I’ve been mulling over the ideas of Dissociative Identity Disorder (commonly known as Multiple Personality Syndrome) and schizophrenia and how these two similar conditions could be further explained beyond the simple mental break theories that are the most common currently accepted ideas. It seems so simple to me to say that stress allows someone to create an alter-ego personality within their mind to help them handle powerful issues. However, the mere fact of the matter is that nobody could simply create another ego so quickly or so skillfully. The mind doesn’t have the capability to fashion something so complex at a moments notice.
Then, as I was reading an article about a quantum theory of energy (not associated with the mind) I had an epiphany. It seemed startlingly simple to me. The average person uses 10% of their mind actively. But what if we all use the other 90% via quantum mechanics? In essence, we could use that portion of the mind and it would never register because the end result would be the active process being used within the 10% we commonly register. So, then, what do we do with that other 90% without really realizing it? Simple, we make decisions. Complex answer? We grow up with a dominant personality and multiple minor personalities. The dominant is the personality that interacts with the every day world. The one with a social security number, birth certificate, and driver’s license. The servant personalities as I like to call them are personalities that our mind builds subconsciously, each with it’s own complete identity and specific strengths.
Why does our mind build servant personalities? Simply because when we encounter unusual circumstances that our dominant personality does not handle well our mind cannot rely on our ability to timely handle the situation or to handle it at all. In tougher situations our mind can call on our subconscious to solve problems by addressing the other personalities with a ‘virtual scenario’ and decide on the best result. It then takes that information and submits it back using instinctive suggestion to the conscious mind. In this, we can utilize our servant personalities to answer difficult situations.
However, my theory extends to DID and schizophrenia in such that some people suffer from traumatic experiences and this causes a fault in the communication line. When this happens, the mind has a contingency plan. It begins to switch dominant control of the body between personalities, allowing control to the personality that could best handle the situation. To make this transition simpler for the dominant personality the mind does not allow the the dominant to know about the other personalities. However, the other personalities have complete knowledge of the dominant personality. This empowers them to protect the dominant.
In DID there is a simple degree of fear or stress that impairs communication between the subconscious and conscious layers triggering the switching of dominance until the problem is resolved. In schizophrenia the theory would be a full on fault from birth that could be a result of a genetic imperative or a manner of birth defect that would end result with the communication failure causing the mind to require the personality swap.
This is the general basis of the theory. Any other thoughts or concepts that could support or negate this theory?
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There’s no need to go as far as quantum mechanics to explain the tricks our brains play on us. The complexity of the brain is several orders of magnitude greater than we can imagine, if you can imagine that! There’s more than enough power in the brain to generate dissociated personalities and alternate realities without having to shift around between waves and particles.
A bit of poking into recent brain research will lead you to such concepts as (1) how the brain lies to us, to create dreams and illusions, (2) how short-term memory gets converted to long-term, (3) how associations work to help us remember and analyze, (4) how hormonal imbalances affect our analysis and judgment, and (5) why some of us persist in clinging to disproven beliefs and assertions like prejudices, religions, and junk science.
I’m somewhat familiar with much of what you’ve just typed and I agree that the results of this research is quite fascinating. It’s as though our identity is sheerly a cover that our own mind is using as a cover for entirely different purposes.
The reason for the quantum mechanics is to point out that we may very well be utilizing the other 90% of our brain in such a way that science currently has no way to measure. The energy could be mapped all over the mind, but without the ability to measure it, we’d never know it happened. It’s not to say that the current understanding of conscious and subconscious is lacking in any way nor that the mind is not an amazing powerful thing, but that there could well be another level to the mind that we have yet to fully comprehend that would have its roots on a quantum level…. explaining the lack of evident use of 90% of the mind.
I am loathe to suggest quantum explanations of supposedly unknown functions, mainly because that’s the kind of thinking that gave us chiropractice, iWater, and every religion on the planet. Besides, the assertion that we only use 10% of the brain is unfounded, so you are suggesting a solution to a problem that isn’t there.
See http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/tenper.html
whereas that might damn the 10% theorem that’s so popular today that by no means argues against the potential quantum uses the mind might have. For example.
1) Quantum memory. We could store every bit of our life experience in quantum memory and at the same time use absolutely no “space” to do so. Your mind would store in short term, long term, and then quantum storage. Of course, recollecting data stored in quantum patterns would be simple for the conscious mind to do, but simple for the subconscious mind which could give further evidence to unusual dreams and how they could be a means by which our subconscious tries to tackle issues that are troubling us.
