The Roots of the Self: Unraveling the Mystery of Who We Are

by Ornstein, Robert E.

• ISBN13: 9780062507891
• ISBN10: 0062507893
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1994-12-14
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publications

Summary

An exploration of why individuals are the way they are illuminates the complex forces that shape humans from womb to grave, arming readers with facts about genetics, environment, psychology, creativity, and higher consciousness

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Puzzle of Individuality	p. 1
On Human Nature
Coming of Age in Self-Understanding: The Tale of Galton, Boas, and Mead	p. 15
From the Cell to the Self	p. 25
On Individual Human Nature: The Forms of Temperament
Early Differences	p. 35
Three Dimensions of Temperament	p. 43
High and Low Amplification: Setting the Gain Control	p. 51
Deliberation-Liberation: Organizing Actions and Thought	p. 61
Positive Approach, Negative Withdrawal	p. 73
Disorders: At the Ends of the Continuum	p. 79
Race, Sex, and Family
Skin Color, Cultural Differences, Intelligence, and Individuality	p. 103
Why Are Children in the Same Family So Dissimilar?	p. 115
Sex Matters	p. 131
Differences in Mind
The Hand, the Brain, and the Individual Mind	p. 153
Small Pieces of the Puzzle: Differences in Memory and Thinking	p. 167
Completing Ourselves: Going Beyond Our Inheritance
Of Monkey Brains, Fish Hierarchy, Tame and Wild Cats, Missing Limbs, and the Amazing Possibility of Growth in the Brain	p. 179
On Human Nature and Individual Human Nature: Changes Large and Small	p. 195
Acknowledgments	p. 205
Recommended Reading	p. 207
Notes	p. 209
Bibliography	p. 221
Index	p. 231
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