The Divided Self

Question 1

Who said : “For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want” ?

Answer 1

St. Paul

Question 2

Which conclusions do you arrive at from the metaphor “Life is a journey” ?

Answer 2

You should learn the terrain, pick a direction, find some good traveling companions, and enjoy the trip, because there may be nothing at the end of the road

Question 3

Who has compared the mind to a wild elephant

Answer 3

Buddha

Question 4

What metaphor for the self (soul) did Plato used

Answer 4

Plato compared the self to a chariot, where the calm, rational part holds the reins and controls two horses - right, noble horse and left, wild horse.

Question 5

Into what parts is the mind divided according to Freud ?

Answer 5

Ego (rational self), Superego (society rules) and Id (desire for pleasure)

Question 6

What is the goal of psychoanalysis, according to Freud

Answer 6

To strengthen the ego

Question 7

What does the social sciences idea of people as rational agents means ?

Answer 7

It means that people set goals and pursue them intelligently by using the information and resources they have

Question 8

Where is the following phrase comes from : “I am dragged along by a strange new force. Desire and reason are pulling in different directions. I see the right way and approve it, but follow the wrong” ?

Answer 8

Medea, from “Metamorphoses” by Ovid

Question 9

What does the authors metaphor of rider on the back of an elephant means ?

Answer 9

That the rider (self) can control the elephant (desires), but only when the elephant does not have desires of his own. When the elephant really wants something the rider is no match for him.

Question 10

What are the 4 divisions of the mind, according to author ?

Answer 10

1. Mind [nervous system] vs. Body [nervous system] 2. Left [hemisphere] vs. Right [hemisphere] 3. New [part of the bran] vs. Old [part of the brain] 4. Controlled [nervous system] vs. Automatic [nervous system]

Question 11

How many neurons there are in our intestines

Answer 11

100M

Question 12

What are examples of the “gut-brain” affecting our behavior ?

Answer 12

1. Irritable bowel syndrome 2. Causes anxiety when infection is detected in the gut

Question 13

Which chakras are contained in the abdomen, according to Indian theories ?

Answer 13

Three lower chakras - colon/anus, sexual organs and gut

Question 14

Why did surgeon cut the corpus collosum in 1960s ?

Answer 14

To reduce epileptic seizures

Question 15

What side effects of the “split-brain” procedure did the psychologist Michael Gazzaniga has found ?

Answer 15

When an image was presented to the right eye (left hemisphere), patient would name it, but when presented to the right eye - patient could not name it, but could point to similar images and when asked why he pointed to a curtain image, he would readily make up an explanation for his choice (a made up explanation)

Question 16

What is the specialization of the left brain hemisphere ?

Answer 16

The left hemisphere is specialized for language processing and analytical tasks. In visual tasks, it is better at noticing details.

Question 17

What is the specialization of the right brain hemisphere ?

Answer 17

The right hemisphere is better at processing patterns in space, including that all-important pattern, the face.

Question 18

What experiments did psychologist Michael Gazzaniga perform on the “split-brain” patients ?

Answer 18

He has presented images or text separately to right and left eye or different images to each eye.

Question 19

What is “confabulation”

Answer 19

The ability of people to make up an explanation for their behavior

Question 20

How did Michael Gazzaniga define the language centers in the left brain hemisphere ?

Answer 20

Gazzaniga refers to the language centers on the left side of the brain as the interpreter module, whose job is to give a running commentary on whatever the self is doing, even though the interpreter module has no access to the real causes or motives of the self’s behavior.

Question 21

What is the “alien hand syndrome” ?

Answer 21

Happens in “split-brain” patients. In these cases, one hand, usually the left, acts of its own accord and seems to have its own agenda. The alien hand may pick up a ringing phone, but then refuse to pass the phone to the other hand or bring it up to an ear. The hand rejects choices the person has just made, for example, by putting back on the rack a shirt that the other hand has just picked out. It grabs the wrist of the other hand and tries to stop it from executing the persons conscious plans. Sometimes, the alien hand actually reaches for the persons own neck and tries to strangle him

Question 22

What are the oldest parts of the brain ?

Answer 22

Hindbrain (connected to spinal cord), midbrain, forebrain (connected to sensory organs in the front)

Question 23

What parts of the brain were added in mammals ?

Answer 23

Hypothalamus (specialized to coordinate basic drives and motivations), the hippocampus (specialized for memory), and the amygdala (specialized for emotional learning and responding). These structures are sometimes referred to as the limbic system (from Latin limbus, “border” or “margin”) because they wrap around the rest of the brain, forming a border.

Question 24

What parts of the brain were added in primates and humans ?

Answer 24

Neocortex. The front portion of the neocortex do not appear to be dedicated to specific tasks. Instead, it is available to make new associations and to engage in thinking, planning, and decision making.

Question 25

What is the “Promethean script” of human evolution ?

Answer 25

In this script, our ancestors were mere animals governed by the primitive emotions and drives of the limbic system until they received the divine gift of reason, installed in the newly expanded neocortex.

Question 26

What happens when regions of hypothalamus are stimulated with electric current in mammals ?

Answer 26

Mammals can be made gluttonous, ferocious, or hypersexual

Question 27

What can happen when a person’s frontal cortex is damaged ?

Answer 27

They sometimes show an increase in sexual and aggressive behavior because the frontal cortex plays an important role in suppressing or inhibiting behavioral impulses.

Question 28

What part of the frontal cortex is responsible for emotions ? What kind of emotions it is responsible for ?

Answer 28

The orbitofrontal (just above the eyes) cortex . The orbitofrontal cortex plays a central role when you size up the reward and punishment possibilities of a situation.

Question 29

What happens to people when their orbitofrontal cortex is damaged ?

Answer 29

Patients lose most of their emotional lives. They report that when they ought to feel emotion, they feel nothing