self.

The concept intersects with predictive processing and self-representation in cognitive science. It overlaps with autonoetic consciousness (the capacity to think about oneself in the past and future) and with future-oriented decision making. It also relates to self-continuity—the sense that past, present, and future selves form a coherent narrative, influencing present behavior.

In research and applied contexts, itselfanticipation could illuminate how people plan, defer gratification, or assess risk for the long term. In AI and human–computer interaction, models of itselfanticipation could help systems infer upcoming user states and offer timely support, reminders, or adaptive interfaces.

The term remains nascent and variably defined. Operationalization requires clear criteria for what counts as a future-self state, how to measure it, and how it differs from general future-oriented thinking or prospective memory.

Limitations include potential cultural variation, risk of vague usage, and ethical considerations when shaping or exploiting a person’s future self. Further work should specify boundaries, develop standardized tasks, and connect the idea to established theories of time, identity, and cognition.