Discusses the hypothalamus, amygdala, hippocampus, and septal nuclei, the socioemotional and psychic functions they mediate, and the neural circuitry that supports their activity. Limbic laterality, temporal lobe epilepsy, hallucination and memory, and aspects of psychological and unconscious development, including the pleasure principle and primary process, are also discussed. The limbic system, it is argued, provides the foundation for the development of not only emotion, but sociopsychological functioning as well as the more rudimentary aspects of unconscious mental activity. While it is currently fashionable to decry the use of the term "limbic system," the continued use of the term is urged, insofar as it refers to that part of the "old" brain concerned with emotional functioning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)