Jim Edd Jones
October 1, 2025
Brain and mind. Too many people confuse the two these days, to the neglect of mind. Studies of brain seem to look for what parts of the brain are active when an organism is engaged in some activity. That’s good but there is more to the brain and its derivatives than that. There is the whole huge study of the functions and capabilities that derive from the brain. Mind is one of them.
What does mind do and how does one use the mind for constructive purposes? This is a huge topic.
Mind is a whole morass of capabilities and functions which enable the capacities of the brain. Examples are arithmetic and theory building. Arithmetic is taught to children in their early years. It becomes so ingrained that it becomes second nature. One doesn’t think twice when asked to count a batch of apples and oranges and then to add together the number of each to get the total number of pieces of fruit. That is mind at work.
Theory building is at the other end of the spectrum. Bowen Family Systems Theory is an example. It asserts human beings have some fairly automatic reactions to each other. BFST talks about how those reactions work with each other to create relationship systems which have certain patterns of functioning. The theory enables one to use mind to observe the reactions and patterns which one would otherwise not be able to see. The theory suggests how to use these mental representations that influence how you interact with human systems for the good of you and the systems. That is mind working.
This is way more than studying the functioning of parts of the brain. Way more. Knowledge of the brain is good and useful but far, far from the whole story.
Bowen’s emphasis on theory is an emphasis on mind. Why did he emphasize theory? Working on theory and what your beliefs about human functioning are will influence what you are able to see and think about. For the good or the ill.
Mind is an emergent derivative from brain, but at the same time mind is an entity with its own dynamics and features. Work on and use those. Mind cannot be reduced to brain.
People tend either to romanticize “mind” or to dismiss it entirely. The reality is neither; it’s between the two. Mind emergently derives from the brain’s functioning. When the brain is gone, the mind is gone.
Bowen argued for the importance of science. At the same time, he argued for the importance of theory in science. Mind derives from the brain.
These days people say and act as if the brain should be studied scientifically. Yes, that’s right, as far as it goes. I assert that the same should be true for mind. Mind has causal impact in nature. We need to construct a science of mind.
Theory is in mind and is part of science. Bowen said and acted as if theory is extremely important. How does it work?
Features of the Mind
Language, writing, speaking, verbal communication between individuals. Learning critical thinking skills.
Imagined mental practice, beliefs, imagination, placebo beliefs, problem solving, theory building.
Music, art, literature.
Numbers, statistics.
History. Focused attention.
Bowen family Systems Theory and other theories.
Shared focus of attention, family acknowledgement
Improving solid self
Level of differentiation of emotional functioning
Intelligence-accomplishments, concept of SES, concept of societal emotional process, placebo beliefs, placebo chronic pain relief, functions of belief
Self-awareness, Self, constructions of mind or by mind
Education
Imitation, knowledge
Art and writing, music, composing stories and songs
Artificial intelligence
Creating products which enhance one’s SES rank.
Creating humanitarian values
Developing new capacities of mind, expanding the reach of mind
REFERENCES
John Searle, The Rediscovery of Mind
John Searle, Mind, A Brief Introduction
Thanks, Jim Edd, for this introduction to the distinction of mind that emerges from the brain. I was observing my own mind as I read. When I reached the list of sciences, arts, literature, differentiation of self, and all, I could sense my mind’s engagement. But I find I rely on the prompt. It’s curious to me how empty my mind is until it encounters a prompt. Once it encounters the prompt, it can go on and on. But it requires the prompt. At its essence, it is empty, like a frog waiting for the next fly to jump on it. Thanks again, I’m curious to learn more about the nature of mind. Great topic! Laurie
Which prompt are you referring to?
Jim Edd,
This is a intriguing way of looking at the relationship between mind and brain. How would you see this applying to the development of medications designed to alter brain chemistry as a way of treating or curing the disturbed functioning of the mind in depression and other mental illnesses?
How would I see what?
Thanks Stephanie. Good challenging question. I tried to get at some of this in an old paper.
Jones, J.E. 1999. Anxiety and differentiation: factors in the variation in response to psychoactive medication. Family Systems, 5:31-43.
Mind influences emotional functioning.
Medication taken as an isolated single variable will yield an incomplete result. Medication works together with the system of loosely coupled variables of the body and of the relationship system to influence the effectiveness in alleviating symptoms. A medication doesn’t act in isolation and a symptom doesn’t exist in isolation.
A lot of thinking needs to be done to understand how a medication can alter the symptoms of mind in various disorders. These mental disorders are neve just symptoms of the mind alone. They get called this or that disorder based on the presence of a few symptoms. The diagnosing process usually does not take into consideration other aspects of the system of physiological functioning and of other relationship systems of which the person is a part.
How the person thinks about the the disorder they have makes a difference in the course of the disorder. Similarly, how the members of the person’s relationship systems think about the disorder and about the person makes a difference in how the medication acts amid all these influences.
Jim Edd
Jim Edd,
I will think more about the many variables that go into the way one responds to medication. Thanks for sending excerpts from your article. You have been working on this for a long time.
Stephanie
These slices are new, not from the article.
Reading your piece Jim Edd on mind and brain I had a jumble of thoughts, as I did reading Victoria on triangles in evolution, and Erik’s thoughts in the email thread on where science is hobbled. So I was stimulated to post what I wrote and presented in Santa Rosa in 1995 here for this session, which concerns mind, behavior, evolution and the integration of siloed disciplines. I think it was an effort to deal with something about the questions you raise.I very recently have gone back to looking at this effort towards the value of Bowen theory in integrating the field of Psychology as scientific discipline.