Interest about this science or pseudoscience (who like how) caused a broadcast in television channel “24TEXHO”, where English phrenologist talked about this theory birth history and shortly introduced about it. In any case, it is one of forms how person can better find out himself and other people, to quess his predisposition to one or other case.
Phrenology (from Greek φρην – spirit, soul, nature + λογος – science) – theory, which build on opinion, that after human scull, you can know something about his character and personal features. This science in the begging of 19 century made Austrian doctor and anatom Franc Jozef Goll and his idea follower J.K.Shupcheim. They made a theory, that in humans head brain wrinkles are severals decade of „powers”, which can’t be obtained in life time, - they’re inborn.
Special gratitude this theory didn’t achieve, but in practice it was used as in medicine rooms, as in European aristocrat salons. Each wanted to know his strong and weak side, and phrenology’s basic method – sculls touching and measuring – these wishes satisfied very well.
Phrenology didn’t find genius, even not talking about wonder children, but it sowed suspicion about genius inescapable heredity. In history process these theories were discredited, when they were used for racism and Nazism idea excuse.
Phrenology in some way is connected with physiognomy – theory about humans face traits, nose, mouth, chin etc. proportion. After phrenology principles, when some brain parts expand, there appears out or in squeezes in human skull, and after them can read this subject character, tendencies. If this skull area is marked, so this character or tendency to greater extent dominates in this person. Nowadays phrenology theory isn’t as serious science.
A yet, let’s look at these scull images, which are divided in sectors, where each of them, answers about some of persons characters. Gall and Shupcheimformulized 33 sectors (view image):
1. Family continuing instinct, erotic.
2. Care after descendant, parent love.
3. Self-control.
4. Friendliness and loyalty.
5. Manliness, ability to defend himself.
6. Predator instinct, destructive, ability to kill.
7. Ability in mechanic, constructing, architecture.
8. Jealousy.
9. Fraudulent, reserved, mysterious.
10. Self-respect, superciliousness.
11. Ambition, desire for praise.
12. Care, tendency to consider, meekness.
13. Kindness, benevolence.
14. Religiosity, faith prevails.
15. Hope.
16. Creativetalent, desire to create ideals.
17. Conscience, neatness, honesty.
18. Toughness, decisiveness.
19. Goodto teach something, individualism, desire for knowledge.
20. Visualmemory, the human form and face in remembrance.
21. Sizesense.
22. Weightsense, to keep balance.
23. Colorand shades of perception.
24. Spatial skills.
25. Policysense.
26. Sense of time.
27. Mathematiciantalent, computing capacity.
28. Musicalabilities, hearing.
29. Verbalmemory, language abilities.
30. Comparisoncapabilities.
31. Reasonsand causes of the ability to discern relationships.
32. Penetration, gumption.
33. The ability toimitate.
More demonstrative skull sector explanation in video –
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/877589/phrenology_studying_the_shape_of_the_head/
Sources used:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phrenology
» Comments