Category: Psychology

Are You Special?

Are you special?  Are you really unique, or a merely a unique assemblage of identical elements?  Identical twins are thought to be just that-identical.  Since they share the same DNA, there should be no physical or mental differences.  Strangely, this is not the case.  Identical twins do not have identical personality profiles.  Their physical resemblance is like a mirror when young, but subtle differences emerge with age.  Identical twins are not known to die on the same day, though born at the same time.  What could account for the increased differentiation over time?

At least one mechanism has been found to account for the observed disparity.  This biochemical mechanism may also explain wide physical and mental variations within any given family.  The initial groundbreaking work was performed by Dr. Barbara McClintock.  Even before the double helix model of DNA was discovered, Dr. McClintock revealed that regions of corn DNA could migrate to new areas of the DNA strand.  In effect, a unique corn genome was produced.  Identical strands of corn DNA produced seeds of different colors.  Her discovery added a page to the work of Gregor Mendel-the father of genetic inheritance.  Further discoveries reveal that this “jumping gene” mechanism is not unique to corn, or plants in general.  It occurs in many organisms-including humans.

The “jumping gene” mechanism in higher animals appears to differ from that of plants.  The plant DNA actually moves from one region of the genome to another; activating or suppressing protein transcription in that region.  The animal DNA appears to make a copy of the specific region, and reinserts itself in another area of the genome-just like plants.  The difference between plants and animals appears to be whether the region of DNA is removed or copied.

That kind of medicine is named as viagra for sale online made of Sildenafil citrate. These causes include:- The narrowing of blood vessels due to formation of plaque in the inner layer of the blood circulation by online pharmacy cialis majorly focusing on the penile region. And sildenafil in usa now, for many of us, that “instant” includes over 50 decades of change. Another interesting fact is that Get More Information cialis generika about 95% of the serotonin present in the body at any time is in the ENS. The “jumping gene” effect is most prevalent during the early development of the organism.  Cell division is occurring throughout the nascent brain, and the jumping effect cannot occur without cell division.  Within a few years of human maturation, cell proliferation only continues in a few areas of the brain; the hippocampus and the caudate nucleus.  Both areas are primarily devoted to the processing and storage of sensory memories.  Thousands of such “jumping gene” events have occurred over the course of a normal life.  This suggests that the human brain is genetically altered by new experiences, even in genetically identical twins.

The favorable aspect of “jumping genes” is its ability to assist the organism in adjusting to a changing environment.  The unfavorable aspect is that a new combination of DNA elements may be harmful to the organism.  An unusual number of these unique “jumping gene” sequences of DNA have been discovered in the frontal cortex of schizophrenics.  These unique sequences of DNA are also increased in autism and Rett’s syndrome-a severe neurodevelopmental disorder.

Even though the “jumping gene” mechanism may have accelerated human evolution, it may also engender a greater incidence of dysfunction and breakdown.  “Jumping genes” may have allowed the human lamp to burn ever brighter, yet rendered the flame less than reliable.  So, every human is special-right down to their DNA.  The dilemma arises in regard to the functional outcome of the genetic alterations.  Does a unique trait increase adaptation to the environment, or render the organism less than functional?  It is good to be special, but perhaps it is not good to be too special.

Anxious about Anxiety

Anxiety is a common experience that is difficult to define.  The diagnosis of an anxiety disorder may come as a surprise, because the symptoms are often attributed to a different source.  Symptoms of anxiety overlap with many physical disorders, such that the etiology of the symptoms is apt to be confusing.  Anxiety overwhelms conscious thought, decreasing the brain’s  overall processing power.  The more the symptoms are willed to subside, the more the symptoms appear to increase.  Symptoms of anxiety may be ignored with willful effort, but never willed to go away.  Anxiety is often an unwelcome guest that cannot be forced to leave.

What underlies the most common form of anxiety is fear.  People are loath to admit a fear of nearly anything, which often allows the anxiety to tighten its grip.  People want to imitate the cool control of the action hero.  They want others to regard them as cool and in control.  Their judgments about themselves and others reflect this cultural value, instilled by TV and the movies.  One will never see the action hero cringing in the face of their enemy-paralyzed with fright.  The reality is that fear is a primal emotion that shatters the illusion of control.  It not only infects humans, but may be witnessed on the faces of all mammals.  It is the emotion experienced before fighting or fleeing.  It erases the past and future in an instant to focus on the present predicament.  It is as necessary to survival as food and water.

Fear and aggression are flavors of avoidance and approach.  We withdraw from objects we fear and towards those we want to destroy.  Constant flight leads to starvation and constant aggression leads to a violent death.  The choice of how and when to fight or flee is the key to remaining on top of the food chain.  A person who is constantly aggressive would be labelled as foolish, not brave.  A person who consistently flees from conflict would be labelled as a coward, not judicious.  A wise person listens and learns from their fears.  It is the voice of self-preservation.  It’s the voice of the survival instinct.  Anxiety is a necessary part of life.
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Pathological anxiety is to maintain a state of anxious/fearful apprehension, even though the threat is far removed.  Anxiety is no longer adaptive in this situation, and may cause behavioral paralysis.  It is rare for people to pull back at this point; to realize the generalized nature of their fear.  Medication may reduce tension sufficiently to increase psychotherapy gains, but it is not recommended as the sole intervention.  The patient will quickly depend on medication to allow daily functioning, but rarely understand the fear sufficiently to master the anxiety.  Psychotherapy without medication is often successful for those with mild anxiety.  Moderate to severe anxiety sufferers may be too anxious to make an appointment, or too tense to ingest the therapist’s words.  As with the treatment of depression, a combination of psychotherapy and medication appears to be most successful.

The first task to rule out anxiety is consulting with a physician regarding the physical symptoms.  Radiating numbness and tingling in the arms may be an early sign of a heart attack.  Constant GI distress may be diverticulitis.  As mentioned, anxiety has many physical manifestations that may lead the patient and clinician astray.  Once the physical causes are believed to be benign, the second task is to make an appointment with the psychologist.  This may be the most anxiety provoking task of all.  Take heart.  The determination to seek professional guidance is the first therapeutic intervention.