consciousness of self The implication of Descartes' famous "Cogito ergo sum" is that awareness of one's own existence entails that one exists. This is because consciousness creates a perspective, and awareness of this is a self-reflexive perspective of oneself. This is one aspect of intentionality that cannot fail. Intentionality can fail at all levels of content, but not at the level of intending through awareness the existence of the self that is consciously intending. self-consciousness selfhood Consciousness of self is the higher order consciousness that reflexively includes the awareness that the organism that is the subject of the conscious experience exists. consciousness of the existence of the self higher order consciousness