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1.5 THE BRAIN AND PERSONALITY 25

direct investigation of the brain was still not possible, some notable incidents aroused scientific interest— none more so than the curious case of Phineas Gage.

and talk again a short time later and apparently asked the doctor if he could return to work! The Boston Post (14 September 1848) the next day stated: ‘The most singular circumstance connected with this melan choly affair is, that he was alive at two o’ clock this afternoon, and in full possession of his reason, and free from pain.’ But something seemed to be wrong with Phineas: his personality had changed. Phineas resumed his work in mid 1849. However, family, friends, and colleagues noticed that some thing was different about him. Before the accident, he had apparently been empathetic, intelligent, re spectful, and the most capable foreman in the mining company; now, however, he was rude, profane, impa tient, unable to agree on any plans for the future, and showed little regard for his colleagues. As a result of his changed behaviour, he was not rehired by his for merly satisfied employer. Phineas lived until 1860; in 1867, his body was exhumed and his skull removed (Macmillan & Lena, 2010). Examination of his brain revealed that his frontal lobe was severely damaged, and this finding suggested that such damage can lead to disinhibited, impulsive, and reckless behaviour (Damasio et al., 1994). It was noted that his speech and motor areas were spared, which meant that he could go about his daily business without apparent impairment. Ivan Pavlov is widely known for his work on the pro cesses of conditioning. He first became famous for his work on the digestive system in dogs, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1904—the canine digestive system was to play a prominent role in his development of conditioning theory. What is much less known is Pavlov’s work in personality theory and its rela tion to psychiatry (Corr & Perkins, 2006). Indeed, Pavlov is one of the ‘founding fathers’ (there are few acknowledged ‘mothers’) of modern experimental psychology, but one with an emphasis on individual differences. It is an example of how the ‘two schools of psychology’ can be unified, as discussed else where in this chapter. 1.5.4 IVAN PAVLOV— MECHANICS OF THE MIND

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1.5.3 PHINEAS GAGE

It happens that accidents and injuries to the brain indicate possible connections with personality. The most famous case involved a 25-year-old construc tion foreman working on the railroad in Vermont, USA. In September 1848, Phineas Gage loaded explo sives with a tamping rod (3 feet, 7 inches long, with a diameter of 1 1/4 inches at one end tapering to 1/4 inch at the other end, and weighing about 13 pounds) to blast rock. The rod he used to push in the explo sive triggered the blast, and the rod pierced his left cheek, passing through his left frontal lobe, exited the top of his head, and eventually landed about 25 yards away (Figure 1.6). Although Phineas was knocked down by the blast, remarkably, he was able to walk

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FIGURE 1.6 Phineas Gage’s injury. Credit: © 2012 Van Horn et al. (CC BY 2.5).

© Oxford University Press