development of personality

Who's idea was THAT?
a book?
I can see putting together something for myself-- sure. But getting it published? where other people would be able to SEE it? yipes. I dont know about that. THAT'S going to require a lot of discussion before I agree to anything like that.

This afternoon on the Science channel there was a show on about the development of personality. It discusssed how people go through stages, how the maturation of our brain affects our personality throughout our lives. It really makes me wonder. I have ONE brain. Now, I've never had an x-ray taken of my head, and I may be a pretty bright person ;) but I can pretty much guarantee you that there is only 1 brain up there inside my skull. Therefore, 1 set of front lobes, 1 of everything else too.
But then... how come different minds?
How can Mae's personality be so well developed as a 5 year old, who's frontal lobes are CLEARLY not formed much yet?
How can Missy be operating from a moody teenager's point of view?
there are some inside who operate from a much more...primitive...protective area. There are some such as Caroline who can think on such a high level (much higher than me)...that she's got to be using much more of my brain than I do. But HOW does that happen? When there really, really, is only 1 brain, only 1 body, only 1 "me"? What happens inside of a plural mind?

These are things that I know are true for me:
I get very, very bad headaches. Especially when someone inside wants out, and I'm trying to stay present. Or if there's a lot of chaos or yelling in my head, and I"m trying to ignore it.
I get sick sometimes.
Caroline has never been sick a day in her life. If I'm sick, and Caroline comes around, my body feels better instantly. Whatever is wrong with me is instantly gone.
i love to read. I'll read anything. So will Caroline.
But Mae has to sound out words that have more than 3 letters, and she thinks being able to write her name by herself is a big deal.
I speak a little bit of spanish. Caroline speaks it fluently. Mae is learning enough to say a few words to kids at school.
The boys love steak, hamburgers, and any other kind of meat.
i would not eat meat if my life depended on it. Its just wrong.
Missy is extremely liberal. Caroline is extremely conservative. I am somewhere in the middle, i suppose, if I had to pick something I wouldn't be able to.
Missy is very outgoing, sarcastic, bitchy, and mean. Mae is a traumatized child. Tuck is a typical 8 year old boy. (sorry, 8 and a HALF! he says), The Bully is about 9 feet tall and ready to kill me at any time. Claire is a quiet little golden child who never speaks, never interracts with anyone besides her animals who live in her field of flowers. Nobody is constantly suicidal and planning how she will die, what she can do to punish herself, thinking about how the world is better off without her. I would never, ever, ever kill myself--- it is just wrong, and I have far too many things to live for, I can't even understand that kind of thinking.
There is more, and more, and more, and more, and more that I could say here... but I think maybe everyone gets the drift.

This is all so confusing. And I don't think that there are any therapists, psychiatrists, scientists, or mommies with the answers.

Posted by pilgrim | Filed under: Biofeedback

1. Posted by Judy in AZ on August 30, 2004