Memory: An Essential Component of Identity

In a fascinating 1979 study that has since spawned both an opera and a feature-length movie, Dr. Oliver Sacks put forward the idea that a person's identity is incomplete without an intact and fully functioning memory. In his book The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, published in 1985, Sacks made the observation that "Memory is essential for a person's identity and sense of self. Without normal memory function, a person would not be him/herself." I strongly agree with the statement made here by Dr. Sacks.

This paper will argue that Dr. Sacks was correct in making this statement by examining aspects of the nature-nurture dynamic, the interaction pattern of brain and behavior, the interpretation of the visual system, neurogenesis in the post-natal brain and the complications of amnesia on personality. By looking at these five different but related aspects of biopsychology, as well as including some anecdotal evidence from both my own daily life and from American popular culture, the point will be made that without memory, a person would not be him/herself.

In any discussion about the function of the brain and behavior, it is important to first understand what it is that forms the brain and how it is that the activity in the brain underlies our behavior. This paper must begin, therefore, with a discussion of the concepts of nature and nurture and a look at the constant evolution of the brain through a series of experiences and reactions.

In stark contrast to two markedly divided schools of thought prior to roughly the 1970s, scholars who study the brain today commonly accept that the brain is shaped by both the nature and by the nurture it receives at birth and over a lifetime. In other words, the development of the brain takes place in such a way that is fully impacted by nature - the genetic traits that a person receives from parents and other ancestors and the impact of any accidents or exposures to chemicals, drugs or other elements that may have taken place along the way - as well as by the nurture it receives - either as positive reinforcements or as punishments as a result of the consequences from past behaviors, growing up or living in a loving or abusive environment, etc. According to Dr. John P.J. Pinel in his textbook Basics of Biopsychology, the integrated impact of nature and nurture on a person's brain is akin to that of the role both the flute player and the flute have in creating music. The music simply cannot be created without the presence of both the musician and the instrument. Nature and nurture clearly are interwoven in the brain and neither functions in a vacuum to shape us. The brain, shaped by what is provided by nature, changes in response to new experiences. The brain then stores up these experiences in the form of memories. Given this interwoven impact of nature-nurture, a person is clearly shaped by the experiences and memories developed over a lifetime. This is true no matter at what stage the life is examined. Through conscious and unconscious thought, a person's personality is shaped by experience. If these memories were to be removed, part of what makes a person him or she would be lost. For an example, I look to my own experience. Over the years, I have enjoyed studying and learning about the history and events during the Age of Sail. Because of this lifelong fascination and the memories I have developed because of it, part of my personality, for those who know me best, is associated with the knowledge I have gained due to my hobby. If I were to lose these memories, part of the thing that makes me "me" - such as rattling on ad infinitum about the origin of sayings such as "the whole 10 yards" which came from that era - would be lost. While this may not represent a major change in who I am, it would in fact be a change.

According to Pinel's model of the process of brain function and behavior, presented on Page 9 in his textbook, the brain is ever changing It is being shaped to react to future stimuli based on previously learned behavior to past stimuli. Put simply, the brain learns not to allow the person to touch a hot stove based on the experience of touching a hot stove a single time. Likewise, the brain learns and changes in regard to more complex issues of personality based on previous experience. Typically, we learn as children many of the behaviors that will shape us for the remainder of our lives. We learn that certain comments are inappropriate when in groups that contain both males and females, for example. Comments that may seem appropriate to a group of young men at a gym may very well not be appropriate for one of those men to make while on a first date with a woman. It is not uncommon for people to make these types of errors earlier in their lives, but generally, through learning from past memories of behaviors, a person develops a sense of appropriateness. How a person decides for him/herself on how to conduct him/herself in various situations goes a long way toward defining who that person is. Without the memories of past mistakes and successes, the person would be much different and would not act like he/she otherwise would. Without memory, then, a person would not be himself/herself.

The inputs and mental perceptions of the body's visual system would seem, at first blush, to have little to do with developing a person's identity. Certainly blind people or those with other visual impairment are able to develop a distinct and complete identity. The question is, however, would their identity be different if their sight interpretation was different? I argue that it would be. Through simple experiments, one can experience the visual phenomena known as "completion." Through this visual phenomenon, a person's understanding of reality can be altered. Through completion, a person may see another person's face in the way that the mind completes it to be if it is partially obscured. Without a previous memory of how items are "supposed" to look, this completion process would be faulty. How one interprets and views the world around him/her is a key factor in creating personality and a sense of self. A person who sees flowers primarily without blooms is likely to develop a personality different than a person who sees them all primarily with blooms. Who I am is shaped by the nurture I receive from the visual world around me. If everywhere I see beauty, my behavior pattern develops in one way. If everywhere I see depressing images, my behavior pattern develops in another way. This change in my behavior pattern alters what I remember about the world and how I interpret myself within the world. Who I am is shaped by what I see. Visual interpretation of the world around us, therefore, and our memories of how we view those things go a long way toward creating a person's identity.

