Cracking the Code, Chapter Fourteen

We all have different identities in the roles we take, e.g., father, boss, employee etc. And each requires a different skill set with which to communicate effectively. Each of these identities in us has a relatively independent life arising out of brain structures. Unlike multiple personality disorder (MPD) though, where one part takes over the others, each identity or role that comes to the fore for a specific occasion is well integrated with the others. He calls this integrating function the “core self,” akin to the synthetic ego. It is related to the three brains discussed in chapter four, and how each has different needs and responds to different messages.

As noted earlier, conservatives tend to focus on our safety and security parts through manipulation of fear. They also activate those parts that trigger vengeance, creating an evil enemy that is the cause of our fear so we must hate and destroy them. It's the pain avoidance strategy noted in chapter twelve. Liberals tend to focus on our compassionate, hopeful and idealistic parts. In a sense the conservative strategy is akin to MPD in that they active one part to override all the others. The liberal strategy is to integrate our lower fear drive with the higher drives in a healthy personality that recognized all our parts, when one needs to come to the fore, and how they can all communicate with each other through our core self.