Alien Hand Syndrome
Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30
CORE DEFINITION
A rare neurological disorder in which a patient's hand (usually the left hand) appears to have a will of its own, performing actions that are uncontrollable or even contrary to the patient's intentions (e.g., unbuttoning a button just fastened, or even choking the patient).
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
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Reveals divided agency. It suggests that the "unified self" may be an illusion, and that there are multiple parallel control systems in the brain. In organizations, when a department begins to "act on its own" or even undermine overall goals, it is the organization's "alien hand," indicating damage to the central nervous system.
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Alien hand syndrome is a condition that occurs after damage to the corpus callosum or frontoparietal regions, where a hand performs actions that are not under conscious control and seem to have "a will of its own," and the patient feels estranged from these actions. It reveals the dissociation between will and motor control.
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Source support: Explicit
- en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_hand_syndromeverified
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