The process of neurogenesis in the post-natal brain also helps to shape and influence memory and therefore create a sense of self. As in the case of the model provided by Pinel of the brain constantly evolving, it is clear that the brain is also constantly growing and/or regenerating. As time passes, brain cells are added, brain cells die through apoptosis and other processes and brain cells are replaced. This continuous change in the brain could seem to present a scenario where a person's sense of self could be ever-changing. In a sense this is true. No person is truly the exact same person he/she was the day before. It is the memory of whom we were the day before - as well as the days before that - that help ground us in who we are today. Even as the brain grows, regenerates and even renews itself, it is the memories - again, both conscious and unconscious - that provide the foundation for self. Who we will be tomorrow will be further refined by the neurogenesis that takes place between now and then and the responses and behaviors learned based on the new memories that are generated, layered on to the existing memories and learned behavior patterns. So, while the brain is ever evolving and in a constant flux of neurogenesis, all of that is happening on a foundation that has been built on the memories of a person available to date. Without these memories there can be no foundation for the identity of self.

It is perhaps the examination of what happens to a person in cases of amnesia that best helps us to understand the role that memory plays in determining who we are. There are various types of amnesia, some of which can have a very temporary impact on a person, such as that typically experienced in a post-traumatic situation, to more debilitating, longer-term types of amnesia, such as that brought about by Alzheimer's disease. It is in the longer-term forms of amnesia that truly rob a person of their sense of self. We see amnesia used as a plot element repeatedly in television and motion pictures because the loss of memory goes right to the core of establishing who a person is. For the class, I reviewed the move "Total Recall" (1991) which, amidst the action and violence, ultimately examined the question of who a person is, if his memory has been altered. The main character had a personality that was markedly different from the personality he had prior to his memory altering operation. Without his old memories, the character was a totally different person, both to himself and to the people with whom he came into contact.

Unfortunately, I am not alone in the experience of witnessing a loved one slowly lose their identity due to the ravages of Alzheimer's disease. This disease is slowly taking my grandmother away from us and is depriving us and her of who she is. In the case of the Alzheimer's patient, one could make the argument that the change in personality and loss of one's identity due to the amnesia is simply the creation of a new reality of self and a new expression of identity. I reject this argument, however. If a new identity were to slowly emerge from a person with normal memory function, we could agree that the sense of self remains intact. It does not seem appropriate to label the amnesia sufferer as having a new self identity when, after many decades, there is a sudden and dramatic shift away from a previously established pattern of self.

I believe the reason that we see forms of amnesia portrayed so often in movies, books and other stories is because it gets to the very root question of memory being who we are. This can often be played for laughs in the movies, but the reality is far from a laughing matter. The ability to think clearly and recall one's own memories and life journey is at the core of what makes each one of us ourselves. The essence of life is being able to respond to the questions of "Who am I?" and "What is it that I believe?"

Our ability to develop answers to these questions is based largely on our memories. If I identify myself primarily as the son of Jerry and Mary Jean, as the husband of Kim, and/or as the father of Zack, Joe, Sam and Katie, it is imperative that I be able to remember those people. The same is true if I further identify myself as a history buff about the Age of Sail or even as simply someone who is smart enough to keep his hands off of a hot stove. Without being able to remember these things - be they conscious thought or the unconscious - I would be deprived of my sense of self.

What is self? Self is how a person answers the questions "Who am I?" and "What do I believe?" While how a person answers these questions may evolve and change over time, being able to remember how we answered those questions just a moment ago is an important part of our own identity. Memory is critical to identity.

Through a review of the dynamic interplay through which nature and nurture impact the mind, the interaction pattern of brain and behavior, the interpretation of the visual system, neurogenesis in the post-natal brain and the complications of amnesia on personality, this paper has made the argument that memory is essential for a person's identity and sense of self. I believe the case has strongly been made that the position put forward by Dr. Sacks that without normal memory function, a person would not be him/herself is in fact a true statement. It is only in being able to full access one's own memory that a person is truly about to be who he/she has become via the journey of their life to any particular point in time. I strongly agree with Dr. Sacks statement that "memory is essential for a person's identity and sense of self. Without normal memory function, a person would not be him/herself."

