Lesson Objectives:
At the end of this module, you
should be able to:
1. summarize the concept of phrenology; and
2. identify what part of the brain that shows your strength and weakness.
PHRENOLOGY
Phrenology posited that bumps on the
head were indications of psychological propensities (Adler et al, 2010).
Phrenology is the study of the
conformation of the skull as indicative of mental faculties and traits of
character, especially according to the hypotheses of Franz Joseph Gall
(1758–1828), and such 19th-century adherents as Johann Kaspar Spurzheim
(1776–1832) and George Combe (1788–1858) (https://www.britannica.com/topic/phrenology).
Phrenology was a theory of
brain and science of character reading, what the nineteenth- century
phrenologists called "the only true science of mind." Phrenology was
derived from the theories of the distinctive German-French anatomist and
physiologist Franz Joseph Gall. The
basic tenets of Gall's system were:
1. The
brain is the organ of the mind.
2. The mind is
composed of multiple distinct, innate faculties.
3. Because
they are distinct, each faculty must have a separate seat or "organ"
in the brain.
4. The size of
an organ, other things being equal, is a measure of its power.
5. The
shape of the brain is determined by the development of the various organs.
6. As
the skull takes its shape from the brain, the surface of the skull can be read
as an accurate index of psychological aptitudes and tendencies (Wyhe, 2000).
His collaboration with his pupil Johann
Kaspar Spurzheim, who served as research assistant and collaborator, which began in 1800, led him to the development of his
theories concerning brain
Gall's lectures on cranioscopy became very popular, and it was his
followers who gave his doctrine the name "phrenology". Against the
church, however, it helped him little that his revolutionary concept was a
pioneering work. Gall offended religious leaders and scientists alike. The
Church considered his theory as contrary to religion. That the mind, created by
God, should have a physical seat in brain matter, was anathema (a curse) (http://www.whonamedit.com/doctor.cfm/1018.html).
Phrenology was re-introduced to Britain by the American
"phrenological Fowlers" Lorenzo Niles Fowler (1811-1896) in the 1860s and
1870s. The Fowlers had begun lecturing and reading heads for fees in New York
in the 1830s. Their phrenology was wholly borrowed from the British
modifications of Gall's system Wyhe (2000).
In the United States, the views on phrenology were supported by physician
Charles Caldwell (1772-1853), who searched for evidence that brain tissue and
cells regulate human action (Adler et al, 2010).
Neuroscientists today are using their new tools to revisit and explore
the idea that different personality traits are localized in different brain
regions. Two of the leaders in this new field are psychologists Colin DeYoung
of the University of Minnesota and Jeremy Gray of Yale, who have been using a brain
scanner
to search
for
evidence of
the
so-called
―big
five‖
personality traits. There is
growing scientific consensus that every human personality is a unique mix of
just five core attributes: extraversion, neuroticism, agreeableness,
openness/intellect, and conscientiousness.
Take extraversion, for
example. Extraversion includes
qualities like assertiveness and sociability and talkativeness—all traits
having to do with positive emotions and rewarding social experiences. Based on
this, the scientists guessed that the most extraverted people would have larger than normal brain regions associated
with sensitivity to reward.
Scientists found that neuroticism—a
tendency toward negative emotions like irritability and anxiety—was associated
with the brain regions involved in threat
and punishment. Agreeableness—a catchall for altruism, empathy, cooperation
and compassion—correlated with regions known to process those traits. And,
finally, the most conscientious
volunteers had unusually large brain structures involved in “executive” powers like future planning
and following complex rules. In short, the brain studies lent strong support to
the idea that the big five personality traits have a biological foundation.
Q1. Phrenology is claimed to be a pseudoscience. What does pseudoscience mean?
Answer: Pseudoscience consists of statements, beliefs, or practices
that are claimed to be both scientific and factual but are incompatible with
the scientific method.
Q2. Is this theory reliable in all instances?
Answer:
The theory holds some true in some other persons and may not be true in
some persons.
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