What Causes Decorticate Posturing?
Decorticate means “to deceive” or “to cheat”. When someone does something dishonestly, they are not really doing it because they want to do it; rather, they are doing it out of fear. They don’t want others to know how bad their behavior was. That’s why some people will act like complete idiots when dealing with other people. For example, if you’re talking to someone and they start making jokes at your expense, you might think that they have no idea what they’re saying. However, if the person continues to make those jokes even after you’ve told them not to do so, then it would appear that the person doesn’t care about being polite. You could say that person is acting decorticate.
The word decorticate comes from Latin decretus which means “commandment” and “pretence”. It is used to refer to a type of deception in which one pretends to believe something while actually disbelieving it.
When people are under stress, they may exhibit behaviors such as lying, exaggerating, or otherwise behaving in ways that seem irrational. These behaviors are called decorticate postures. People often display these types of behaviors when they feel threatened or anxious. People who are experiencing a great deal of stress may go so far as to outright deny the facts. This behavior is also a type of decorticate posture.
Many people might think that these types of behavior are caused by low intelligence or stupidity. In fact, it is quite the opposite! People who engage in this type of behavior tend to be extremely intelligent and have trouble dealing with stressful situations.
How Can you Tell If Someone Is Showing Decorticate Posturing?
Decorticate posturing is classified as a disorder in which one displays irrational behavior. There are several types of decorticate posturing, which can be classified into five different groups.
The first type of decorticate posture involves outright deception or lying. This type of behavior is usually intended to trick another person. For example, a student may claim that they failed a test on purpose because the teacher was unfair.
The second type of decorticate behavior involves exaggeration. This type of behavior involves blatantly making something more extreme than what it actually is. For example, a student who exaggerates might claim that they almost failed a test when they actually just barely passed it.
The third type of decorticate posture involves an outright denial of reality. This type of behavior is usually intended to either get attention or to avoid something unpleasant. For example, a student might claim that they received a perfect score on a test even though they actually failed it.
The fourth type of decorticate behavior involves avoiding responsibilities or tasks. This type of behavior is usually seen in school-aged children who try to get out of doing their homework or other similar tasks. For example, a student might claim to be sick on the day their exam is scheduled.
Sources & references used in this article:
Decorticate, decerebrate and opisthotonic posturing and seizures in Kenyan children with cerebral malaria by R Idro, G Otieno, S White, A Kahindi… – Malaria …, 2005 – malariajournal.biomedcentral.com
Reversible decerebrate and decorticate postures in hepatic coma by JP Conomy, M Swash – New England Journal of Medicine, 1968 – Mass Medical Soc
Reversible decerebrate posturing secondary to hypoglycemia by DG Seibert – The American journal of medicine, 1985 – Elsevier
Decorticate posture following ‘cardiac cocktail’ by GH Cohen, A Casta, DW Sapire, A Talabi – Pediatric cardiology, 1982 – Springer
A previously healthy adolescent with acute encephalopathy and decorticate posturing by Y Kawai, AG DeMonbrun, RS Chambers, DA Nolan… – Pediatrics, 2017 – Am Acad Pediatrics
