M

Meaning 

意義

When an investigator tries to understand his subjects’ experiences, it is important to realise that the investigator should not uncritically assume that he could grasp the contextual information in the same way as his subject has experienced it. For the clinician it is desirable to try first to understand the subject’s experience through concrete examples of shared meanings. In the process, the clinician will need to grasp the contexts in which the subject encounters his individual subjective experiences, not assuming that it will have perfect alignment with the clinician’s own experiences. This process of understanding may involve identifying key terms used by the subject to describe experience, and to grasp the meaning of such terms as used by the subject through exploring the Lifeworld contexts in which these terms have been used.

 

當訪談員嘗試了解主體的經歷，重點是不要假設自己能夠掌握主體的情景脈絡，好像對方的親身經歷一樣。對臨床工作者來說，最好的處理方法是首先透過具體例子，明白對方的經歷和相關意義。過程中，臨床工作者須要掌握主體主觀經歷的情景脈絡，卻不要假設與自己的個人經歷完全相符。了解過程包括識別主體描述他/她的生活世界時，經常採用的字詞，並探索主體運用這些字詞時的情景脈絡，以掌握這些字詞的真正意思。

Mirror neurons 

鏡像神經元

The mirror neurons in the prefrontal cortex are activated when the subject observes an intentional movement in another individual. This results in sub-threshold activation in the observer’s mirror neurons corresponding to the observed action. For example, when the observer sees another person move a hand to pick up a cup. The mirror neuron in the observer corresponding to the same hand movement are activated in the observer’s prefrontal cortex. When an observer observes facial expression suggestive of pain, mirror neuron associated to pain expression muscles are activated in the observer, resulting in a partial activation of the same facial expression in the observer. The mirror neurone provides a brain account for empathy in non-verbal communications.

 

當主體觀察到另一個個體作出有意圖的動作，主體前額葉皮層的鏡像神經元便會啟動。作為觀察者，主體的大腦會針對看到的行為，啟動相關的鏡像神經元。例如觀察者看見另一人用手拿起一隻杯子，位於前額葉 (與手部動作相關的) 鏡像神經元也會啟動。又例如觀察者觀察到他人的臉部流露痛苦，(與肌肉痛苦相關的) 鏡像神經元也會啟動，觀察者的臉部也會流露痛苦。同理心有所謂言語溝通模式和非言語溝通模式，鏡像神經元提供了同理心非言語溝通模式的「大腦版本」。

Mental representations

內心表徵

A crucial step in human cognitive evolution involves the ability to use mental representation to conceive of objects and situations not immediately present in the environment. The capacity for forming representations apart from those directly coupled with the external world is an important stage that heralds the emergence of a powerful representational system capable of handling complex ideas and intricate social relationships. Information is specified by the determination of specific details that fills the slots in the representational templates. Representations are important for understanding psychopathology, as they mediate between the mind and the “external reality”. Often it is important to ask whether a pathological experience is mediated by changes in the structure of the representation itself, or whether it only affects the contents that are filling the representations.

 

人類思想進化的一個里程碑，就是懂得運用內心表徵去表達環境中不可見之物或情況。對實徵環境以外的東西進行表徵，這是一種非凡的表徵能力，意味著人類可以處理複雜的意念及錯綜複雜的社會關係。透過填充「表徵模板」中的具體細節，信息可以明確表達。由於表徵處於內心與「外在現實」之間，表徵對於了解精神病十分重要。我們會去問，究竟精神病是「表徵結構」的改變、還是只涉及「表徵內容」？這是一個值得深思的重要問題。

Minimalist Phenomenology 

簡約主義的現象學

Phenomenology studies subjective experiences from the perspective of the experiencing person. The word “phenomena” refers to how experiential contents appear to our minds. Minimalist Phenomenology starts with the absolute minimum and build up our model only when additional feature is required. Minimalist Phenomenology will not challenge the external world is real and has an existence independent of our minds (realism). This minimalist model consists of the following components: (1) the reflecting “I” as subject, (2) awareness of “me” as object, and, (3) the act of awareness. I also relate to Others similar to myself (empathy). The Objects and State of Affairs (SOA) are representations. Apart from pointing to what they represent, they are also mutually connected in a semantic network.

 

現象學從經驗者的角度出發，研究主觀經歷。「現象」，是指經歷內容出現在我們的內心中。簡約主義的現象學則從最小出發，有需要才添加其他模型特徵。簡約主義的現象學不去質疑外在世界是否真實，也不去質疑外在世界是否獨立於我們的內心而存在(現實主義)。簡約主義現象學的模型包括下列組成元素：(1) 一個懂得反思的「我」作為主體 (2) 覺察「自己」存在，並以這個「自己」作為客體 (3) 「覺察」作為一種行動。此外，透過同理心，我和與我相似的「他者」建立關聯。最後，客體和事態可以透過表徵的方式呈現，並透過語義網絡互相連結。