Injury and Inhibition
8 days ago
- #neuropsychology
- #disinhibition
- #brain injury
- The author worked at Headway East London, a community center for brain injury survivors, from 2003 to 2021.
- The concept of 'disinhibition' was central to understanding behavioral changes in brain injury survivors, though its usage was sometimes problematic.
- Phineas Gage, a railroad foreman who survived a brain injury in 1848, became a famous case study for disinhibition, but much of his story is based on myth.
- Eadweard Muybridge, a photographer who also suffered a brain injury, committed a violent crime but is remembered more for his artistic contributions than his behavior.
- The comparison between Gage and Muybridge highlights how social status and profession influence perceptions of disinhibition and behavioral changes.
- The idea of disinhibition is criticized for being overly simplistic and culturally biased, often reducing complex human behavior to mere brain dysfunction.
- The author argues for a more nuanced understanding of brain injury, emphasizing survivor experiences and rejecting reductive narratives.