2) Quantum thought processes (a level below subconscious??) where our mind can pour through trillions of bits of data at any given moment and likely does all day long. This allows us to prioritize events into the subconscious and then into the conscious using the least amount of energy possible. The mind could constantly evaluate and then re-evaluate problems and solutions every day at every moment so it’s best prepared should the situation arise.
At the base levels of all organics and sciences there seems to be quantum mechanics constantly in play where without things would fall apart. We’re only just now beginning to discover how important these are and how much of the world is based on quantum mechanics.
We’re finally seeing the potential of the billions of neurons in the mind and the multiple sections of the mind and how each section seems to be responsible for taking care of certain data. However, how we do it and the full potential of it differs from individual to individual. How do you propose our minds decide to do this in such a way? I’ll grant you the unrealistic nature of the 10% claim, but that in no way disregards the quantum subconscious personalities. Subconscious personalities area already a psychological study documented outside of MPD/DID and schizophrenia and a quantum use would explain how current fMRI wouldn’t see the neurological use of the energy consumed for this.
The fractal hologram model of the brain and its functions would explain your points of contention just as well, and without having to jump the interface barrier between subatomic and biological process to get the job done. You really have to give Occam’s Razor some respect in matters like these. Conjecture and speculation don’t carry much scientific weight. To make an extraordinary claim stick in a rational mind, you must provide extraordinary evidence in support. So, let’s have a look at it. What have you got there?
the problem with evidence in quantum sciences is simply that our technology is barely capable of seeing the limited processes as it is. i’m not saying that there are not ways that the mind could do some of this on a limited scale. however, the thermal energy created by a mind firing the number of neurons to process the amount of data i’m talking about in the TIME span i’m talking about would be immense. we’re not built to expend that level of heat quickly enough to cool our heads… we’d fry ourselves if this wasn’t quantum at some level. unless you have evidence to support that our mind can process an obscene amount of information between multiple associative identities subconsciously with full detailed virtual scenarios in an instant without registering higher activity on an fMRI, i’m inclined to believe that there needs to be an explanation beyond what our understandings at this time can conceive. and energy-wise, quantum mechanics stands to reason that it could be applied in this matter. after all, particles can exist in multiple places at one time which stands to reason that people and thoughts can exist in multiple places at one time. of course, that would bring up the theory of multiple planes of existence and tie in with the Einstein’s string theory.
Einstein didn’t do String Theory, and in fact didn’t like the concept of quantum probability, as paraphrased in the famous quote, “God doesn’t throw dice.” See http://www.superstringtheory.com/history/history4.html for a history outline of string theory development, and http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Albert_Einstein for more on what Einstein had to say about things.
So, why don’t you come up with a pseudo-scientific breakthrough device to monitor all this quantum energy flowing subconsciously between imaginary multiple associative personalities?
You could use those magic medallions that are supposed to protect cell phone users from electromagnetic radiation. They should be able to pick up the radiation from quantum energy level shifts.
Or maybe a small glass vial of iWater that resonates in pattern with the quantum information flow. Just hold it up to a black-light bulb and watch the thoughts flow by.
Or how about a homeopathic remedy — take a drop of sweat generated by all that brain energy, dilute it in a couple of gallons of water, take a drop of that diluted water and dilute it in another couple of gallons of water and Presto! Magic quantum brain energy facilitator eye-drops! You’ll be rich!
Better yet, get a chiropractic adjustment to clear the subluxations between your personalities, and they will be able to report on their processes first-hand! Then we’ll have all the facts on the matter.
Albus,
Quite coarse on sciences on which you personally seem to be objectively spiteful. I don’t know why you seem to not believe in quantum mechanics, but the truth of the matter is that we’re always lacking in the evidences of true physical nature because we keep forgoing the reality that at the basis of all physics is quantum mechanics on the subatomic level. And we know that all particles can exist in multiple places based on the limited tests we’ve been able to do with what very few tools we have that can even begin to measure them. However, we now know that the elemental tables cannot simply be divided in what is magnetic and what is not because we can manipulate the physical aspect of an element on a scale so small the naked eye cannot see but it can alter the magnetic properties of the matter. Look up metamaterials if you would like to know more.
For as much as you know, Albus, there’s a wealth of more recent scientific research that confirms much about antimatter, quantum mechanics, and particle behavior that we never knew before. The funny thing about quantum energy is it exists in all places at once and only takes the one path. If you cannot branch yourself into understanding what natural laws of physics states mathematically must exist, multiple realities, than you’re limiting your knowledge to only small bits of half truths.
