In the late 18th century an Austrian physician by the name of Franz gall hypothesized that there is a link between the shape and form of the human skull and the human character, he called this phrenology. This was the first serious consideration that the brain is the organ of the mind. Gall further hypothesized that the brain is separated into many different sections, each in control of a different human trait. Since he also believed that the skull formed to the shape of the brain, it is possible to determine personality traits from simply measuring parts of the skull (van Wyhe). Phrenology was initially received well and taken seriously by the public and scientific community. As a psychology, it was taken seriously, and books were published on the topic. But it quickly began to become popular among common people. Phrenologists were hired by thousands to advise in things from hiring personnel or finding a suitable marriage partner. Because of this phrenology developed as a popular psychology and lost credibility as a valid brain science. Aristotle was the first to believe that mental activity originated in the head, but Gall was the first to propose that mental activity is not only centralized in the head, but in the brain. The brain then therefore is the sole part of the body that is responsible for all human character. Phrenology is still important to modern psychology because it was the first time people thought to localize brain function.
http://www.phrenology.org/intro.html
http://www.victorianweb.org/science/phrenology/intro.html
So, will you do personality readings during your presentation? That would be very cool, and potentially persuasive. I wonder if you can tell from the shape of my skull whether or not I have the characteristics of a good teacher?
ReplyDeleteOf course, phrenology has been totally debunked. But, rrom a contemporary standpoint--in some ways, this sounds parallel to modern functional MRIs--where we look to see what regions of the "brain light" up during certain cognitive tasks, and even compare how the brain lights up between subjects with various beliefs. addictions, etc.
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ReplyDeleteNo comment on your first point, but to your second: Phrenology has not entirely been debunked, and we actually rely on it in some ways for our current medical and psychological practice. You'll see more tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteThis topic is very interesting, and reminds me in some ways of palm reading, which is looking at the lines on the palm of the hand to divine a person's future. This too was once thought to be a reliable way to glean important information on things like marriage and future plans. I am excited to learn more about this in class tomorrow!
ReplyDeleteHahaha that would be funny if you could tell if someone was a good teacher just by their brains. It would be a much better world that way, I think. Don't worry Cyndi, you'd pass!
ReplyDeleteI think you guys chose an awesome topic. I'm actually jealous because since I major in psychology we've looked at this method of reading personalities and it's very intriguing. I heard that you're (Julia) going to "read" another group members brain so I'm definitely looking forward to that.
How to Read Character is available online at GoogleBooks; check it out to find out a little bit more about Phrenology (and learn how to perform a Phrenology reading!): http://bit.ly/4lmGOY
ReplyDeleteHannah, your comment made me think about how early science was, alot of the time, something that today we think of as superstition. I wonder if in a couple hundred years people will have a different outlook on science, and consider what we think is cutting edge, as something supersitious.
ReplyDeleteEven though phrenology lost it way, it's ideas that are still around to this day. We rely on these ideas in modern medical practices.
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