Victims of Capgras syndrome often cannot recognize their own image

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the phenomenon of Capgras syndrome, where individuals fail to recognize their own image or the images of familiar people, often attributing them to impostors. The conversation touches on related conditions such as Alien Hand Syndrome and explores various anecdotal cases and reactions to these phenomena.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant describes a case of a woman who believes her reflection is a stalker, indicating a severe emotional response to her condition.
  • Another participant shares a dramatic scenario related to Alien Hand Syndrome, highlighting the bizarre experiences associated with neurological conditions.
  • A participant references a case study of a man who could recognize famous faces from before his brain injury but not those from after, raising questions about recognition and identity.
  • Some participants express disbelief and humor regarding the strange nature of these conditions, suggesting a mix of fascination and confusion.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants exhibit a mix of agreement on the strangeness of these conditions but do not reach a consensus on the implications or underlying mechanisms. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the nature of recognition and identity in these cases.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the anecdotal nature of the examples provided, potential missing assumptions about the neurological basis of the conditions, and the subjective interpretations of the experiences described.

Who May Find This Useful

Readers interested in psychology, neurology, or the complexities of human perception may find this discussion relevant.

Ivan Seeking
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But in her case, she believed the woman whose reflection she encountered in the mirrors and windows around her house was there to torment her, to steal her husband -- the woman was clearly a stalker. Rosamond called her a "hussy" and went into hysterics whenever she saw her.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/03266/224822.stm
 
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Originally posted by Ivan Seeking
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/03266/224822.stm

Life is stranger than fiction
 
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Originally posted by Greg Bernhardt
Life is stranger than fiction

Have you heard of this one?
IT IS THE STUFF of nightmares ... and horror movies. A woman awakens from a troubled sleep; it is dark; a hand tightens around her neck, vicious and implacable; with her right hand, she tries desperately to pull it off. And then, as she struggles, she realizes who her assailant is: her own left hand. Even after she pulls it away, she is too frightened to fall back asleep.

This scenario describes some of the more extreme behavior associated with an unusual condition known as Alien Hand Syndrome (AHS).

http://www.upenn.edu/gazette/0398/neuro3.html

Also, some technical references:
Persons with injuries to the brain including, of course, the corpus callosum, sometimes report that one of their limbs, typically an arm, acts as though it belongs to somebody else. Here are the abstracts of 15 recent articles on the subject from the 1994-1996 literature.

http://www.indiana.edu/~pietsch/alienhand-psy.html
 
Fantastic articles, Ivan. Just great. This part cracked me up tho:

Another memorable patient, C.T., had suffered a head injury in a motorcycle accident and appeared not to recognize faces. Eventually, however, Farah's team discovered that he could recognize some famous faces from before his injury. In fact, he could identify photos of the young Michael Jackson taken before the time of C.T.'s brain injury -- which showed the singer with a broad nose and an Afro hairstyle -- but he could not identify photos of Jackson taken after his cosmetic makeover!

...the hell you say! How could that possibly be!?

heh.
 
but he could not identify photos of Jackson taken after his cosmetic makeover!

I have had this problem also...