the foundations of personality-第17章

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d　resting。　Things　happen　again　and　again；　though　in　slightly　altered　form；　and　our　desires；　satisfied　now；　soon　repeat　their　urge。　The　great　organic　needs　and　sensations　repeat　themselves　and　with　the　periodic　world　of　outer　experience　must　be　dealt　with　according　to　a　more　or　less　settled　policy。　It　is　the　organizing　energy　that　works　out　the　policy；　that　learns；　inhibits；　chooses　and　acts；and　it　is　the　essential　character…developing　principle。　For　like　our　bodily　organs　which　are　whipped　into　line　by　the　nervous　system；　our　impulses；　instincts；　and　reflexes＇1＇　have　their　own　policy　of　action　and　therefore　need；　for　the　good　of　the　entire　organism；　discipline　and　coordination。　It　may　sound　as　if　the　body　were　made　up　of　warring　entities　and　states　and　that　there　gradually　arose　a　centralized　good；　and　though　the　analogy　may　lead　to　error；　it　offers　a　convenient　method　of　thinking。　＇1＇　Roux；　the　great　French　biologist；　has　shown　that　each　tissue　and　each　cell　competes　with　the　other　tissues　and　the　other　cells。　The　organism；　though　it　reaches　a　practical　working　unity　as　viewed　by　consciousness；　is　nevertheless　no　entity；　it　is　a　collection；　an　aggregate　of　living　cells　which　are　organized　on　a　cooperation　basis　just　as　men　are；　but　maintain　individuality　and　competition　nevertheless。

Moreover；　the　organizing　energy　seems　often　to　be　at　work　when　consciousness　itself　is　at　rest；　as　in　sleep。　Often　enough　a　man　debates　and　debates　on　lines　of　conduct　and　wakes　up　with　his　problem　solved。　Or　he　works　hard　to　learn　and　goes　to　bed　discouraged；　because　the　matter　is　a　jumble；　and　wakes　up　in　the　morning　with　an　orderly　and　useful　arrangement　of　the　facts。　A　writer　seeks　to　find　the　proper　opening；and　gives　up　in　a　frenzy　of　despair。　He　is　perhaps　walking　or　driving　when　suddenly　he　lifts　his　head　as　one　does　who　is　listening　to　a　longed…for　voice；　and　in　himself　he　finds　the　phrases　that　he　longs　for。　Something　within　has　set　itself；　so　it　seems；　the　task　of　bringing　the　right　associations　into　consciousness。　What　we　call　quickness　of　mind；　energy　of　mind；　is　largely　this　function。　It　is　this　which　adapts　us　to　different　situations；　different　groups；　by　calling　into　play　organized　modes　of　talking　or　acting。　We　pass　from　a　group　of　ladies　in　whose　presence　we　have　been　friendly　but　decorous；　perhaps　unconventionally　formal；　to　a　group　of　business　intimates；　men　of　long　acquaintance。　Without　even　being　conscious　of　it　we　lounge　around；　feet　on　the　table；　carelessly　dropping　cigarette　ash　to　the　floor；　using　language　chosen　for　force　rather　than　elegance；　we　discuss　sports；　women；　business　and　a　whole　group　of　different　emotions；　habits　and　purposes　come　to　the　surface；　though　we　were　not　at　all　conscious　of　having　repressed　them　while　in　the　presence　of　the　ladies。　A　faux　pas　is　where　the　organizer　has　〃slipped〃　on　his　job；　lack　of　tact　implies　in　part　a　rigid　organizing　energy；　neither　plastic　nor　versatile　enough。　We　are　now　ready　to　face　certain　developments　of　these　three　main　factors；　viz。；　the　response　to　stimuli；　choice　and　inhibition；　and　the　organizing　energy。　Largely　we　might　classify　people　according　to　the　type　of　vigor　of　their　reactions　to　stimuli；　the　quality　and　vigor　of　choice　and　of　inhibition；　and　the　quality　and　vigor　of　the　organizing　energy。　We　note　that　there　are　people　who　have；　as　it　were；　exquisitely　sensitive　feelers　for　the　stimuli　of　one　kind　or　another　and　who　react　vigorously；　perhaps　excessively；　that　there　are　others　of　a　duller；　less　reactive　nature；　largely　because　they　are　stimuli…proof。　Others　are　under…inhibited；　follow　desire　or　outer　stimulus　without　heed；　without　a　brake；　others　are　over…inhibited；　too　cautious；　too　full　of　doubt；　unable　to　choose　the　reaction　that　seems　appropriate。　The　organizing　energy　of　some　is　low；　they　never　seem　to　unify　their　experiences　into　a　code　of　life　and　living；　they　are　like　a　string　of　beads　loosely　strung　together　with　disharmonious　emotions；　desires；　purposes。　