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This whole discussion regarding the I-function and the idea of a “self” inside of us has been really interesting to read about. It reminds me of a Law & Order: SVU episode that I watched about this teenage boy who reportedly could not control his sexual inclination due to some increased levels of --- in his brain. When asked whether or not he had a sense of himself or a sense of right and wrong while he was infringing on the law, the teenage boy responded that he knew what he was doing the whole time—he just could not control himself. This convoluted storyline kind of got me thinking about that idea of “self-awareness” and people who break the law. Having poor “executive functions” in the brain, meaning an impairment in controlling one’s actions, planning, or abstract reasoning, are symptoms of aggressive boys, according to an article I found online (http://www.crimetimes.org/96c/w96cp8.htm). Researchers noted that aggressive behavior has been linked to hyperactivity in the brain and that reasons behind such behavior might only be answerable by some unknown neuroanatomical chemical or physiological handicap.

Going back to the point of this entry… I think inputs and outputs occur with reason, whether or not the final outcome seems reasonable at all to others but the person performing the action. Perception itself is an action that is a response to social standards, and thus can be seen as a result of conditioning of the brain to specific inputs to produce specific outputs. Also, the presence of the “I-function” can be seen to have been present in the boy’s psyche. Even though his actions were seen as illegal and violently wrong, he was aware of his conduct the whole time, and thus could be said to have been aware of himself, of his ability to reason. With this ability, one would wonder why he would willingly continue to perform such heinous criminal actions; if he was aware of himself and of his ability to stop what he was doing, what prevented him from actually going ahead and doing so? The episode concludes with the explanation simply that his inability to stop himself or react to his own self is something that relates back to the I-function and some chemical imbalance in his brain. I thought it was interesting to see how such a radical pattern of activity could be related to a person’s sense of self and awareness (in terms of morality and being capable of determining right and wrong). How strange to think that a few missed relayed inputs/outputs in the brain can cause such detrimental behavior in a fellow human being.