Conditioned Environmental Response

                                                     
                                                 “You will find only what you bring in.” 

                                                                                               ~ Yoda

 

“You cannot change what you do not acknowledge”

This part may be easier to understand…but it may be more difficult to admit?

There is no doubt about the fact that we all come biologically hard wired with an array of genetic tendencies, but most all of our beliefs/actions manifest from our environment. Our family, friends, schools, and geography play a huge role in our behaviors.

Although our environment conditions us, we cannot escape the hard wired structures of our brain.

The Limbic system has an area within it called the Amygdala (AM). The AM plays a key role in the processing of emotions.  In humans and other animals, this mid-brain brain structure is linked to both the fear and pleasure responses.

The Amygdala is also an area where most of our memory is stored.  A neurologist once said, “The mind sees what it remembers.” The AM is the area remembering. The Neo-Cortex NC (good wolf) and AM (bad wolf) are in constant negotiations. Together they develop a consensus regarding an appropriate compromise between emotional memories and reason and logic.

However, recent studies show that NC (specifically the frontal lobe) isn't completely developed until we’re in our mid-20s. This is why it is so important for parents to act as the “executive director” for their kid’s development to become healthy critical thinkers.  This also explains why teenagers (and sometimes adults) often seem so self-centered.

Kids may post inappropriate things on twitter, partake in risky behavior, and seem very selfish. All of these things are a reflection of their developmental stage.  They aren't yet at that place where they're thinking about (or capable of thinking about) the consequences of their behavior toward other people. That requires insight……insight that comes from a “maturely” developed frontal lobe.

Neural scientist Joe LeDoux said, “As things now stand, the amygdala has a greater influence on the NC than the NC has on the amygdala, allowing emotional arousal to dominate and control thinking.” (DeLoux, 1996, p. 303)

This confirms the prior Aristotle quote regarding The Blind Drives of Biology…

"The lives of many humans are governed by nothing more than the pleasure and pain that comes from the satisfaction and frustration of appetites. Appetites and reason are part of every human, but his or her character is revealed by which of the two dominates”

Is this true for you?

If so, let’s take a look at the conditioned responses we all have…

~ Walk into any house with bread baking in the oven and it will take you back to those early years at home and invoke emotions of comfort and safety.

~ Hearing a song, “More than a feeling” and it will take you back to your high school or college years and invoke feelings of dating, parties, and staying up late studying for tests.

The amygdala does this without any conscious effort on our part.

For many this is a blessing… remembering the simple times in life provides a sense of youth, innocence, and autonomy.  

But for many it can be a curse… reminding one of uncomfortable times paired with associations that lead to destructive behaviors.

These associations are unique for each individual depending on our experiences.

For instance…

~ If you grew up in a dysfunctional home where neglect was involved, the smell of baked bread could cause extreme anxiety.

~ If you had a horrible fight with your boyfriend when the song, “more than a feeling” was playing… Boston songs may create an adverse reaction.

It’s all perspective, “You will find only what you bring in.” 

The neurological narrative of the AM is one of emotional memories and the pairing of attachments. (I.e. food, drugs, alcohol, sex, etc.).

If a person is having a negative experience, the drive to resolve the conflict is usually strong. Freud referred to this resolution as, “seeking pleasure to avoid pain.”

In today’s society, food does the job of resolving pain…..it’s cheap, abundant, legal, and socially acceptable.

Win a game… go out to eat.

After church… go out to eat.

Straight A’s on a report card… go out to eat

Boyfriend/girlfriend break up… go out to eat.

Stressed at work… go out to eat (or have a drink).

The pairing of food in these emotional situations is known as the classical conditioned response…. also known as learned reflexive response. On the surface these moments seem benign… below the surface is a complex neural netting that creates the habits that define most of our lives. “At first we create our habits and then our habits create us.”

“To learn we must unlearn”  

                             ~ Yoda

Before we can rehabilitate our behaviors we must learn to identify the antecedents. (Antecedent… A thing or event that existed before or logically precedes another)

“If you don’t like the crop…don’t sow the seed” 

If you’re an adult reading this, your seed has been sown. It will be hard to change, but change is always possible. The steps I recommend will be a guideline for you and me… and a great start in life for our kids.

“For every complex problem there is an easy answer….and it is wrong”

                                                                                    ~ H. L. Mencken

For a habit to be broke there must first be an awareness of the underlining issues (antecedents).

The goal, as Freud explained is “To make the un-conscious conscious.”

Many psychological studies have found that the “ABC’s of Behavioral Modification” provide the best structure for consciousness–raising and behavioral modification.                                                                         

The ABC’s of Behavioral Modification

A  Refers to the antecedent, or the event or activity that immediately precedes a problem behavior. (Memories, associations, stressors)

B  Refers to observed behavior. (Eating, drinking, drugs)

C  Refers to the consequence, or the event that immediately follows a response. (Health problems, family problems, law problems)

 We must also change the way we use food.

1. Food is not love… its nourishment.

2. Food is not the reward… the reward is the work done well…. A sense of accomplishment.

3. Food is not comfort… comfort is overcoming uncomfortable moments with logic and reason.

4. Food does not overcome adversity… logic and reason overcomes adversity.               

(Handling adversity with logic and reason becomes very addictive!)

If you’ll notice, each of the food issues is emotional manifestations of the limbic system.

Each of my opposing suggestions regarding food is logical directions of the neo-cortex.

I guess the Indian grandfather had it right… when it comes to the bad wolf verses the good wolf, the one who wins is the one you feed.

 "Self-knowledge entails an understanding of our fears and other emotions, habits, and personal relationships. It implies an understanding of the possibilities that are open to us, as well as a realistic sense of our limitations. And it implies an understanding of our strengths, weaknesses, and faults.”