The concept of the self being defined by a continuity of consciousness over time is associated with which philosopher?

• A. John Locke
• B. Jean-Jacques Rousseau
• C. Lawrence Kohlberg
• D. Anne Roe

Answer: (A)

The central idea here is how personal identity over time is established. John Locke argued that the self is defined by psychological continuity, specifically through memory. If you can remember past experiences from your own life, those memories connect your present consciousness to your earlier selves, keeping the same person across time. The memory link is what sustains personal identity, not the sameness of body or soul. If memory of earlier experiences is lost, the continuity breaks, and the same person isn’t preserved in a meaningful sense.

Rousseau is known for ideas about the social construction of the self and how society shapes who we become, Kohlberg for stages of moral development, and Roe for career and personality theories—none of these center on continuity of consciousness as the basis for personal identity.