In　others　this　energy　is　high；　they　chew　the　cud　of　every　experience　and　（to　change　the　metaphor）　they　weld　life's　happenings；　their　memories；　their　emotions　and　purposes　into　a　more　unified　ego；　a　real　I；　harmonious；　self…enlightened；　clearly　conscious　of　aim　and　end　and　striving　bravely　towards　it。　Or　there　is　over…unification　and　fanaticism；　with　narrow　aim　and　little　sympathy　for　other　aims。　Sketched　in　this　very　broad　way　we　see　masses　of　people；　rather　than　individuals；　and　we　are　not　finely　adjusted　to　our　subject。　Psychologists　rarely　concern　themselves　to　any　extent　with　these　matters；　they　deal　mainly　with　their　outgrowths；emotions；　instinct；　intelligence　and　will。　We　are　at　once　beset　with　difficulties　which　are　resolved　mainly　by　ignoring　them。　In　such　a　book　as　this　we　are　not　concerned　with　the　fundamental　nature　of　these　divisions　of　the　mental　life；　we　must　omit　such　questions　as　the　relation　of　instinct　to　racial　habit；　or　the　evolution　of　instinct　from　habit；　if　that　is　really　its　origin。　Again　I　must　repeat　that　we　shall　deal　with　these　as　organic；　as　arising　in　the　sensitized　individual　as　a　result　of　environmental　forces；　as　manifestations　of　a　life　which　is　as　yetand　perhaps　always　will　bemysterious　to　us。　We　shall　best　consider　these　manifestations　of　mental　activity　as　an　interplay　of　the　reactions　of　stimulation；　inhibition；　choice；　organizing　energy；　and　not　as　separate　and　totally　different　matters。　We　shall　see　that　probably　emotion　is　one　aspect　of　reaction　to　the　world；　while　instinct　is　merely　another　aspect；　that　intelligence　is　a　cerebral　shift　of　instinct；　and　that　will　is　no　unity　but　the　energy　of　instincts　and　purposes。　Before　we　go　farther　we　must　squarely　face　a　problem　of　human　thought。　Man；　since　he　started　reflecting　about　himself；　has　been　puzzled　about　his　consciousness。　How　can　a　person　be　aware　of　himself；　and　what　identifies　and　links　together　each　phase　of　consciousness？　There　is　an　enormous　range　of　thought　on　this　subject：　from　those　who　identified　consciousness　as　the　only　reality　and　considered　what　the　average　person　holds　as　realitiesthings　and　peopleas　only　phases　of　consciousness；　to　those　who；　like　Huxley；　regard　consciousness　as　an　〃epi…pbenomenon；〃　a　sort　of　overture　to　brain　activity　and　having　nothing　whatever　to　do　with　action；　nothing　to　do　with　choice　and　plan；　so　that；　as　Lloyd　Morgan　points　out；　〃An　unconscious　Shakespeare　writes　plays　acted　by　an　unconscious　troupe　of　actors　to　an　unconscious　audience。〃　The　first　extreme　view；　that　of　Berkeley　and　the　idealists；　nullifies　all　other　realities　save　that　of　the　individual　thinker　and　reduces　one　to　the　absurdities　of　Solipsism　where　a　man　writes　books　to　convince　persons　conjured　up　by　himself　and　having　no　existence　outside　of　himself；　the　other　view　nullifies　that　which　seems　to　each　of　us　the　very　essence　of　himself。　I　shall　take　a　very　simple　view　of　consciousness；＇1＇　simply　because　I　shall　deliberately　dodge　the　great　difficulties。　Consciousness　is　the　result　of　the　activities　of　a　group　of　more　or　less　permanently　excited　areas　of　the　brainareas　having　to　do　with　positions　of　the　head；　eyes　and　shoulders；　areas　having　to　do　with　vision；　hearing　and　smell；　areas　having　to　do　with　speech；these　constituting　extremely　mobile；　extremely　active　parts　of　the　organism。　From　these　consciousness　may　irradiate　to　the　activities　of　almost　every　part　of　the　organism；　in　different　degrees。　We　are　often　extremely　conscious　of　the　activities　of　the　hands；　in　less　degree　of　the　legs；　we　may　become　wrapped　up　almost　completely　in　a　sensation　emanating　from　the　sex　organs；　and　under　fear　or　excitement　the　heart　may　pound　so　that　we　feel　and　are　conscious　of　it　as　ordinarily　we　can　never　be。　The　state　of　consciousness　called　interest　may　shift　our　feeling　of　self　to　any　part　of　our　body　（as　in　pain；　when　a　part　usually　out　of　consciousness　swings　into　it；　or　when　the　hand　of　a　lover　grips　our　own　so　that　the　great　reality　of　our　life　at　the　moment　seems　to　be　the　consciousness　of　the　hand）　or　it　may　fasten　us　to　an　outside　object　until　our　world　narrows　to　that　object；　nothing　else　having　any　conscious　value。　This　latter　phenomenon　is　very　striking　in　children；　they　become　fascinated　by　something　they　hea