Modeling the Evolution of Decision Rules in the Human Brain

A neural network theory is proposed for how the brain develops decision rules about classes of behaviors. The networks proposed for these functions join previous theories of cortical-subcortical interactions involved in specific behavioral patterns; a psychodynamic schema for interacting character dimensions, which influence contextual tendencies toward behavior patterns; and an incipient mathematical theory, using an analog of simulated annealing in a continuous dynamical system, of switches among attractors in personality space. Implications are discussed for change in the course of a person´s life, such as occur in psychotherapy.