A Closer Look at Phrenologys History and Influence

A Closer Look at Phrenologys History and Influence More in Psychology History and Biographies Psychotherapy Basics Student Resources Theories Phobias Emotions Sleep and Dreaming Could a bump on the back of your head offer a clue to your inner personality? This idea was a central theme in pseudoscience known as phrenology, a discipline that involved linking bumps on a persons head to certain aspects of the individuals personality and character.?? Lets take a closer look at how phrenology came to be, its rise to popularity, and its influence on psychology. A Brief History of Phrenology Phrenology originated in the late 1700s in Vienna as German physician Franz Joseph Galls theory of organology, and was later popularized as phrenology by Galls assistant, a German physician named Johann Gaspar Spurzheim.?? Gall noticed that the cerebral cortex of humans was much larger than that of animals, which he believed was what made humans intellectually superior. Eventually, he became convinced that the physical features of the cortex could also be seen in the shape and size of the skull. In other words, he believed that bumps on the surface of the brain could be detected by feeling the bumps on the surface of an individuals head.?? After examining the heads of a number of young pickpockets, Gall found that many of them had bumps on their skull just above their ears. He then suggested that the bumps, indentations, and overall shape of the skull could be linked to different aspects of a persons personality, character, and abilities. With his young pickpockets, for example, he suggested that the bump behind their ears was associated with acquisitiveness, or a tendency to steal, lie, or deceive.?? In his book on the subject of phrenology, Gall suggested that: Moral and intellectual faculties were innate. In other words, people were born with their moral character and intelligence. If you were a thief, it was because you were born with a predisposition to deceitfulness.The exercise or manifestation of these faculties depended on their organization.The brain controlled all of the propensities, sentiments and faculties.  The brain was composed of as many organs as there are different faculties, propensities, and sentiments.The form of the skull represented and reflected the form and development of the brains organs.?? Gall sought support for his ideas by measuring the skulls of people in prisons, hospitals, and asylums, especially those with odd-shaped heads.?? Based on what he found, Gall developed a system of 27 different faculties that he believed could be directly diagnosed by assessing specific parts of the head. He also created a chart that showed which areas of the skull were associated with specific traits or characteristics. The 27 Faculties in Phrenology So what exactly were Galls 27 faculties? The following list accounts for the ones he identified, each of which he believed corresponded to a particular region of the head.?? Reproductive instinctsThe love of ones offspringAffection and friendshipSelf-defense, courage, and fightingMurderous instinctsGuile, acuteness; clevernessSense of property; the tendency to stealPride, arrogance, haughtiness, love of authority, loftinessVanity, ambition, love of gloryCircumspection, forethoughtAptitude for being educatedSense of locality and placeRecollection of peopleVerbal memoryLanguage abilityThe sense of colorsSense for sound and musical talentMathematical abilitiesMechanical abilitiesComparative sagacityMetaphysicsSatire and witPoetic talentKindness; compassion; sensitivity; moral senseImitation and mimicryReligiosityPerseverance, firmness Problems With Galls Phrenology However, Galls methods lacked scientific rigor and he chose to simply ignore any evidence that contradicted his ideas. Despite this, phrenology became increasingly popular from the 1800s well into the early 1900s.?? Having your head examined by a phrenologist was a popular activity during the Victorian era and it remained fairly popular even after scientific evidence began to mount against Galls ideas. Galls ideas gained many followers, but he began to attract considerable criticism from scientists as well as other groups. The Catholic church believed that his suggestion of a religion organ was atheistic, and in 1802, his publications were added to the churchs Index of Prohibited Books.?? After Galls death in 1828, some of his followers continued to develop phrenology, and references of the theory began seeping into mainstream popular culture. Despite phrenologys brief popularity, it eventually became viewed as pseudoscience much like astrology, numerology, and palmistry. Criticism from some of the best-known brain researchers played an important role in this reversal of popular views of phrenology.?? During the early- to mid-1800s, the renowned French physician Marie Jean Pierre Flourens, a pioneer in brain studies and cerebral localization, found that the fundamental assumption of phrenology â€" that the contours of the skull corresponded to the underlying shape of the brain â€" was wrong.?? In 1844, the French physiologist Francois Magendie also summed up his dismissal of phrenology in by writing in his book, the Elementary Treatise on Human Physiology: Phrenology, a pseudo-science of the present day; like astrology, necromancy, and alchemy of former times, pretends to localize in the brain the different kinds of memory. But its efforts are mere assertions, which will no bear examination for an instant. Influence of Phrenology While phrenology has long been identified as a pseudoscience, it did help make important contributions to the field of neurology. Thanks to the focus on phrenology, researchers became more interested in the concept of cortical localization, an idea that suggested that certain mental functions were localized in particular areas of the brain.?? While Gall and other phrenologists incorrectly believed that bumps on the head corresponded to personality and abilities, they were correct in believing that different mental abilities were associated with different areas of the brain. Modern research methods allow scientists to use sophisticated tools such as MRI and PET scans to learn more about the localization of function within the brain.?? How a Phrenology Head Was Traditionally Used to Predict Intelligence