[binding by (human) binding]
"Romantic and maternal love are highly rewarding experiences.“
	Here a general integrative approach concerning the psyche shall be introduced. The model presented can be well embedded in bioevolutionary principles. It is to further scientific enterprises and health interventions as the goal of psychology is to help and support people in need. This text is to introduce a synthesis of older and new psychological concepts. There are 5 main principles that together are to craft a holistic model of the human psyche. The centre of this is the body as a whole, not the brain. The body is the model/matrix of the psyche, on a conceptual, and physiological level. 5 main principles: emotion Our attention system and actions in given situations are strongly based on nurturing body contacts in elementary relationships in childhood, and lifespan. This is more or less unconscious. The sense of touch is the main guide for thalamic activation or inhibition towards the cortex (cognition).Also, physiologically we know that the sense of touch is outstanding in hippocampal activity: it is the only sense not to be habituated by repetition. Also these areas are active in early live when other senses still show much less activation. According Darwin the survival of the individual, and species, is primary. A positive physiological system to mediate bonding and brood care serves this function. On a subjective level close relationships ('attachment') give well-being and reward. Objectivly they are mediated by neurohormones such as oxytocine and dopamin. The argument here is that nurturing body contact serves to embed and bind our deleveloping concepts system/cognition. Studies support this as a lack thereof leads to deficits of psychic functioning. Body contact guides and emphasizes the focus of attention. association Different thoughts can be associated according their co-occurence of external representations. The old concept of associated ideas can now be translated directly to the crossmodal connection of specific and complex neocortical networks/patterns of activation in a given moment. Here a physiological explication of the concept of association as 'done'. Association-in-concrete is an elementary multidirectional synaptic brain process involving a high number yet of specific neurons making up a specific pattern of activation. If there are two such patterns of different senses occuring at a time they are associated over association areas. Association is entwined with emotion in a way that emotion serves to generally embed (thalamus) and specifically weigh (hippocampus) 'input'. memory 'Memory' is the pivot of of human existence and consciousness. Roughly put, it gives us a sense of ongoing existence, time and the faculty to orient and act in a complex environment. Memory here has much to do with the human as a social being. Social needs being the basis to live (on). The idea for the model came up by the idea for a physiological framework of explicit and implicit memory where long term potentiation mediates the 'inscription' in both. Looking at common findings on explicit and implicit mememory one can figure 'explicit' by the crossmodal binding of contrasting experiental elements embedded and weighted by 'emotional' relevance. Emotional relevance as indicated by bodily/human needs. It's specific ways are established and 'biased' firstly in childhood. Then we carry them rather unconsciously to guide us. The framework suggests that implicit memory would be located rather towards peripheral, or separate sensory and motor pathways/areas, whereas explicit memory is assumed to be processed in the very central, associative binding pathways of the brain ('association areas'). Looking at association as memory process in a more flowing, 'zen' way over time leads to a broader understanding of amnesia as the lack of memory. contrast Red versus white is a simple contrast. The concepts' system is the sum of manyfold such elemantary contrasts within and between the senses by crossmodal cortical association. The concepts' system is based on the grown crossmodal cortical associations that are established firstly during childhood. This is reached by experiencing the world in many moments which 'normally' is always guided by bonders in childhood. The bonders will often set a focus of attention to be transmitted to the child. The established associative structures according these experiences represent the 'sense' or connections of the outside world/environment with a bias of values/attention of the bonders, or 'significant' others. covariation The most popular conception of covariation so far has been brought up by Harold Kelley. In his conception, covariation is said to be used making inferences of social behavior. In a similar way, here covariation is used to understand concepts and their establishment (instead of 'social attribution'). So, here, compared to Kelleys approach, covariation means a similar yet more basic, complex and specific process. It is claimed here that our concept system is build by crossmodal association of covarying sensual patterns. In other words: patterns that change simultaneously tend to be connected. They are the basis of our concepts. These can be more or less 'value-loaden' according 'social significance' (emotion/bonding vs. semantic/'world' knowledge). Our concepts system is established by associating repeatedly covarying inputs (of the differing senses) against rather stable backgrounds (i. e. a moving dog in a park, accompanied by according sounds). Apart from covariation the concepts system and attention system in development and life span are strongly influenced by (non-)rewarding or neutral-positive bodily interactions. The GOAL OF THIS TEXT is to give a basic introduction to the logic of the model to enable you to use it for your purpose. If you chose to click on >model< below you will be led to 5 chapters according the before mentioned principles to explain the model.
	> the model < >references<
	The neat work of scientists has made this possible. I am sorry that I cannot name them all. ----------------------------------- Abstract of research: In an investigation three facets of body contact, more specifically, of an embrace (based on findings by Uvnäs-Moberg) where modelled in a rather technical way. There are different reasons for avoiding an interpersonal design. The facets modelled were: pressure to stomach (pressing a tissue around one's own body), warmth (warm water bottle) and softness (soft blanket an chair). So, there where two groups, one group had all the three stimuli in combination, the other had none of them. Again, there are reasons for this, and limitations to account for. The movement of the arms was controlled for. Each participant was recorded on EEG in a solo session. A logistic regression analysis was performed leading to significant results in trials with low load. Here, a shift to the right hemisphere of alpha and theta band was found in the group with body stimuli. This is despite the fact of small sample (N=42) and very short experiment of about 10 minutes. As designated by Shore the right hemisphere is especially concerned with and connected to limbic and bonding functions in children and adults. Devinsky points to the right brain as most important for psychic processes concerning at the same time body feel, conscioussness, and self. [The full description can be found below, but in german. It is to be translated soon.]
	>PDF including research [deutsch/german]<	>PDF abstract [deutsch/german]<
>book< -----------
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