Why do we have Minds?
The mind is so central to our existence that we take it for granted. Professor Mark Solms notes that since we are our minds it might be worth considering its purpose....
The mind is so central to our existence that we take it for granted. But we are lucky to have minds. Not everything has a mind. Some very complicated things – like the weather and the internet for example – don’t have minds. This suggests that the mind fits a specific purpose. What might that purpose be? Since you are your mind, it might be worth considering ...
The basic properties of a mind provide reasonable first clues. These properties may be summarised as: (1) subjectivity, (2) consciousness, (3) intentionality and (4) agency. The fact that the mind is subjective, that it is a state of ‘me’, suggests that it might have some self-regulatory function. The fact that it is conscious, even if not completely and not always, is a special case of its subjectivity – it is subjectivity with self-awareness. This suggests that self-awareness might help self-regulation. The fact that it is intentional reveals what the self-awareness is about and what the self-regulation is for. Ownership of one’s intentions is agency. Agency admits of degrees; not all intentions are voluntary.
Let me clarify. The physiological mechanism driving intentionality links the two great sources of stimuli which the brain has to deal with. The first of these is the state of the own body and the second is the outside world. The intentionality mechanism deals with the demands of the body by pushing the owner of the body in the right direction, namely towards the outside world. It works like this: At the base of the brain, a few inches behind your nose, lies a structure called the hypothalamus, at the core of which are ‘need detectors’. These little nuclei constantly monitor the state of your body by sampling it across a variety of parameters: oxygen level, glucose level, temperature, etc. They also detect levels of circulating hormones, including sex hormones. When the state of the body falls outside the set points for these parameters (outside the range that evolution determined is best for your survival and reproductive success), it activates a special brain circuit. This circuit is known variously as the ‘reward’ or ‘incentive salience’ or ‘wanting’ or ‘SEEKING’ system. I will call it the ‘wanting’ system. This system (the command neurotransmitter of which is dopamine) triggers your motor system and makes you eagerly explore the environment. When animals do this, we call it ‘foraging’; when you and I do it, we call it ‘interest’. (The system is artificially activated by amphetamines and cocaine, so if you have been naughty enough to try these drugs you will know what this system does.) The biological purpose of foraging is to maximise the chances of your bumping into the things you need. When you do so, and if you consume them (or make biologically appropriate use of them), the hypothalamic need detectors register the bodily change and foraging behaviour is switched off.
The ‘wanting’ system.
This is how you learn what you need, and how you begin to understand the world. The intentionality system is therefore also a meaning-making system – the next time your need detectors register, for example, dehydration, you will know what you are looking for. Likewise, the next time you come across water you will know what it is, what it is good for, what it means. (This, incidentally, is why over-activation of this system produces psychosis, or excessive meaning- making; but that is another story.)
The learning and meaning-making process is suffused with the second basic property of the mind that I mentioned at the outset: consciousness. When you are in a state of biological need – thirst for example – this activates the ‘wanting’ system. The ‘wanting’ system helps you find what you are looking for – water. This is the system I have just described. What I have not said is that when you are in a state of biological need, it feels like something – it feels bad – and when you find what you are looking for, it feels different – it feels good. These latter feelings are generated by a second system, in the basal forebrain, onto which the ‘wanting’ system projects. This second system is called the ‘liking’ system. The ‘liking’ system is primarily opioid mediated. This system projects onto the periacqueductal grey (PAG). The PAG generates core consciousness. It is certainly no accident that this consciousness comes in two basic varieties: pleasurable (biologically good), generated by the front half of the PAG, and unpleasurable (biologically bad), generated by the back half.
The ‘liking’ system.
I have said already that this is the brain’s most elementary meaning-making system. It is also the brain’s most elementary value system. Simply put, it works like this: if something feels good, that means it is good for you, biologically speaking. Something is good for you biologically speaking, if it enhances your chances of surviving and reproducing. Conversely, if something feels bad, that means it reduces your chances of surviving and reproducing. This is what consciousness is for. It lets you know how you are doing, biologically speaking, and on this basis it guides and motivates your actions. This is the self-regulatory function of consciousness.
The ethical implications of all this, and the relationship of biological determinism to free will (agency) and the social good, are topics for another day. These issues pertain mainly to more complex types of minds, such as the human mind. Here I am considering what minds in general are for – all minds, including lizard minds. Our preoccupation with uniquely human complexities sometimes makes us lose sight of the wood for the trees, so much so that we do not even know what our minds are for. Now, at least, we have some simple pointers as to what the mind is for. This is what a mind is for: it enhances your chances or surviving and reproducing by (1) registering your bodily needs, (2) motivating you to engage with the external world to find what you need, and (3) teaching you what works and doesn’t work, biologically speaking, by (4) linking these things with emotional values in accordance with which you can control your own behaviour.
MORE POSTS
Psychotherapy: Does one size fit all?
The Good, the Bad and the Brain
What Makes the Human Brain Human?
What is Neuropsychoanalysis?
The Scientific Standing of Psychoanalysis
Mark is a qualified Psychoanalyst, based in Rondebosch, Cape Town, South Africa.
With a commitment to mental health, Prof Solms provides services in , including Psychoanalysis and Psychology (Clinical).
Prof Solms has expertise in Relationship Problems and Identity Issues.
Click here to schedule a session with Prof Solms.
Important:
TherapyRoute does not provide medical advice. All content is for informational purposes and cannot replace consulting a healthcare professional. If you face an emergency, please contact a local emergency service. For immediate emotional support, consider contacting a local helpline.
Find a Therapist
Find skilled psychologists, psychiatrists, and counsellors near you.
