The human body has five bodily senses. These senses include the ability to see, smell, hear, touch and taste. In the book The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, the author introduces the idea of our secret sense or our sixth sense. This hidden sense is referred to as proprioception. In order to comprehend the target concept of proprioception, we must research the base concept, the study of perception. The study of perception and its different aspects will help us understand proprioception and the importance of the sixth sense. Chapter three of the book, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, looks at proprioception or the lack thereof. The author, Oliver Sacks, tells the story of a patient named Christina who is admitted into the hospital…show more content… Sacks describes proprioception as a continuous, but unconscious sensory flow from parts of the human body that are movable. Parts of the human body that are movable include muscles and joints. Proprioception is unknown because it is automatic and we are unaware of when it is functioning. Therefore, the position, tone and motion of our bodies are always functioning and being monitored, however we do not control or see it’s functioning. Dr. Sacks explains that proprioception is like the eyes of the body because it is the way the body sees itself. Therefore, when there is a proprioception deficit, it is as though the body is blind. Proprioception differs from the regular five senses because an individual can recognize when they are using one of their original five senses. For example, you can recognize when you smell something, but you cannot see your “sixth sense” send signals to allow your muscles and joints to…show more content… It allows individuals to determine the distance they have between a specific object and themselves. The dorsal stream is in relation to depth perception. Davies explains that the dorsal stream is the “where” pathway and this is associated with the representation of the location of objects. Therefore, the dorsal stream is necessary when reaching out for objects because it is allows you to estimate the distance you are from the object you are reaching for. The dorsal stream and proprioception are directly related because they are both important for the perception of oneself in their environment. Christina was unable to reach for objects successfully. She would try and feed herself, however her hands would miss her mouth. Christina was unable to reach for objects in front of her because without proprioception, our depth perception is non-existent. Therefore, she had a hard time locating objects in front of her and perceiving the distance of them. In addition, as explained by Professor Davies, kinesthesia is another important aspect of perception. Kinesthesia is related to body perception and the ability to recognize where all of your body parts are. You may not be able to see a specific body part but you are aware that it exists. If an individual is unable to recognize their body position, then there is something wrong with their kinesthetics and proprioception. This is directly related to Christina’s case because