Bibliography

Pinel, John P.J. Basics of Biopsychology. Allyn & Bacon. London. 2007

Sacks, Oliver W. The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales. Summit Books. Mandaluyong City, Philippines. 1985

In a fascinating 1979 study that has since spawned both an opera and a feature-length movie, Dr. Oliver Sacks put forward the idea that a person's identity is incomplete without an intact and fully functioning memory. In his book The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, published in 1985, Sacks made the observation that "Memory is essential for a person's identity and sense of self. Without normal memory function, a person would not be him/herself." I strongly agree with the statement made here by Dr. Sacks.

This paper will argue that Dr. Sacks was correct in making this statement by examining aspects of the nature-nurture dynamic, the interaction pattern of brain and behavior, the interpretation of the visual system, neurogenesis in the post-natal brain and the complications of amnesia on personality. By looking at these five different but related aspects of biopsychology, as well as including some anecdotal evidence from both my own daily life and from American popular culture, the point will be made that without memory, a person would not be him/herself.

In any discussion about the function of the brain and behavior, it is important to first understand what it is that forms the brain and how it is that the activity in the brain underlies our behavior. This paper must begin, therefore, with a discussion of the concepts of nature and nurture and a look at the constant evolution of the brain through a series of experiences and reactions.

In stark contrast to two markedly divided schools of thought prior to roughly the 1970s, scholars who study the brain today commonly accept that the brain is shaped by both the nature and by the nurture it receives at birth and over a lifetime. In other words, the development of the brain takes place in such a way that is fully impacted by nature - the genetic traits that a person receives from parents and other ancestors and the impact of any accidents or exposures to chemicals, drugs or other elements that may have taken place along the way - as well as by the nurture it receives - either as positive reinforcements or as punishments as a result of the consequences from past behaviors, growing up or living in a loving or abusive environment, etc. According to Dr. John P.J. Pinel in his textbook Basics of Biopsychology, the integrated impact of nature and nurture on a person's brain is akin to that of the role both the flute player and the flute have in creating music. The music simply cannot be created without the presence of both the musician and the instrument. Nature and nurture clearly are interwoven in the brain and neither functions in a vacuum to shape us. The brain, shaped by what is provided by nature, changes in response to new experiences. The brain then stores up these experiences in the form of memories. Given this interwoven impact of nature-nurture, a person is clearly shaped by the experiences and memories developed over a lifetime. This is true no matter at what stage the life is examined. Through conscious and unconscious thought, a person's personality is shaped by experience. If these memories were to be removed, part of what makes a person him or she would be lost. For an example, I look to my own experience. Over the years, I have enjoyed studying and learning about the history and events during the Age of Sail. Because of this lifelong fascination and the memories I have developed because of it, part of my personality, for those who know me best, is associated with the knowledge I have gained due to my hobby. If I were to lose these memories, part of the thing that makes me "me" - such as rattling on ad infinitum about the origin of sayings such as "the whole 10 yards" which came from that era - would be lost. While this may not represent a major change in who I am, it would in fact be a change.

According to Pinel's model of the process of brain function and behavior, presented on Page 9 in his textbook, the brain is ever changing It is being shaped to react to future stimuli based on previously learned behavior to past stimuli. Put simply, the brain learns not to allow the person to touch a hot stove based on the experience of touching a hot stove a single time. Likewise, the brain learns and changes in regard to more complex issues of personality based on previous experience. Typically, we learn as children many of the behaviors that will shape us for the remainder of our lives. We learn that certain comments are inappropriate when in groups that contain both males and females, for example. Comments that may seem appropriate to a group of young men at a gym may very well not be appropriate for one of those men to make while on a first date with a woman. It is not uncommon for people to make these types of errors earlier in their lives, but generally, through learning from past memories of behaviors, a person develops a sense of appropriateness. How a person decides for him/herself on how to conduct him/herself in various situations goes a long way toward defining who that person is. Without the memories of past mistakes and successes, the person would be much different and would not act like he/she otherwise would. Without memory, then, a person would not be himself/herself.

The inputs and mental perceptions of the body's visual system would seem, at first blush, to have little to do with developing a person's identity. Certainly blind people or those with other visual impairment are able to develop a distinct and complete identity. The question is, however, would their identity be different if their sight interpretation was different? I argue that it would be. Through simple experiments, one can experience the visual phenomena known as "completion." Through this visual phenomenon, a person's understanding of reality can be altered. Through completion, a person may see another person's face in the way that the mind completes it to be if it is partially obscured. Without a previous memory of how items are "supposed" to look, this completion process would be faulty. How one interprets and views the world around him/her is a key factor in creating personality and a sense of self. A person who sees flowers primarily without blooms is likely to develop a personality different than a person who sees them all primarily with blooms. Who I am is shaped by the nurture I receive from the visual world around me. If everywhere I see beauty, my behavior pattern develops in one way. If everywhere I see depressing images, my behavior pattern develops in another way. This change in my behavior pattern alters what I remember about the world and how I interpret myself within the world. Who I am is shaped by what I see. Visual interpretation of the world around us, therefore, and our memories of how we view those things go a long way toward creating a person's identity.

