the foundations of personality-第27章

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harmonize　our　choice　and　acts　with　the　purposes　we　regard　as　our　best。　If　we　seek　to　influence　others；　then　this　view　of　the　will　is　the　only　hopeful　one；　for　if　will　is　a　free　entity　how　can　it　possibly　be　influenced　by　another　agent？　The　very　essence　of　freedom　is　to　be　noninfluenced。　Seeking　to　galvanize　the　will　of　another；　there　is　need　to　search　for　the　influences　that　will　increase　the　energy　of　his　better　purposes；　to　〃appeal　to　his　better　self；〃　meaning　that　the　spurs　to　his　good　conduct　are　applied　with　greater　force；　but　that　first　the　nature　of　the　particular　things　that　spur　him　on　must　be　discovered。　Praise？　Blame？　Reward？　Punishment？　Education？　Authority？　Logic？　Religion？　Emotional　appeal？　Substitution　of　new　motives　and　associations？　The　will　is　therefore　no　unit；　but　a　sum　total　of　things　operating　within　the　sphere　of　purpose。　Purpose　we　have　defined　as　arising　from　instinct　and　desire　and　intellectualized　and　socialized　by　intelligence；　education；　training；　tradition；　etc。　Will　is　therefore　best　studied　under　the　head　of　purpose　and　is　an　outgrowth　of　instinct。　Each　instinct；　in　its　energy；　its　fierceness；　its　permanence；　has　its　will。　He　who　cannot　desire　deeply；　in　whom　some　powerful　instinct　does　not　surge；　cannot　will　deeply。　If　we　look　at　character　from　the　standpoint　of　emotion；　instinct；　purpose　and　intelligence；　we　find　that　emotion　is　an　internal　discharge　of　energy；　which　being　FELT　by　the　individual　becomes　an　aim　or　aversion　of　his　life；　that　instinctive　action　is　the　passing　over　of　a　stimulus　directly　into　hereditary　conduct　along　race…old　motor　pathways　for　purposes　that　often　enough　the　individual　does　not　recognize　and　may　even　rebel　against；　that　instinct　is　without　reflection；　but　that　purpose；　which　is　an　outgrowth　of　instinct　guided　and　controlled　by　intelligence；　is　reflective　and　self…conscious。　Purpose　seeks　the　good　of　the　individual　as　understood　by　him　and　is　often　against　the　welfare　of　the　race；　whereas　instinct　seeks　the　good　of　the　race；　often　against　the　welfare　of　the　individual。　Intelligence　is　the　path　of　the　stimulus　or　need　cerebrally　directed；　lengthened　out；　inhibited；　elaborated　and　checked。　Often　enough　faulty；　it　is　the　chief　instrument　by　which　man　has　become　the　leading　figure　on　the　world　stage。

CHAPTER　VII。　EXCITEMENT；　MONOTONY　AND　INTEREST　No　matter　what　happens　in　the　outside　world；　be　it　something　we　see；　hear　or　feel；　in　any　sense…field　there　is　an　internal　reverberation　in　our　bodies；excitement。　Excitement　is　the　undifferentiated　result　of　stimuli；　whether　these　come　from　without　or　from　within。　For　a　change　in　the　glands　of　the　body　heaps　up　changes　within　us；　which　when　felt；　become　excitement。　Thus　at　the　mating　period　of　animals；　at　the　puberty　of　man；　there　is　a　quite　evident　excitement　demonstrated　in　the　conduct　of　the　animal　and　the　adolescent。　He　who　remembers　his　own　adolescence；　or　who　watches　the　boy　or　girl　of　that　age；　sees　the　excitement　in　the　readiness　to　laugh；　cry；　fight　or　love　that　is　so　striking。　Undoubtedly　the　mother…stuff　of　all　emotion　is　the　feeling　of　excitement。　Before　any　emotion　reaches　its　characteristic　expression　there　is　the　preparatory　tension　of　excitement。　Joy；　sorrow；　anger；　fear；　wonder；　surprise；　etc。；　have　in　them　as　a　basis　the　same　consciousness　of　an　internal　activity；　of　a　world　within　us　beginning　to　seethe。　Heart；　lungs；　blood　stream；　the　great　viscera　and　the　internal　glands；　cerebrum　and　sympathetic　nervous　system；　all　participate　in　this　activity；　and　the　outward　visage　of　excitement　is　always　the　wide…open　eye；　the　slightly　parted　lips；　the　flaring　nostrils　and　the　slightly　tensed　muscles　of　the　whole　body。　Shouts；　cries；　the　waving　of　arms　and　legs；　taking　the　specific　direction　of　some　emotion；　make　of　excitement　a　fierce　discharger　of　energy；　a　fact　of　great　importance　in　the　understanding　of　social　and　pathological　phenomena。　On　the　other　hand；　excitement　may　be　so　intensely　internal　that　it　shifts　the　blood　supply　too　vigorously　from　the　head　and　the　result　is　a　swoon。　