The Woman Who Lost Her Sense of 'Mine'

(Photo: Steven Taylor) By Melissa Dahl People get attached to their stuff. Two-year-olds, for instance, have very strong opinions about what's theirs ("MINE!"), and are suspicious about sharing, no matter what nonsense their adult caregivers spew about this caring thing. And although (most) people eventually learn to follow appropriate social norms, that relationship to stuff and things still matters throughout the life span, and even, in a way, beyond it -- when you're gone, after all, your loved ones will likely inherit your most prized possessions. If nothing else, at least your memory will live on through, say, a particularly nice set of dresser drawers you once owned. Related: The Man Who Lost His Memory at the Dentist People express their self-identity through their belongings, a notion that psychologists and neuroscientists are lately finding empirical evidence to support, though the idea itself is of course not a new one. In 1890, William James, the 19th-century scholar who is considered by many to be the founder of modern psychology, wrote in The Principles of Modern Psychology, "a man's Self is the sum total of all that he can call his, not only his body and his psychic powers, but his clothes and his house, his wife and his children, his ancestors and friends, his reputation and works, his lands and horses, and yacht and bank-account." (Former President Jimmy Carter was a little late to this conclusion, observing in a 1970s speech, "Human identity is no longer...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news