Position Statement
People cannot properly recall
an incident that occurred in
the midst of a medical crisis.
A person’s cognitive ability
can be defined by left or right
brain dominance.
A person can change aspects
of their personality by
focusing on more right or left
brained tasks.
People who have mental
illness or brain trauma should
donate their brains to science
upon their death.
Support for Position
The brain goes through what is
known as the shock phase,
where you are not able to
comprehend the event. During
this phase, many people become
temporarily paralyzed or
experience an emotional
breakdown. This prevents them
from remembering the specific
details of the crisis, especially is
they are injured, as the pain is
also distracting them.
Left-brained people are typically
more academically inclined and
tend to be better problem
solvers. They also tend to be
logical, rational, and organized.
Right-brained people are more
imaginative, creative, and
artistic. They are typically more
random, but also have higher
athletic ability.
If you focus more on academics,
and force yourself to be
organized and methodological,
then you will become more left-
brain inclined. However, if you
focus on being imaginative and
creative, or put all your energy
into athletics, you will become
more right-brain inclined.
Scientists can gain a greater
understanding of how trauma or
a mental illness affects the brain
if those brains are donated. A
greater understanding of mental
conditions means that better
care and treatment can be
produced for those still living
with the conditions, overall
improving their lifestyle. Brains
that have been subjected to
trauma allow scientists to see
how the brain and body reacts to
stimuli in specific areas of the
Support Against Position
The brain is capable of storing
memories you didn’t even know
you had. During a crisis, although
you may be focused on other
things or unable to comprehend,
your brain is still collecting
sensory information. These
memories are then planted in
your mind, allowing you to recall
what happened during the
incident.
Neither half of the brain
presents dominance over the
other. Most people are more or
less equal on both sides of the
brain. Many people demonstrate
characteristics of both sides of
the brain, such as being both
logical (left brain) and artistic
(right brain).
Your brain is hardwired to be the
way it is. Everyone is a mixture
of both left and right brain, and
no lifestyle practices will change
that. While you may participate
in tasks that are more dominant
in one side of the brain, you will
not change your personality by
doing things typical of the
opposite side.
Donating your brain, or any of
your organs, should be a
decision left entirely up to you
and your family. For many
people, donating organs is
against their religious beliefs. For
others, it is a respect of privacy
for the family who lost a loved
one. People with head trauma or
mental disorders often pass
before they get to live a full life,
so donating their brain to
science can be very hard for
their families.
 brain, which allows doctors to
have a better understanding of
how to treat patients with head
injuries.
The medical community There are many different types
should revisit its policy toward of strokes, so each person
how to treat stroke survivors. should be treated individually. If
a specific type of treatment, like
music therapy, works for one
patient, it does not mean it will
work for everyone. Doctors
should create individualized
treatment plans for every
patient.
The way doctors have been
treating stroke patients works as
it is. Between the years of 1995-
2005, the stroke death rate fell
about 30%. That proves that the
doctors know how to treat
stroke patients effectively and
are continually getting better at
decreasing deaths from strokes.
 Sources
https://www.ted.com/talks/jill_bolte_taylor_s_powerful_stroke_of_insight#t-
1098152

https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/25/fashion/25brain.html

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3897366/

https://www.mielenterveysseura.fi/en/home/mental-health/crises/traumatic-
crises

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/not-born-yesterday/201210/are-you-
left-or-right-brain-dominant

https://www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2013/12/02/248089436/the-truth-about-the-
left-brain-right-brain-relationship

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/about/directors/thomas-insel/blog/2013/wanted-a-
few-good-brains.shtml

http://www.strokecenter.org/patients/about-stroke/stroke-statistics/\

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/stroke/diagnosis-treatment/drc-
20350119
Rylee Nepple

HBS

Miller

March 15, 2019

My Stroke of Insight

The information presented in the sources remains consistent; however,

there are differences in style and genre. In the book, the information is presented
in a story-like way which captivates the reader. The video was completely
different from the other sources because the audience is able to perceive the
speakers body language as well as absorb the information being presented. Both
articles are similar in style. The information in presented in a very methodological
way and they both use very academic language. The bulleted list presents the
information in a manner that is easier to comprehend. It is much more
straightforward and uses more concise language to get the point across.