REALITY CHECK --- WHAT YOUR MIND KNOWS, BUT ISN'T TELLING YOU by David L. Weiner. Prometheus Books, 2005
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS (p9-10)
PREFACE by Robert D. Hare (p11-13)
DIAGRAM OF HUMAN BRAIN (p14)
THE REALITY OF IT:
1) The mind is physical and so are its emotions --- souls, spirits, and energy forces notwithstanding (p15-28)
2) Our minds, our intelligence, our creativity, our feelings, and our athletic prowess are all created from "zeroes" and "ones" (p29-46)
3) Here is what it takes to hit a tennis ball or deal with other moving objects, and why it is so difficult to be consistent under pressure (p47-56)
4) Where in our brain our consciousness resides and how we add two and two remains a mystery (p57-64)
5) Our primal emotional drives and reactions are basically automatic and frequently flawed (p65-96)
6) Evil in people is a psychiatric disorder (p97-112)
7) We have hundreds, if not thousands of metaphoric "neuro-DVD's" stacked in our heads (p113-130)
8) We are lost in a "mega-universe" that is incomprehensible to us --- the tragedy is we are unable to perceive it (p131-142)
9) The passage of time, as we sense it, does not really exist (p143-152)
10) The coding that creates and shapes us as humans is the same for all life, including baboons, flies, ants, and potatoes (p175-194)
11) The biggest lottery in our lives took place the instant we were conceived --- we could have been one of 300,000,000 other people (p175-194)
[1] Our influence on future generations appears to be limited according to Robert Plomin in his book Nature and Nurture (p190)
[2] We may be nothing more than "survival machines" according to Richard Dawkins in his book The Selfish Gene (p191)
Also, Dawkins argues that those people who don't have offspring have little to worry about in their failure to pass on genes to the next generation since their forebearers had the same gene pool that they have! In fact, he says there is no failure in that regard. In reality we are all part of the same scheme of things as far as human genetics is concerned. (p191)
12) Our "status imperative" is one of the major causes of human irrationality and craziness (p195-232)
The brain's "amygdala" appears not only to create fear to help us get through and survive a threatening situation, but it also appears to use fear and anxiety to protect our "Self-Esteem." (p229)
(The word "amygdala" is Greek for almond, which is a nut with an eliptical shape, since your brain's amygdala is an almond-sized and shaped structure. The best detailed summary of known characteristics and functions of the amygdala is on the web at:
www.serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro98/202s98-paper2/Holt2.html - 18k)
The word "amygdala" is Greek for the word almond since your brain's "amygdala" is an almond-sized and shaped structure. Many people feel that when their general Self-Esteem is at risk they should stick to what they know and do relatively well. Those people are more vulnerable when challenged by changing situations. However, persons with higher levels of general Self-Esteem are less vulnerable to what others think as they accept the challenges of changing situations. (p229-230)
The little status boosts we give ourselves may raise our Self-Esteem temporarily but have little or no effect on a relatively low Self-Esteem Baseline or Happiness Setpoint. The effective way to raise our Self-Esteem is to use "Self-Assertiveness" skills in order to attack the fears that inhibit us. To be successful, we should engage in goals and plans that we think our Self-Esteem may be at risk. (p230-231)
Of course, this is easier said than done, but should be done based on the "brain facts" since it is the only rational action that can guarantee predictable results. This view is based on the idea that some people will give up trying after a series of defeats, while others will accept their lowly position in the "social hierarchy" of their groups because their Self-Esteem dropped possibly due to a "biological device" that helps us mediate our fight for social status or social esteem and worthiness.
However, others will continue to challenge their "social hierarchies" that create "status tension" in their lives. This may be due to the odd way our drive for status and our baseline level of Self-Esteem seem to work together in an "intrigingly paradoxical" way as Richard L. Bednar explained in the book Self-Esteem Paradoxes and Innovations. . . They either raise or lower our "Baseline Self-Esteem" over long periods of time or sometimes they achieve only temporary results. (p227-231)
Until we know more, we need to work with the brains we have now. Our limbic components produce your "limbic function" or the strong emotions associated with the "status imperative," which causes us to want to be superior or not be defeated. All of us who are fortunate to have a Cerebral Cortex capable of observing any irrational drives and reactive emotions caused by our "limbic" brain parts need to learn to control the treacherous "status imperative" by repressing or controlling its impulses when they are inappropriate and ultimately damaging to us and others around us. (p231)
It is only by acknowledging their existence that we can begin to transcend the strong emotions, as well as our "virtual realities" which contain those fears and anxieties. (p231, Winer's text has been adapted to summarize the main point of his book Reality Check.)
13) There are more than 10,000 distinct religions in the world, each with its fanatic believers --- we obviously know nothing for certain! (p233-258)
AFTERWARD (p259-262)
NOTES (p263-280)
BIBLIOGRAPHY (p281-290)
INDEX (p291-303)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR (p304)
David L. Weiner is the author of three previous popular psychological books, including Battling the Inner Dummy, Power Freaks, and Brain Tricks. Weiner serves on the board of advisors for the HealthEmotions Research Institute of the University of Wisconsin . The Institute seeks to use state-of-the-art scientific methods developed for the study of illness to study the relationship between positive emotions and health.
Weiner is also the founder of a marketing consultant business called Marketing Support, Inc., with 130 employees.
Robert B. Hare is professor emeritus of psychology at the U. of British Columbia. He is considered to be an expert on psychopathy and has written widely, including the book, Without Conscience.
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