the foundations of personality-第20章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


ainst　the　uvula　as　it　hangs　from　the　palate　without　arousing　the　normal　and　very　lively　reflex　of　〃gagging。〃　These　insensitive　areas；　known　as　stigmata；　played　a　very　important　role　in　the　epidemic　of　witchcraft　hunting　of　the　sixteenth　and　seventeenth　centuries；　when　the　witch　was　so　diagnosed　if　she　felt　no　pain　when　a　needle　was　thrust　into　her。　Mankind　has　often　enough　worshiped　the　insane　and　mentally　aberrant　and　has　as　often　been　diabolically　cruel　to　them。　What　has　been　stated　of　the　paralyses　is　true　of　the　insensitive　areas；　they　correspond　to　an　idea　of　a　part　and　not　to　an　anatomical　unit。　Thus　a　loss　of　sensation　will　reach　up　to　the　wrist　（glove　type）　all　around；　front　and　back；　or　to　the　elbow　or　the　shoulder；　etc。　No　organically　caused　anaesthetic　area　ever　does　this；　and　so　the　neurologist　is　able；　usually；　to　separate　the　two　conditions。　And　the　anaesthesias　yield　as　do　the　hysteric　paralyses　to　a　variety　of　agents；　from　prayer　and　persuasion　to　a　bitter　tonic　or　a　blow。　I　confess　to　a　weird　feeling　in　the　presence　of　a　hysteric　whose　arm　can　be　thrust　through　and　through　with　a　needle　without　apparently　suffering　any　pain；　and　it　seems　to　me　that　this　may　be　the　explanation　of　the　fortitude　of　those　martyrs　who　have　astonished　and　sometimes　converted　their　persecutors　by　their　sublime　resistance　to　torture。　There　has　been　described　as　part　of　hysteria　the　hysteric　temperament。　The　characteristics　of　this　temperament　are　the　emotional　instability；　the　strong　desire　for　sympathy；　the　effort　to　obtain　one's　desire　through　weakness；　through　the　appeal　to　the　sympathy　of　others；　an　irritable　egoism　never　satisfied　and　without　firm　purpose。　It　is　true　that　the　majority　of　peace…time　hysterics　show　this　peculiar　temperament；　but　it　is　also　true　that　the　war…time　hysterics　often　enough　were　of　〃normal〃　character；　without　prior　evidence　of　weakness。　As　I　before　mentioned；　Freud　became　greatly　interested　in　this　group　of　patients　and　especially　in　the　female　patients；　since　in　ordinary　neurological　practice　the　male　hysteric　is　not　common。　Out　of　his　experience　and　effort　he　built　up　a　system　of　beliefs　and　treatment；　the　evolution　of　which　is　interesting；　but　which　is　not　here　important。　At　the　present　time　the　Freudian　doctrine　hangs　on　the　following　beliefs：　1。　That　from　the　beginning　to　the　end　of　life　everything　in　the　mental　activities　of　man　has　a　cause　and　a　meaning；　and　that　these　causes　and　meanings　may　be　traced　back　to　infancy。　No　slip　of　the　tongue　is　accidental；　it　has　purpose　and　this　purpose　can　be　traced　by　psychoanalysis。　So　with　hysteric　phenomena：　the　paralyses；　the　sensory　changes；　all　the　queer　and　startling　things　represent　something　of　importance　and　of　value　to　the　subconscious。　2。　There　is　in　man　a　subconscious　mentality；　having　wills；　purposes；　strivings；　desires；　passions。　These　trends　are　the　raw；　native；　uninhibited　desires　of　man；　they　are　our　lusts；　our　crude　unsocialized　desires；　arising　out　of　a　metaphysical；　undifferentiated　yearning　called　libido。　In　the　Freudian　〃psychology〃　the　libido　is　mainly　sex　desire　and　takes　the　form　of　homosexual　feelings；　incest　feelings　（desire　for　the　father　or　for　the　motherthe　oedipus　complex）；　desire　for　the　sister　or　brother。＇1＇　（The　human　being；　according　to　Freud；　goes　through　three　stages　in　his　sex　life：　first；　a　sex　attachment　to　himself　marked　by　thumb　sucking；　masturbation；　etc。；　second；　an　attachment　to　the　same　sexhomosexualityand；　finally；　the　attachment　or　desire　for　the　opposite　sex。）　In　the　practical　application　of　the　Freudian　psychology　to　the　patients　the　sex　conflicts　（of　which　we　shall　speak　shortly）　are　all　important；　the　subconsciousness　is　largely　taken　up　with　sex　and　with　efforts　to　obtain　gratification　for　these　sex　desires。　＇1＇　The　Freudians　would　protest　against　this。　Libido　is　the　life　energy；but　all　the　Freudian　analyses　of　actual　cases　published　make　libido　sex；　and　usually　〃perverse。〃　（I　put　the　perverse　in　quotations　because　I　fear　to　be　called　prudish　by　Freudians。）