This　is　more　especially　true　of　the　excitement　that　accompanies　sorrow　and　fear　than　joy　or　anger；　but　even　in　these　emotions　it　occurs。　There　are　some　very　important　phases　of　excitement　that　have　not　been　given　sufficient　weight　in　most　of　the　discussions。　1。　In　the　very　young；　excitement　is　diffuse　and　spreads　throughout　the　organism。　An　infant　starts　with　a　jump　at　a　sudden　sound　and　shivers　at　a　bright　light。　A　young　child　is　unrestrained　and　general　in　his　expression　of　excitement；　no　matter　what　emotional　direction　that　excitement　takes。　Bring　about　any　tension　of　expectation　in　a　childhave　him　wait　for　your　head　to　appear　around　the　corner　as　you　play　peek…a…boo；　or　delay　opening　the　box　of　candy；　or　pretend　you　are　one　thing　or　anotherand　the　excitement　of　the　child　is　manifested　in　what　is　known　as　eagerness。　Attention　in　children　is　accompanied　by　excitement　and　is　wearying　as　a　natural　result；　since　excitement；　means　a　physical　discharge　of　energy。　A　child　laughs　all　over　and　weeps　with　his　entire　body；　his　anger　involves　every　muscle　of　his　body　and　his　fear　is　an　explosion。　The　young　organism　cannot　inhibit　excitement。　As　life　goes　on；　the　capacity　for　localizing　or　limiting　excitement　increases。　We　become　better　organized；　and　the　disrupting　force　of　a　stimulus　becomes　less。　Attention　becomes　less　painful；　less　tense；　i。e。；　there　is　less　general　muscular　and　emotional　reaction。　Expectation　is　less　a　physical　matterperhaps　because　we　have　been　so　often　disappointedand　is　more　cerebral　and　the　emotions　are　more　reflective　and　introspective　in　their　expression　and　less　a　physical　outburst。　Indeed；　the　process　often　enough　goes　too　far；　and　we　long　for　the　excitement　of　anticipation　and　realization。　We　do　not　start　at　a　noise；　and　though　a　great　crowd　will　〃stir　our　blood〃　（excitement　popularly　phrased　and　accurately）；　we　still　limit　that　excitement　so　that　though　we　cheer　or　shout　there　is　a　core　of　us　that　is　quiet。　This　is　the　case　in　health。　In　sickness；　especially　in　that　condition　known　as　neurasthenia；　where　the　main　symptoms　cluster　around　an　abnormal　liability　to　fatigue；　and　also　in　many　other　conditions；　there　is　an　increase　in　the　diffusion　of　excitement　so　that　one　starts　all　over　at　a　noise；　instead　of　merely　turning　to　see　what　it　is；　so　that　expectation　and　attention　become　painful　and　fatiguing。　Crowds；　though　usually　pleasurable；　become　too　exciting；　and　there　is　a　sort　of　confusion　resulting　because　attention　and　comprehension　are　interfered　with。　The　neurasthenic　finds　himself　a　prey　to　stimuli；　his　reaction　is　too　great　and　he　fatigues　too　readily。　He　finds　sleep　difficult　because　the　little　noises　and　discomforts　make　difficult　the　relaxation　that　is　so　important。　The　neurasthenic's　voluntary　attention　is　lowered　because　of　the　excitement　he　feels　when　his　involuntary　attention　is　aroused。　In　the　condition　called　anhedonia；　which　we　shall　hear　of　from　time　to　time；　there　is　a　blocking　or　dropping　out　of　the　sense　of　desire　and　satisfaction　even　if　through　habit　one　eats；　drinks；　has　sexual　relationship；　keeps　up　his　work　and　carries　out　his　plans。　This　lack　of　desire　for　the　joys　of　life　is　attended　by　a　restlessness；　a　seeking　of　excitement　for　a　time；　until　there　arises　a　curious　over…reaction　to　excitement。　The　anhedonic　patient　finds　that　noises　are　very　troublesome；　that　he　becomes　unpleasantly　excited　over　music；　that　company　is　distressing　because　he　becomes　confused　and　excited；　and　crowds；　busy　scenes　and　streets　are　intolerable。　Many　a　hermit；　I　fancy；　who　found　the　sensual　and　ambitious　pleasure　of　life　intolerable；　who　sought　to　fly　from　crowds　to　the　deserts；　was　anhedonic　but　he　called　it　renunciation。　（Whether　one　really　ever　renounces　when　desire　is　still　strong　is　a　nice　question。　I　confess　to　some　scepticism　on　this　point。）　2。　Seeking　excitement　is　one　of　the　great　pleasure…trends　of　life。　In　moderation；　tension；　expectation　and　the　diffuse　bodily　reactions　are　agreeable；　there　is　a　feeling　of　vigor；　the　attention　is　drawn　from　the　self　and　there　is　a　feeling　of　being　alive　that　is　pleasurable。　The　tension　must　not　be　too　long　sustained；　nor　the　bodily　reaction　too　intense；　relaxation　and　low