You said, “Quite coarse on sciences on which you personally seem to be objectively spiteful. I don’t know why you seem to not believe in quantum mechanics,… ”
The only “sciences” on which I am personally “spiteful” are the pseudo-sciences, the false sciences, the junk sciences, and their superstitious brethren. Remember, it is not I, but Einstein who did not believe in quantum mechanics. I have a full grasp, appreciation, and admiration for quantum mechanics, and contemplate happily a universe populated by bosons, muons, hadrons, and wavicles. I did not object to quantum physics per se, but only to your attempted application of it to explain phenomena that you have only imagined, and cannot demonstrate.
When you claim that your argument is valid because science doesn’t cover everything that could be known, you are using The Appeal to Ignorance (Argumentum Ad Ignorantium) — see Table #5 at http://attitudeadjustment.tripod.com/Books/Logic.htm — That just doesn’t cut it, Semperfi. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. So, again, what have you got to show us?
You said, “If you cannot branch yourself into understanding what natural laws of physics states mathematically must exist, multiple realities, than you’re limiting your knowledge to only small bits of half truths.” Good advice, Semperfi. You should consider following it.
By the way, rumors of my lack of scientific knowledge are poorly substantiated, and really should not be accepted at face value.
i’ve heard no rumors to your lack of scientific knowledge whatsoever. it’s been a pleasure to hear your arguments. although, i find it impressive that because we currently lack the technology to further investigate the quantum states and mechanics of particles you’d have trouble theorizing about the parts that they take place in our lives.
i agree that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. however, there have been countless scientific claims that were not proven for decades if not centuries after someone had claimed it must be true because, even without evidence, the fact remained that everything else didn’t match up right without this.
that’s the basis of this theory (which i’m not apparently the first to contemplate) is that there is no measurable data to support the speed at which the mind sometimes discovers things nor how personality problems are explained in all cases. Occam’s Razor was a good point though it can be utilized in more than one means. Sometimes the simplest idea is the one that’s the hardest to believe because we don’t have the foundation to build the idea upon yet.
“… there is no measurable data to support the speed at which the mind sometimes discovers things nor how personality problems are explained in all cases. ”
6 trillion brain cells, with neurons and support cells (glia). Bump up the number of possible connections. Now, think “parallel processing”. We’re talking peta-flops of computing power. Now think how big a computer has to be in order to play a decent game of chess against a human. First you have to max out what biological processes can accomplish before you need to worry about applying quantum mechanics to the problem.
if you want to compare you have to compare fully the pathetic virtual realm and lighting that a game creates and see that the complexity of the algorithm would be astonishing for the human mind in comparison when you’re talking an average of about 1 trillion separate threads at every moment. not to forget the amount of sensory data and the depth of that data. i understand the comparison you’re trying to make, but what you’re talking about goes beyond the limitations of virtual limits. but once again you’re ignoring my main point, dear Albus. The fact of the matter is that we are not seeing this huge amount of activity at any indicative level we can test though we must consider that it has to exist. If you see the ripples in the pond but do not see what caused them, do you simply reason that they are magical and came from nowhere? of course not.
You’re underestimating the biological non-quantum power of the human brain — not just mine, but everyone’s. When I see ripples on a pond, but do not see what caused them, I go for a working hypothesis of muskie, smaller fish, frog, turtle, beaver, musk rat, otter, or loon, then test by closer inspection. I do not imagine sting ray, shark, sperm whale, or unmeasurable quantum effects.
I guess we just have different ways of approaching problems. Let’s start a new topic, about filling all of Antigo’s empty business spaces with incubator business projects. Maybe the common council can apply for a billion bucks or two in economic recovery funds to finance the projects…. under my direction….
I can agree to disagree, but I believe that you in turn also disregard whatever research I have done. I do not shoot for the stars when the breeze crosses. I only look to greater things when I have exhausted all resources. At this time we have no machine that registers the brain activity of switching from personality to personality or for rendering the situations with multiple hued personalities within a singular conscious. We do see Alpha patterns change, but no rise in activity to suggest a working subconscious mind deciding to alter the lead as it were.
Also, I do not underestimate your intelligence, Albus. Contrarily, I find a man with as much research and conviction as yourself quite refreshing. A debate like this has been fantastic exercise for my mind and I quite enjoy your company.
But I agree. Let us discuss how to better fill the many empty buildings in downtown. Let’s be serious. A visitor to Antigo feels like they’ve stepped back into the early 70’s. It’s time to update more than just the wiring and the faces. We need a whole new way of viewing things and operating as a council and a new direction for the city.
And they say Walmart employees have no brains! Ha! Great discussion!