3。　But；　the　theory　continues；　the　conscious　personality　is　the　socialized　personality；　having　aims　and　ends　not　consistent　with　desire　for　mother；　homosexual　cravings；　lust　for　a　married　man　or　woman。　So　there　ensues　a　battle　between　desire　and　inhibition。　The　inhibiting　agent　is　a　something　called　the　censor；　who　pushes　back　into　the　subconsciousness　the　socially　tabooed；　the　socially　abhorrent　desires；　represses　emotions　and　instincts　that　are　socially　out　of　order。　But　there　is　no　real　victory　for　the　consciousness；　for　the　complex　（the　name　given　to　a　desire　or　wish　with　its　attendant　ideas；　emotions　and　motor　manifestations）　is　still　active；　subconsciously　changing　the　life　of　the　person；　causing　him　to　make　slips　in　his　speech；　expressing　itself　in　his　dreams　and　his　work；　and　if　sufficiently　powerful；　giving　rise　to　nervous　or　mental　disease　of　one　type　or　another。　Nothing　is　ever　forgotten；　according　to　Freud；　and　the　reason　our　childhood　is　not　voluntarily　remembered　is　because　it　is　full　of　forbidden　desires　and　curiosities　and　the　developing　censor　thrusts　it　all　into　the　subconsciousness；　where　it　continues　to　make　trouble　all　the　rest　of　the　individual's　life。　In　fact；　a　cardinal　part　of　Freudianism　（which　he　and　his　followers　are　lately　modifying）　is　that　it　is　the　results　of　the　〃psychic　traumata〃　（psychical　injuries）　of　infancy　and　childhood　that　cause　the　hysteria　of　the　adult；　and　these　psychical　traumata　are　largely　（about　ninety…　nine　per　cent。）　sexual。　4。　Freudianism　has　borrowed　the　time…honored　dictum　that　every　sensation　has　a　natural　result　in　action　and　has　elaborated　it　into　the　statement　that　every　affective　state；　every　desire　and　craving　of　whatever　sort；　needs　a　motor　discharge；　an　avenue　of　outlet。　If　the　desire　or　emotion　is　inhibited；　its　excitement　is　transferred　with　it　into　the　subconscious　and　that　excitement　may　attach　itself　to　other　excitements　and　break　into　consciousness　as　a　mental　disturbance　of　one　type　or　another。　If　you　can　get　at　the　complex　by　psychoanalysis；　by　dragging　it　to　the　light；　by　making　it　conscious；　you　discharge　the　excitement　and　health　is　restored。　This　originally　was　very　important　in　the　Freudian　work　and　was　called　by　the　crude　term　of　catharsis。　5。　How　can　one　get　at　these　subterranean　cravings　and　strivings；　at　the　fact　that　originally　one　desired　one's　mother　and　was　jealous　of　one's　father；　or　vice　versa？　Here　Freud　developed　an　elaborate　technique　based　on　the　following：　Though　the　censor　sits　on　the　lid　of　the　subconsciousness；　that　wily　self　has　ways　and　means　of　expression。　In　dreams；　in　humor；　in　the　slip　of　the　tongue；　in　forgetfulness；　in　myths　of　the　race；　in　the　symptoms　of　the　hysteric　patient；　in　the　creations　of　writers　and　artists；　the　subconsciousness　seeks　to　symbolize　in　innocent　（or　acceptable）　form　its　crude　wishes。　By　taking　a　dream；　for　example；　and　analyzing　it　by　what　is　known　as　the　free　association　method；　one　discovers　the　real　meaning　of　the　terms　used；　the　meaning　behind　the　symbol；　and　behind　the　apparent　dream…content　one　sees　revealed　the　wishes　and　disorganizing　desires　of　the　subconscious　or　the　real　person。　For　throughout　Freud's　work；　though　not　so　definitely　expressed；　there　is　the　idea　that　the　subconscious　is　by　far　the　most　important　part　of　the　personality；　and　that　the　social　purposes；　the　moral　injunctions　and　feelings　are　not　the　real　purposes　and　real　desires　of　the　real　personality。　In　analyzing　dreams；　the　symbols　become　quite　standardized。　The　horses；　dogs；　beards；　queer　situations　of　the　dream　（falling；　walking　without　clothes；　picking　up　money；　etc。）；　the　demons；　ghosts；　flying；　relate　definitely　to　sex　situations；　sex　organs；　sex　desires。　（The　Freudians　are　apt　to　deny　this　theoretically；　but　practically　every　dream　of　the　thousands　they　publish　is　a　sex　dream　of　crude　content。）　Naturally　a　〃pure〃　girl　is　quite　shocked　when　told　that　because　she　dreamed　she　was　riding　a　gray　horse　in　a　green　meadow　that　she　really　has　bad　（and　still　is　troubled　by）　incestuous　desires　for　her　father；　but　that　is　the　way　to　cure　her　of　her　neurasthenia　or　fatigue　or　obsession　of　one　kind　or　other。　I　have　not　attempted　a　detailed　account　of　the　technique　of　free