I dug out an old article from the NYTimes on "The Female Brain" By Louann Brizendine http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/10/books/chapters/0910-1st-briz.htm Perhaps it is still available.
Eight weeks seems to be the key in utero. At any rate- I have additional questions regarding impact of chemicals upon the fetus and also behavioral influences such as militant feminism and absentee mothers- only if the father is unable to fill the gap, so to speak. Anyway, many theories are just opinions- esp. regarding human nature. In "The Female Brain" what explains the high degree of observation, integration and creativity of males? I think this book sounds biased. Didn't buy it. On Jul 19, 8:14 pm, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > What makes us male or female is more complicated than we're told at > school. You need a bit of the Y chromosome to be male, and this has > to be in the absence of 'double dax'. Some women are genetically XY. > In birds, I seem to remember as one of those breaking up old codgers > Rigsby refers to, the male stuff is carried on the X. Hormone levels > at various times have a great deal to do with how we develop and our > 'moods' - married men lose testosterone level as their partners have > kids. > I don't do Freud, except as a joke at the odd conference. I'm not > sure what any sc could be as I'm not sure what consciousness is. IN > some of the more violent or lovely experiences I've found > consciousness more or less disappears for me and I don't seem to > experience the event until what are obviously highly episodic memories > that I have to study to understand what has happened. This leaves it > tricky to explain what keeps me going through such incidents. What is > consciousness at that point in drunkenness that will never come to > memory? And what is observing thoughts and what is experience once > thoughts are 'silent'? Whatever consciousness is, we don't seem to > use it much as other than rationaliser so what is actually in > control? I suspect there is much more information available to us in > an occasion of experience than most are prepared to allow. Fictions > like a structured unconscious may or may not help. > > On Jul 16, 2:49 pm, Tony Orlow <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > Absolutely. After all, hormones are what makes us become a male of a > > female to begin with, and when they are askew for some reason during > > development, one can get XX males and XY females, some of which are > > hermaphrodites. Also, of course, we know that testosterone and > > steroids make people aggressive as well as affecting their bodies. So, > > hormones play a big part in mental and physical development , and can > > be influenced by outside forces. > > > Peace, > > > Tony > > > On Jul 16, 12:54 am, ornamentalmind <[email protected]> > > wrote: > > > > Besides physical structure of brain and genetic issues, perhaps we > > > should at least mention hormones when it comes to apparent gender > > > differences. Flowing in the blood they are carried throughout the body > > > and can greatly influence > > > behavior.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood-brain_barrier > > > > The subjective nature of the term 'mature' can lead us astray all too > > > easily. > > > > On Jul 15, 3:32 pm, Tony Orlow <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > Hi Paradox - > > > > > I don't know which sex you think is more mature. I think each has > > > > their own strengths, and different types of intelligence, and there > > > > ARE structural brain differences. For instance, the corpus callosum, > > > > the largest connection between the two hemispheres, is larger in > > > > women, probably accounting for their more integrated thought > > > > processes. It's easy for a man to ignore all else and obsess about > > > > some question and its answer. It's hard for a woman to ignore reality > > > > and become so focused on some abstract question. Men may be more able > > > > to take decisive action, but if they don't pay attention to their > > > > female's input, they are likely to wander into a well like Socrates > > > > (or was that Aristotle?). Of course, these are gross generalizations, > > > > and there is probably more variation within each sex than between the > > > > two as a whole. > > > > > I have kind of a male mind. Could you tell? ;) > > > > > Peace, > > > > > Tony > > > > > On Jul 15, 2:41 pm, paradox <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > I have quite some considerable experience of the emotional > > > > > responsiveness of the fairer sex, rigsy :) Personally, i think the > > > > > gender difference, if there is one, is more emotional maturity and > > > > > honesty than anything "structural. > > > > > > On Jul 15, 12:04 pm, rigsy03 <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > Thank you, Tony and Paradox. > > > > > > > Except we can clean up our hard drive! > > > > > > > Maybe I should have said "reactions" rather than moods- esp. since > > > > > > females have the rep of being moody creatures. I'm not sure if it is > > > > > > memory or the sc that is triggered by irrational associations. > > > > > > > On Jul 15, 3:22 am, paradox <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > > Not as familiar with the terrain regarding imagination and > > > > > > > creativity, > > > > > > > rigsy; but some thoughts; imagination probably employs the same > > > > > > > object > > > > > > > representation and manipulation routines as event "simulation", > > > > > > > certainly occupies the same higher order region; the process is > > > > > > > just > > > > > > > less well tethered; an analogy that comes to mind is that of the > > > > > > > rider > > > > > > > whose handling on the reins becomes more adept the more confident > > > > > > > he/ > > > > > > > she becomes, and the more conditioned the horse gets over time. > > > > > > > > Creativity is more difficult to pin down; my intuitive sense is > > > > > > > that > > > > > > > it's probably defined in the versatility of transition of > > > > > > > isomorphic > > > > > > > brain "states"; so its not so much a "discrete" attribute, but > > > > > > > more a > > > > > > > "bell curve" function. > > > > > > > > Difficult to say about unexplained moods; could be the result of > > > > > > > chemical or homeostatic imbalances, tensions, unresolved mental > > > > > > > phenomena, or any of a long list of things really; what do you > > > > > > > think? > > > > > > > > On Jul 14, 12:46 pm, rigsy03 <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > > > Yes- that is too technical for me. :-) I see the sc as the > > > > > > > > hidden > > > > > > > > currents of a river- at least this morning that's my view. > > > > > > > > Where do > > > > > > > > you think imagination and creativity spring from? Or > > > > > > > > unexplainable > > > > > > > > moods? Or the irrational? Don't be too technical, please. > > > > > > > > > On Jul 14, 3:36 am, paradox <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > Interesting psychoanalytic approach; i'm sort of a little > > > > > > > > > closer to > > > > > > > > > the "technical" school; seems to me that dreams and > > > > > > > > > phantasies are > > > > > > > > > pretty much the same "stuff" as conscious thought, but > > > > > > > > > without the > > > > > > > > > coherence, constraints, and "echolocation" of input, > > > > > > > > > cognition, and > > > > > > > > > the autobiographical self; in that sense, we think (neural > > > > > > > > > mapping) > > > > > > > > > pretty much 24/7, conscious, subconscious, or otherwise; it's > > > > > > > > > just so > > > > > > > > > much more elegant when we're conscious, or daydreaming, > > > > > > > > > curiously :). > > > > > > > > > > Re the "great conductor"; in this great cauldron of > > > > > > > > > distributed > > > > > > > > > mapping, something has to "direct" and prioritise attention; > > > > > > > > > that's > > > > > > > > > the job of dispositional affect (value), or emotion, through > > > > > > > > > amygdala, > > > > > > > > > hippocampus, and associated wide area networks. Antonio > > > > > > > > > Damasio has > > > > > > > > > produced some very interesting, very readable and easily > > > > > > > > > accessible > > > > > > > > > works in this area. > > > > > > > > > > On Jul 13, 1:51 pm, rigsy03 <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > The "great conductor" to where? The sc may color our > > > > > > > > > > thoughts and > > > > > > > > > > actions but I have a problem giving it a thought process > > > > > > > > > > similar to > > > > > > > > > > the ego or super-ego. The fact that we cannot control our > > > > > > > > > > sc makes us > > > > > > > > > > want to control it- it can be dangerous or embarassing or > > > > > > > > > > distracting, > > > > > > > > > > for instance. I do think it adds a dramatic complexity to > > > > > > > > > > our thoughts > > > > > > > > > > and actions- esp. those "Freudian slips"! :-) Another > > > > > > > > > > possibilty is > > > > > > > > > > that the sc is a warehouse for our unresolved selves that > > > > > > > > > > pitch and > > > > > > > > > > twist in our minds during dreams or daydreams and sometimes > > > > > > > > > > influence > > > > > > > > > > solutions by interrupting logic, problem solving, > > > > > > > > > > comprehension or > > > > > > > > > > relationships. It may also serve the purpose of keeping us > > > > > > > > > > honest- > > > > > > > > > > somehow the mind has to find a balance- "acting as if" only > > > > > > > > > > goes so > > > > > > > > > > far. > > > > > > > > > > > On Jul 13, 5:13 am, paradox <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > Hi Mando, dont forget that our thoughts are also "merely > > > > > > > > > > > things", and > > > > > > > > > > > our sub-conscious also "thinks"; "emotion" is the great > > > > > > > > > > > conductor. > > > > > > > > > > > > On Jul 12, 2:18 pm, Mando <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > > how are we easily swayed from our thought by merely > > > > > > > > > > > > things? is that > > > > > > > > > > > > humans are focused or controlled by the > > > > > > > > > > > > sub-conscious...- Hide quoted text - > > > > > > > > > > > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text - > > > > > > > > > > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text - > > > > > > > > > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text - > > > > > > > > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text - > > > > > > > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text - > > > > > > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text -
