Possessiveness as an Inductor of Deformation of Consciousness as in Illusions of Perceptions

Abstract

The research features the effect of possessiveness on consciousness. The problem was posed by K. Marx in the hypothesis that the consciousness of an individual depends on belonging to a certain social class, the differences between which are determined by relations with the ownership of the means of production. Theoretically, such an influence is possible via the psychological correlate of ownership, i.e. possessiveness. The sense of ownership, being a cognitive-affective structure, could have an impact on the reflective function of consciousness. In our previous studies, we discussed a possibility of evoking a basic perception illusion (the Uznadze effect) caused by an emotionally saturated psychological background of perception. However, a sense of ownership can play the role of such a background. But if possessiveness can contribute to the basic illusions, it would mean that it can contribute to the deformations of consciousness, because the basic illusion is a manifestation of the violation of the comparison of different parts of the perceptual field. This comparison is a function of the integrative level of reflection, which is traditionally associated with consciousness. Based on the analysis of a number of concepts, we assumed that the psychological basis of possessiveness is an act of mentally disposing of oneself, one’s Ego, in some object, as if in a place. During the experiment, the subjects were properly instructed and imposed with an act of such mental disposition in the form of a virtual assessment of the ability to trust the object. The objects were participants demonstrated to the subjects in a film. The subjects needed to evaluate who they could trust their money with. This was the way to rationalize the act of generating the "mine" – "alien" construct, which is fundamental to the sense of ownership. At the end of the video, the subjects were shown two identical circles, and they had to say if the circles were different or not. The results of the experiment showed that when the subjects had to perform the task, they saw the circles as different – much more often than in the control group. Consequently, the results confirmed the hypothesis. Possessiveness might also be capable of causing deformations of the reflective function of consciousness.