autonoesis
|au-to-no-e-sis|
🇺🇸
/ˌɔːtəˈnoʊɪsɪs/
🇬🇧
/ˌɔːtəˈnəʊɪsɪs/
self-aware remembering
Etymology
'autonoesis' originates from modern English psychological terminology, formed from Greek elements 'auto-' meaning 'self' and 'noesis' meaning 'thinking' or 'perception'.
'autonoesis' was coined in the context of cognitive psychology (notably discussed by Endel Tulving in the study of episodic memory) by combining Greek 'auto-' + 'noesis' (from Greek νοησις 'noēsis'), producing the technical term now used in English.
Initially formed from roots meaning 'self' + 'thinking', the term evolved into a technical label for the self-reflective aspect of episodic memory — the capacity to subjectively re-experience past events.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the subjective sense of self in episodic memory — the capacity to mentally place oneself in past (or future) experiences and re-experience them as belonging to the self (also called autonoetic consciousness).
Autonoesis allows someone to mentally travel back to a childhood event and re-experience it as their own memory.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/09/24 22:04