Neural modeling of the dual motive theory of economics

A neural network is designed to model Cory's theory of the reciprocal modular brain. The network includes competing nodes for selfishness and empathy, analogous to MacLean's reptilian and old mammalian brains, with relative biases changing over time. One version of the network oscillates between times of high activity for each node, never reaching equilibrium. Yet if a third node representing frontal lobe executive function is added, a stable equilibrium is reached that balances empathy and self-interest. Analogies of this network are found with brain pathways for fight-or-flight and tend-and-befriend behavior, including frontal lobe selection between those two behavioral modes.