From the Machine Paradigm to Brain Plasticity and How Culture Overrules Biology in Humans

Abstract

This paper emphasises how higher psychological functions develop dialectically from a biological basis and how the brain changes with mental and physical activity in a specific culture due to its plasticity. A scientific psychology cannot ignore that human consciousness exists. Humans' higher psychological functions, their language and thinking, have to be the core of human psychology. The psychological functions cannot be dissolved into biological, neurological processes. The number of human activities under biological control is greatly reduced in comparison to (other) animals. The higher psychological phenomena are humanly constructed as individuals participate in social interaction in a specific culture and are therefore cultural dependent. To understand how biology, culture and mind is dialectical related is crucial for a reasonable psychological epistemology.

Cultural neuropsychology: The new norm.

“…Though not without its critics (Martínez Mateo, Cabanis, Loebell, & Krach, 2012), cultural neuroscience is enjoying a fertile nascency. Drawing heavily on cultural historical theory, much has been advanced theoretically to guide this empirical explosion under the rubric of biocultural coconstructivism (Kolstad, 2012;Li, 2003Li, , 2006Li, , 2007Li, , 2008. The next generation of culturally and linguistically competent young neuropsychologists, therefore, would do well to familiarize themselves with these developments in the interdisciplinary arena because cultural neuropsychology is uniquely positioned to bridge the gap between the neurosciences and clinical practice.…”

Individualization of psychosocial problems and the alternative

“…This change will also show up in the neural network of the brain and thus stick to both the mind and the biology. 8 Such change of consciousness and the brain will not have any adverse effects as other interventions in the brain, such as shock therapies, lobotomy and chemotherapy.…”

How Culture Shapes Mind, Neurobiology and Behaviour

“…Old functions or elements are still part of a human being, but they have changed to another form, with another meaning and signification during the ontogenetic development. New concepts and activity develop mind and consciousness and this psychological activity also changes the brain by establishing new connections between neurons [11]. The brain adapts to the elaboration of the mind and changes its structure and function to represent the altering and developing mind.…”

“…A significant problem for an understanding of human psychology is to clarify the mind/brain relationship. Due to the complexity of the phenomenon and the possibility of choosing different perspectives makes it understandable that there are disagreement and multiple explanations of the same phenomenon [11].…”

“…The comprehension of the human as a machine and the brain as a computer excludes the possibility for humans to take part in its own development, and it therefore cast out of science any selfdetermination approach [11].…”