How Brains Make Up Their Minds Book Review

According to recent psychological studies described in “First Person Plural” the human mind may not be characterized by “I,” but “we.” In other words, there are different individuals with varying desires and motivations that control human decisions within the brain when influenced by certain stimuli. These personas fight for control, such as the self that wants to eat junk food or the self that wants to stay on a

A long-debated argument in the field of Psychology has been which theory or explanation of human behavior is the most important and the most viable. Is B. F. Skinner’s theory that behavior is the result of man’s response to external stimuli or is Carl Rogers’ theory that man’s behavior is the result of his determination to achieve self-actualization the best explanation? After much research and thought, I will argue in favor of Carl Rogers’ Humanistic Theory that “emphasizes the unique qualities of humans, especially their freedom and their potential for personal growth” (Weiten, 2016, p. 9).

Throughout the course of history, the phenomenon of psychology has drawn countless psychologists and scientists to further comprehend the depths and fascinations of the human mind and body. Using experimentation as a source of obtaining and recording desired information regarding the new realizations of the mind, cognitive scientists continue to fathom at the intricate revelations the mind has to offer. Although the complexities of the mind have brought scientists to puzzling conclusions, scientists have used a series of experimental steps to conclude how and why the processes of the brain can change the actions and personalities of an individual.

Angie Bachmann married young, a typical wife and mother of three, develops a devastating addiction to gambling, leading to the family’s bankruptcy. She was a bored housewife and a stay-at-home mom who one day decided to go gambling which led to her addiction until she lost everything in gambling at Harrah’s Casino. This book, The Neurology of Free Will written by Charles Duhigg, illustrates the challenging case of Angie Bachmann who gambled away every penny she inherited after her parents’ death, and then another $125,000 she borrowed from the casino. Harrah’s casino sued Bachmann then for the money she borrowed and held responsible for her actions. Bachmann, on the other hand, countersued defending her case. She claimed that even though

In the book, “Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain,” David Eagleman challenges many ideas that we might have about our identities, mindset, perception and how they all come together to affect our actions and beliefs. Eagleman talks about how our brains work with our bodies to perceive our everyday life and tasks. He explains that the brain is a three- pound organ that takes control of our daily actions and alters our way of thinking and performing certain tasks. He states that it is easier for our brains to perform tasks like ride a bike or drive a car without thinking too much about it. In his book, he also talks about how the brain does not perform or think the same way someone else's brain might. The brain can automatically do a certain task without you even realizing it and is even able to make up a response when you don't remember exact details of a past event. This book has challenged many ideas that we may already have, or known about ourselves, and raises many questions about how our brain works to perceive and analyze information.

In today’s session, group members learned about how thoughts and emotions contribute to behavior, and how to observe, analyze and responses to those thoughts and emotions in different ways. The common behavior traits that related to substance use were discussed, as well.

In this book, Sam Harris believed that the reality about human mind does not diminish morality and the significance of social and political freedom, however it can and should modify the way individuals believe about some of the most essential questions in life. The idea of free will affects almost everything that us, human beings, give importance to. It is hard to comprehend about morality, as well as the sentiment of guilt or even personal accomplishments without first thinking that every human being is the true foundation of his or her thoughts and actions. Thus far, the facts tell us that free will is just a mere

In “Bullet in the Brain,” author Tobias Wolff uses a non-traditional plot and a technique of zooming in/zooming out to help readers understand the difference between wasting their lives or living fully. The effect of shifts in the plot, point of view, and different perspectives of his character startle the reader while simultaneously pulling him into an expanded awareness of the story and its underlying central idea. “Bullet in the Brain” demonstrates Wolff’s profound approach to life with the theme that a life not lived fully is worse than death. It is the process of choosing how to respond boldly and courageously to random acts in each moment that is important and memorable.

BibliographyBooks1.Burt, C. (1962). The concept of consciousness. British Journal of Psychology, 53, 229-2422.Carlson, N., & Buskist, W. (1997). Psychology: The science of behavior (5th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

But also in the book it discusses how people do not agree with creating one’s own purpose. They think that if they create their own purpose, then that means that their life meaning is not as meaningful. I do agree with this to some extent but I also think that we know ourselves the best and if we create our own life meaning it can be the most fulfilling. A quote from this chapter is, “What matters is not necessarily what the inventor had in mind, but the uses or purposes the innovation actually has” (p.12). This quote is saying that for example the predetermined meaning of humans is not really important at all. It is what purposes a human can bring about in this world.

The beating drum of the machine makes the grass surrounding me ache and sway to its never-ending rhythm. From the moment I woke here the machines have etched it’s name across the inside of my skull, leaving the walls that surround me ugly and disfigured. If my dad were here he'd say, ‘isn’t it astonishing how intranet the human brain is or something about how his dead languages class would find something like this ‘quite fascinating’, but he's not. The only portal to the outside world is glossed over in milky tears that never get wiped away anymore. My dad's too busy wiping away his own to even come close to my lifeless corpse on my steel frame coffin, or at least that's what it feels like.

This will to meaning is the culmination of our developmental process. To cultivate an individual’s capacity to find meaning in their life is the greatest goal, and the source of mankind’s anxiety and neuroses. We all wish to find the meaning within our life, and are unfulfilled when we miss the mark. But according to Frankl, there is always meaning in life, in every single moment, from one to the next we all are capable of making a choice about ourselves, and beyond that, have a responsibility to do so. Even with the transitory nature of our existence and hopelessness in the face of certain death, there is still meaning to be found, there is still freedom to be earned.

The first one is a design/physical psychology which is foundational, for the early Dennett this is the true scientific psychology. The second is an instrumental belief/desire psychology which is supervenient upon the first one and used to predict behaviour.6 However, Dennett cannot settle on the instrumentalist view and causality comes to the fore due to the essentiality of causality to moral agency. This is also fundamental to what he sees as an important task of devising constitutional descriptions of the concepts of personhood, moral agency and responsibility. These require causally effective intentional states which are not instrumentally inferred. For my research purposes this distinction is essential to any positive concept of free will as this allows authorship in actions for an agent as opposed to an agent simply being implicated in a causal chain.

Human behavior has been a mystery to scientists and psychologists for years. What causes humans to act the way they do? Is it learned by experience, or inherited from prior generations? The human brain is a complex machine driven by numerous intangibles that influence our thinking process directly and indirectly.

As humans seek solutions to various social, political, educational, and personal issues; the understanding of their l purpose must be based on the foundation of philosophy followed with action. The understanding and definition of the philosophical purpose will result in a concrete and proper resolution to plaguing issues. The areas of “mindlessness” and it’s occurrence through different facets will be explored further to assist to help understand why many decisions are not made with clarity.