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Nubor Orlando Facure |
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The operating
systems of the mind and
our skills |
What makes us a
particular
living being,
able to make
choices, refuse
or accept a
proposal,
express this or
that behavior,
believe or not
believe in
certain
phenomena,
experience fear,
anger, and
jealousy, being
aggressive or
loving, cursing
or thanking?
Experiences
within a more or
less hostile and
unfamiliar
environment have
created multiple
functioning
systems that
have enabled
living beings to
meet their
challenges, and
these painful
experiences have
created varied
abilities for
each of us.
The operating
systems of the
mind
They are divided
into:
•
Biological:
related, for
example, to
survival, sexual
behavior, and
altruism.
•
Psychological:
they have to do
with humor,
rationality,
social groups,
superstitions,
etc.
• Cultural:
related to our
beliefs,
traditions and
religion.
The Skills are
talents or
abilities -
using the
computer
metaphor, they
are our
"applications":
we accumulate
social, musical,
manual,
intellectual,
sports, and
utility skills,
among others.
“Systems" are
more or less
permanent, with
strong genetic
origin, while
"skills" are
installed and
removed with
more flexibility
and, by using
them constantly,
their permanence
is reinforced.
When they are
not used, their
competence and
performance
deteriorate.
This way of
seeing the human
being is
didactic and its
experimental
application
makes it of an
easy practical
use.
Let us study
these systems
under a clinical
point of view:
1 - Biological
operating
systems
The behavior of
animals has been
studied
extensively and
this study
confirms that
each species
acts within a
standard
operating model.
We have more
than enough
examples in
diverse Nature
environments:
Let us observe
the strategies
of a Lionesses
or a group of
Lionesses
organizing
themselves to
hunt.
The behavior of
a homely kitten
with all its
wiles.
The dog in its
owner’s company,
faithfully
obeying several
commands, but
when there is a
female in heat,
it shows its
usual
excitement.
The alpha Chimp,
the leader of
the bunch,
imposing its
sexual
preferences.
The suricata
playing dead to
ward off the
hawk.
All these
examples show
instinctive
behaviors,
typical for each
of these species
- the instinct
in the animal is
its predominant
system
operation.
It is said that
they are
instinctive
behaviors,
because they are
a standard, and
we are here
using them as
examples, as
systems models
"genetically
sedimentary
operation" - a
standard
behavior, fixed,
invariable, that
is, in a sense,
universal,
visible in each
of such species
and which
remains
repeatable in
time and space.
Where there is a
kitten, it will
react by
repeating their
whims precisely
in the same way
it has done
since the nights
at the time of
the Pharaohs in
Egypt.
As for the
humans, examples
of the "fixed
operating
systems" are
likewise
abundant:
It can easily be
seen, for
example, in that
Italian "mama",
who caring for
her children,
makes them all
eat as much as
they can of the
spaghetti at
lunch.
The Japanese
father, who
teaches his son
to discipline
his emotions;
the Arab man
with almost a
tribal male
coexistence; the
distant and cold
man in Norway
rarely
approaching his
children and his
wife. The young
rebel, who does
not accept
impositions and
rules.
2 -
Psychological
functioning
systems
Almost every
family can
identify those
relatives, who
are
unreasonable,
others who spend
their money with
no control at
all, the grumpy,
the shy, the
charmers, those
who quarrel, the
smart guys and
the misers.
We are all
superstitious.
When certain
events occur,
such as having a
good harvest,
the birth of a
child runs
smoothly, one’s
team wins, we
say that it was
all possible due
to a
coincidental
event – it was
the novena,
the promise, the
candle we lit,
the medal that
we carry or the
old shirt that
we wore for the
football match
last Sunday.
3 - Cultural
operating
systems
That farm boy
barely speaks to
visitors, he
hides in his
corner when
strangers come
and he learnt
from adults to
not open his
mouth without
being called.
That old man who
keeps all the
leftovers - may
be an old bolt,
a bent nail or a
rusty hinge -
are objects that
later he will
give them a new
utility.
That belief that
Nature’s
phenomena occur
by divine
determination –
if he died it
was because God
wanted it that
way; if she had
a miscarriage,
it was God’s
will; if it does
not rain, ask
God to send us
rain.
A
word more about
Allan Kardec and
Sigmund Freud
The hereby text
is the result of
neuropsychology
studies produced
in academia. The
contribution of
Kardec and Freud
in this area
that we are
discussing,
deserves much
more of our
attention.
Kardec reveals
the spiritual
world, studies
the existence of
Spirits, their
relationship and
influence with
the corporeal
world - noting
that these
Spirits have a
strong
interference
even in our
thoughts.
Freud created
the
psychoanalysis
as a study
instrument of
the unconscious,
thus
demonstrating
how our lives,
our actions, our
choices are
driven by our
unconscious.
Therefore, when
we talk about
the operating
systems of the
mind and our
skills, the
disembodied and
the unconscious,
invisible to the
physical eye,
they are
extremely active
in our behavior.
Because of this,
we need to study
them in detail.
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