Introduction
The biological functioning of the mind has attracted substantial research interest in psychology and physiology intended to understand mental processes among humans. The mind/body problem entails the brain’s nature and how it relates to the human body, including the nervous system. Prominent theorists have put forth many theories explaining the distinct features entailing mental processes and neuron functioning (Cucu and Pitts 98). Mental processes and states are regulated by basic working units controlling reception, interpretation, and relay of messages in the human body. However, the process of receiving and relaying messages among humans is substantially independent of the physical aspects of the brain. Nevertheless, this discussion aims at highlighting distinctive features that elaborate on the mind’s biological functions. Examples are integrated to evaluate description lengths entailing tangible and intangible attributes of an individual’s psychological processes. Incorporation of physical attributes, non-physical elements, and medical practice are critical factors in explaining and understanding the mind/body problem.
Physical Properties of the Brain
The mind/body problem can be expounded using vital physical attributes associated with the brain. In essence, this organ constitutes a significant body part that ensures the normal functioning of the human body (Cucu and Pitts 99). It is vital to note individuals cannot survive without the organ, as it is the case with the heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys, among others. Physical attributes of the body organ are depicted in extreme cases of social violence. For instance, hitting an individual hardly at the back of the the heads can result amnesia. It is the same way an individual loses consciousness for lack of effective breathing.
The problem can also be evaluated using the biological properties of the brain. Most importantly, the physical attributes of the mind are determined by the presence of neurons (Qazi et al. 170). These are the basic working units of the brain responsible for receiving, interpreting, and relaying messages within the human body. These parts of the brain communicate electronically by sending information across other body organs. The units extend throughout the brain forming the meninges. The human brain, as a biological organ, can be touched and seen. Neurosurgeons, for example, conduct medical procedures by removing cancerous growth that affects sensitive parts of the meninges (Cucu and Pitts 98). Essentially, surgical operations on patients’ brains experiencing long-term mental illnesses prove the organ’s physical presence.
Additionally, the mind/body problem can be explained using social processes aimed at improving personal traits. It is common, for instance, to find students who are slow learners in an academic environment (Qazi et al. 170). Leaders implement strategic communication practices when persuading public members for votes. Administrative officials of a company also adopt management practices intended to improve quality production in the organization. Tutors in learning institutions, for example, take slow learners through a consultation process for improving individual behavior and high grades (Cucu and Pitts 99). Transformational managers improve work performance by taking employees to professional training, seminars, and conferences. Therefore, the brain’s functionality can be externally influenced by individuals for specific outcomes. Inducing positive behavior is critical in understanding how mental processes control personal traits or specialization levels among professionals.
Non-physical Properties of the Mind
Patients facing mental challenges are, sometimes, treated using medical procedures entailing body surgeries. It implies that many surgical processes require accuracy and objectivity as a mistake could cause lifetime behavioral change among affected individuals (Qazi et al. 170). For instance, an unintended alteration of the occipital lobe can cause eyesight problems on a patient. Practically, professionals who specialize in biological operations of the brain are objective in transforming human behavior through procedures (Qazi et al. 170). These professionals attend high-level medical institutions with the specific academic objectives of producing competent doctors. Additionally, the individuals are taken through rigorous and extensive practical operations to acquire the required knowledge of physical brain parts (Cucu and Pitts 99). In extreme cases, the brain experiences dynamic challenges not rectifiable through the psychotherapies mentioned earlier.
The mind/body problem entails an evaluation of the mind’s non-physical properties. The interpretation process is intangible and unobservable executed virtually. Non-physical properties are determined and measured using responses to the messages sent to the brain. For instance, sick individuals are psychologically compelled to seek medical assistance for positive health outcomes on an illness (Cucu and Pitts 100). Violence and aggression, for example, are personal traits attributed to unregulated human feelings on anger. The non-physical character aids in understanding of the mind/body problem when perceived from diverse perspectives (Qazi et al. 170). Most importantly, the decision-making process and persona attributes recognize the significance and essence of accurate reception and relevant integration during neural communication in a human body.
Normal Brain Functioning
Human brains function biologically using neural communication between different body organs. For instance, the mind can associate abdominal pains with food poisoning or stomach illnesses using the electrochemical messages in a patient’s body (Qazi et al. 170). Sending and receiving information between human organs highlights the relevance of functionalism theory which identifies the mind as an element of a system. The brain functions normally when the neural communication interprets electromagnetic messages accurately and objectively for a decisive response. Physical and non-physical attributes are informative in explaining how individuals interact in social surroundings (Cucu and Pitts 102). Patients with mental ailments are considered unfit for subjective interaction as they provide irrelevant responses to simple discussion topics. For instance, it is possible to find characters that seek happiness in other people’s miseries. Such individuals are considered mentally unhealthy requiring psychotherapeutic intervention. A recurring past hampers their decision-making processes on events associated with preceding horrifying experiences (Qazi et al. 174). Extreme cases of the condition can unconsciously result in aggressive behavior harming those around. It is difficult to comprehend how some mental processes coordinate human reaction as depicted among PTSD patients.
Conclusion
This discussion notes that the mind/body problem can be explained from diverse biological and psychological perspectives. Physical properties of the brain are useful in elaborating the biological functions of the human body. Non-physical attributes mentioned earlier enhance psychological understanding of the organ. Functionalism and behaviorism are mind theories critical for separating essential brain functions and psychotherapeutic procedures. It is through these frameworks that psychological therapists advance their knowledge on neural communication among individuals. Psychotherapies and neurosurgeries are key medical procedures that separate the non-physical from physical attributes of the brain. The illustrations provided depict clear differences in normal mental functioning, evidenced in decision-making and personal attributes of people. Most fundamentally, the mind/body problem grows in complexity when normal psychological functioning contradicted by rare mental conditions. Medical research on mental healthcare only provides primary information and knowledge on psychotherapeutic and neural procedures describing mental states and brain processes.
Reference
Cucu, Alin C., and J. Brian Pitts. “How Dualists Should (not) Respond to the Objection from Energy Conservation.” Mind and Matter, vol. 17, no. 1, 2019, pp. 95-121.
Qazi, Faisal, et al. “Framing the Mind–Body Problem in Contemporary Neuroscientific and Sunni Islamic Theological Discourse.” The New Bioethics, vol. 24, no. 2, 2018, pp. 158-175.