Embodiment

Embodiment refers to the perspective that perception, thinking, feelings, desires—the way we behave, experience, and live the world—are contextualized by our being active agents with the particular kind of body human beings possess. The kind of body we have is a necessary precondition for having the kind of behaviors, experiences, and meanings that we have. Embodiment includes the notion that physical structures of the body and their various psychological functions (e.g., perception, thought, emotions, motivation, behavior) depend empirically, or causally, on particular states of our body (e.g., not being able to see with our eyes closed). However, embodiment strongly emphasizes the centrality of the body as a form of lived experience, actively engaged with the world of sociocultural and physical objects. This entry discusses the ...