My Blog

Do as I say, not as I do

Dear mother, dear father
What is this hell you have put me through
Believer, deceiver
Day in day out live my life through you
Pushed onto me what's wrong or right
Hidden from this thing that they call life

What if the compulsion to repetition is a result of mirror neurons in the brain reacting to patterns or behaviors that we observed in our parents or caretakers during childhood?

Mirror neurons are responsible for allowing us to empathize with others, and they play a crucial role in social learning by helping us copy and learn behaviors that we observe in others.

This theory suggests that if we witness our parents or caretakers engaging in repetitive actions, such as pacing or tapping, as a way of coping with stress or anxiety, our mirror neurons may imprint these behaviors and make them more likely to be repeated when we encounter similar situations. This would explain why some individuals may find themselves engaged in repetitive behaviors when experiencing stress or anxiety.

Further research is needed to investigate the role of mirror neurons in the development of compulsive behaviors and repetitive actions. However, this theory I propose offers a potential explanation for why individuals may feel compelled to repeat certain behaviors and provides insight into the complex interplay between our environment and brain function.

It is widely accepted that children model their behavior and attitudes after the adults they interact with most.

One interesting aspect of this theory is the idea that parents may not necessarily want their children to see them engaging in certain behaviors, but the children may still pick up on them anyway. This can happen because children are very observant, and they tend to pick up on cues and behaviors that adults may not even realize they are displaying.

For example, if a child sees their parents engaging in unhealthy coping mechanisms, such as using drugs or alcohol to deal with stress, they may be more likely to engage in those same behaviors themselves when they face similar challenges later in life. Even if the parents do not intend for their children to see them doing these things, the children may still internalize those patterns and repeat them later on.

This theory reinforces the importance of positive role models and healthy behaviors in the lives of young children.

If parents want their children to grow up with healthy coping mechanisms and attitudes, they may need to be mindful of the behaviors they model in front of their kids, even when they think they are not being observed.

AMEN.

Dear mother, dear father
Every thought I'd think you'd disapprove
Curator, dictator
Always censoring my every move
Children are seen but are not heard
Tear out everything inspired

Based on the concept that children engage in a loop of repetition to the actions of their parents, theory suggests that children may unconsciously repeat patterns of behavior and actions that they have learned from their parents while growing up. These patterns may form a part of their identity and become deeply ingrained in their psyche, so much so that the child may not even be aware of it.

However, when the child exhibits these behaviors in front of their parents, the parents may recognize them and complain about them, without even realizing that they may have contributed to the formation of these behavior patterns in the first place. This recognition and complaint from the parent may create a second layer of reinforcement for the behavior pattern, making it even stronger and more deeply ingrained in the child's psyche.

Thus, my personal theory states that there are two layers to this process:

the first layer is the child's unconscious repetition of learned behavior patterns,
the second layer is the reinforcement of these patterns through recognition and complaint from parents.
This cycle may continue indefinitely, perpetuating the same behavior patterns and preventing the child from breaking out of this loop of repetition.

My theory highlights the importance of self-awareness and conscious parenting in breaking these patterns of behavior and allowing children to develop a more authentic sense of self.

Dear mother, dear father
Time has frozen still what's left to be
Hear nothing, say nothing
Cannot face the fact I think for me
No guarantee, it's life as is
But damn you for not giving me my chance

FREUD AND LIMBIC SYSTEM

In Freud's theory, the compulsion to repetition is a consequence of the person's unconscious desire to repeat traumatic experiences in order to master them. This compulsion affects the neural pathways in the brain, specifically the limbic system, which is responsible for emotional processing and memory.

When a traumatic experience occurs, it creates an emotional imprint in the neural network of the brain. The limbic system encodes this emotional memory onto neural circuits, which can be easily triggered in response to similar emotional stimuli. When the individual encounters a similar situation, the emotional imprint is activated and the person experiences a strong emotional reaction.

However, in some cases, the emotional imprint can become so intense that it creates a compulsion to repeat the traumatic experience, even if the individual conscious wants to avoid it.

This compulsion is believed to occur due to the activation of the mesolimbic dopaminergic system, which is associated with reward-seeking behavior and addiction. The same that is activated when you use #twitter, for example.

The dopaminergic system releases dopamine, a neurotransmitter that activates the brain's reward center and reinforces behavior that is associated with pleasurable outcomes. In the case of the compulsion to repetition, the activation of the emotional imprint triggers the release of dopamine, which reinforces the behavior of repeating the traumatic experience.

Furthermore, neural plasticity plays an important role in the compulsion to repetition. With repeated activation of the neural network associated with the emotional imprint, the neural connections become strengthened and the behavior becomes more automatic and habitual.

Overall, the compulsion to repetition is a complex phenomenon that involves the interplay between emotional memory, reward-seeking behavior, and neural plasticity.

Understanding these mechanisms could individuals overcome their compulsions and break the cycle of repetition, and, more important, develop deeper bonds with children to improve parenting, based on being increasingly aware of those unconscious aspects that are transmitted, and that, in the end, are the ones that generate the patterns that we do not want to happen in children, and continue to reinforce themselves in the behavior of the parents, for their life, and for the upbringing of their children. Thus making the cycle much more intense. This looks like genetic inheritance, but it is not.

← Back to Blog