The process of neurogenesis in the post-natal brain also helps to shape and influence memory and therefore create a sense of self. As in the case of the model provided by Pinel of the brain constantly evolving, it is clear that the brain is also constantly growing and/or regenerating. As time passes, brain cells are added, brain cells die through apoptosis and other processes and brain cells are replaced. This continuous change in the brain could seem to present a scenario where a person's sense of self could be ever-changing. In a sense this is true. No person is truly the exact same person he/she was the day before. It is the memory of whom we were the day before - as well as the days before that - that help ground us in who we are today. Even as the brain grows, regenerates and even renews itself, it is the memories - again, both conscious and unconscious - that provide the foundation for self. Who we will be tomorrow will be further refined by the neurogenesis that takes place between now and then and the responses and behaviors learned based on the new memories that are generated, layered on to the existing memories and learned behavior patterns. So, while the brain is ever evolving and in a constant flux of neurogenesis, all of that is happening on a foundation that has been built on the memories of a person available to date. Without these memories there can be no foundation for the identity of self.

It is perhaps the examination of what happens to a person in cases of amnesia that best helps us to understand the role that memory plays in determining who we are. There are various types of amnesia, some of which can have a very temporary impact on a person, such as that typically experienced in a post-traumatic situation, to more debilitating, longer-term types of amnesia, such as that brought about by Alzheimer's disease. It is in the longer-term forms of amnesia that truly rob a person of their sense of self. We see amnesia used as a plot element repeatedly in television and motion pictures because the loss of memory goes right to the core of establishing who a person is. For the class, I reviewed the move "Total Recall" (1991) which, amidst the action and violence, ultimately examined the question of who a person is, if his memory has been altered. The main character had a personality that was markedly different from the personality he had prior to his memory altering operation. Without his old memories, the character was a totally different person, both to himself and to the people with whom he came into contact.

Unfortunately, I am not alone in the experience of witnessing a loved one slowly lose their identity due to the ravages of Alzheimer's disease. This disease is slowly taking my grandmother away from us and is depriving us and her of who she is. In the case of the Alzheimer's patient, one could make the argument that the change in personality and loss of one's identity due to the amnesia is simply the creation of a new reality of self and a new expression of identity. I reject this argument, however. If a new identity were to slowly emerge from a person with normal memory function, we could agree that the sense of self remains intact. It does not seem appropriate to label the amnesia sufferer as having a new self identity when, after many decades, there is a sudden and dramatic shift away from a previously established pattern of self.

I believe the reason that we see forms of amnesia portrayed so often in movies, books and other stories is because it gets to the very root question of memory being who we are. This can often be played for laughs in the movies, but the reality is far from a laughing matter. The ability to think clearly and recall one's own memories and life journey is at the core of what makes each one of us ourselves. The essence of life is being able to respond to the questions of "Who am I?" and "What is it that I believe?"

Our ability to develop answers to these questions is based largely on our memories. If I identify myself primarily as the son of Jerry and Mary Jean, as the husband of Kim, and/or as the father of Zack, Joe, Sam and Katie, it is imperative that I be able to remember those people. The same is true if I further identify myself as a history buff about the Age of Sail or even as simply someone who is smart enough to keep his hands off of a hot stove. Without being able to remember these things - be they conscious thought or the unconscious - I would be deprived of my sense of self.

What is self? Self is how a person answers the questions "Who am I?" and "What do I believe?" While how a person answers these questions may evolve and change over time, being able to remember how we answered those questions just a moment ago is an important part of our own identity. Memory is critical to identity.

Through a review of the dynamic interplay through which nature and nurture impact the mind, the interaction pattern of brain and behavior, the interpretation of the visual system, neurogenesis in the post-natal brain and the complications of amnesia on personality, this paper has made the argument that memory is essential for a person's identity and sense of self. I believe the case has strongly been made that the position put forward by Dr. Sacks that without normal memory function, a person would not be him/herself is in fact a true statement. It is only in being able to full access one's own memory that a person is truly about to be who he/she has become via the journey of their life to any particular point in time. I strongly agree with Dr. Sacks statement that "memory is essential for a person's identity and sense of self. Without normal memory function, a person would not be him/herself."