Role of the brain in mental processes and behaviour

Role of the brain in mental processes and behaviour

1. BRAIN VERSUS HEART DEBATE: is our brain or heart the source of our thoughts, feelings and behaviour?

   • Ancient Egyptians didn't think the brain had any role at all
     • They believed that the heart held the mind and soul and was the source of all wisdom as well as memory, emotion, personality and all life forces so the heart was left inside the body
     • liver, lungs, stomach and intestines were preserved in jars
     • the brain, was removed with an iron hook through the nostrils and thrown out due to its insignificance
   • the origin of the BVHD is traced back to ancient greek philosophers

2. MIND-BODY PROBLEM

   • Descartes agreed that the mind and body were two separate things
     • the mind is a non-physical, spiritual entity (soul) whereas the body is a physical, fleshy structure (matter)
       • although, they come into contact through the pineal gland (a tiny structure located deep in the brain) thus allowing the mind and body to interact to produce sensations, thoughts, emotions, self-awareness and other conscious experiences

3. PHRENOLOGY

   • Franz Gall proposed that different parts of the brain had different functions (localisation of the brain)