The Invisible Classroom by Kirke Olson

Author:Kirke Olson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Published: 2014-03-31T04:00:00+00:00

Looking Deeply into the Bottom of the Brain

Let’s look more closely at how the SEEKING system collaborates with other affective circuits. Animal research has revealed six other affective circuits in addition to the SEEKING system. Humans share these systems with all mammals.They operate nonconsciously and originate near the very bottom of the brain.

• CARE/BONDING system: “the impulse to envelop loved ones with gentle caresses and tender ministrations” (Panksepp and Biven, 2012, p. 36). Without this system, taking care of the young (including teaching them) would be tedious drudgery; with it humans can feel a state of deep connection and satisfaction when caring for children. This system is also related to the experience of love.

• PANIC/GRIEF system: when active, this system creates an internal experience of intense psychological pain. Social connection alleviates this pain and replaces it with a sense of comfort and belonging. Feelings of love also include fear of losing the loved one, hence the PANIC/GRIEF system is part of love.

• FEAR system: this part of neurology creates the negative affective state that all mammals want to avoid. The details of the effect of the FEAR system on the brain and body were discussed previously.

• RAGE system: “Causes animals to propel their bodies toward the offending objects, and they bite, scratch, and pound with their extremities. Rage is fundamentally a negative affect” (Panksepp and Biven, 2012, p. 36).

• LUST system: when this system is active in mammals “they exhibit abundant ‘courting’ activities” (Panksepp and Biven, 2012, p. 36). Likely with the simultaneous activation of the SEEKING system, it can lead to the pursuit of a mate. The LUST system is obviously related to love.

• PLAY system: “is expressed in bouncy and bounding lightness of movement, where participants often—poke and rib—each other” (Panksepp and Biven, 2012, p. 37). In animal experiments, there is an alteration of dominance and submission. As long as these two roles change, the play continues; when one continually dominates, the play changes and becomes negative. The PLAY system is one of the main sources of friendship.

These systems work together, for example, when you feel interpersonally connected, the circuitry of PLAY and CARE/BONDING come online along with SEEKING (and LUST, which arrives in adolescence). Playfully seeking new knowledge uses these coordinated systems and is a beautiful thing to see blossoming in our classrooms.

FEAR, RAGE, and PANIC/GRIEF show up along with SEEKING during times of disconnection. One of the signs of PANIC/GRIEF, arising from separation distress, is clinging—to the teacher or to peers. Educators often don’t tolerate clinging very well, but perhaps when you understand that it can be caused by an ancient neural system present in all mammals, you may be able to meet the child’s need long enough for him or her to regain a feeling of connection, which will ultimately stop the clinging. When you experience disconnection, your SEEKING resources get narrowly directed toward regaining connection, and once you are connected, you are free to explore widely and creatively.

As you can see, all roads lead

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