the foundations of personality-第31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！


　thwarted　through　sheer　laziness。　〃Don't　bother　me〃　is　the　reply　of　a　parent　shirking　a　sacred　duty。　Interest　is　the　beginning　of　knowledge；　and　where　it　is　discouraged　knowledge　is　discouraged。　Any　inquiry　can　be　met　on　the　child's　plane　of　intelligence　and　comprehension；　and　the　parent　must　arrange　for　the　gratification　of　this　fundamental　desire。　How？　By　a　question　hour　each　day；　perhaps　a　children's　hour；　a　home　university　period　where　the　vital　interest　of　the　child　will　be　satisfied。　To　return　to　the　morbid　interests：　do　they　arise　from　secret　morbid　desires？　The　Freudian　answer　to　that　would　be　yes。　And　so　would　many　another　answer。　It　is　the　answer　in　many　cases；　especially　where　the　desire　is　not　so　much　morbid　as　forbidden。　The　virgin；　the　continent　who　are　intensely　interested　in　sex　are　not　morbid；　even　though　they　have　been　forbidden　to　think　of　a　natural　craving　and　appetite。　But　when　the　interest　is　for　the　horrible　it　is　often　the　case　that　the　excitement　aroused　by　the　subject　is　pleasurable；　because　it　is　a　mild　excitement　and　does　not　quite　reach　disgust。　Confronted　with　the　real　perversity；　the　disgust　aroused　would　quite　effectually　conquer　interest。　And　here　is　a　fundamental　law　of　interest：　it　must　lead　to　a　profitable；　pleasurable　result　or　else　it　tends　to　disappear。　If　this　is　too　bold　a　statement；　let　me　qualify　it　by　stating　that　a　profitable；　pleasurable　result　must　be　foreseen　or　foreseeable。　Either　in　some　affective　state；　or　in　some　tangible　good；　interest　seeks　fulfillment。　Disappointment　is　the　foe　of　interest；　and　too　prolonged　a　〃vestibule　of　satisfaction〃　（to　use　Hocking's　phrase）　destroys　or　impairs　interest。

CHAPTER　VIII。　THE　SENTIMENTS　OF　LOVE；　FRIENDSHIP；　HATE；　PITY　AND　DUTY。　COMPENSATION　AND　ESCAPE　I　shall　ignore　the　complexities　that　arise　when　we　seek　to　organize　our　reactions　into　various　groups　by　making　a　simple　classification　of　feeling；　for　the　purposes　of　this　book。　There　is　a　primary　result　of　any　stimulation；　whether　from　within　ourselves　or　without；　which　we　have　called　excitement。　This　excitement　may　have　a　pleasurable　or　an　unpleasurable　quality；　and　we　cannot　understand　just　what　is　back　of　pleasure　and　pain　in　this　sense。　Such　an　explanation；　that　pleasure　is　a　sign　of　good　for　the　organism　and　pain　a　sign　of　bad；　is　an　error　in　that　often　an　experience　that　produces　pleasure　is　a　detriment　and　an　injury。　If　pleasure　were　an　infallible　sign　of　good；　no　books　on　character；　morals　or　hygiene　would　need　to　be　written。　This　primary　excitement；　when　associated　with　outer　events　or　things；　becomes　differentiated　into　many　forms。　Curiosity　（or　interest）　is　the　focusing　of　that　excitement　on　particular　objects　or　ends；　in　order　that　the　essential　value　or　meaning　of　that　object　or　individual　become　known。　Curiosity　and　interest　develop　into　the　seeking　of　experience　and　the　general　intellectual　pursuits。　We　have　already　discussed　this　phase　of　excitement。　An　object　of　interest　may　then　evoke　further　feeling。　It　may　be　one's　baby；　or　one's　father　or　a　kinsman　or　a　female　of　the　same　species。　A　type　of　feeling　FAVORABLE　to　the　object　is　aroused；　called　〃tender　feeling；〃　which　is　associated　with　deep…lying　instincts　and　has　endless　modifications　and　variations。　Perhaps　its　great　example　is　the　tender　feeling　of　the　mother　for　the　baby；　a　feeling　so　strong　that　it　leads　to　conduct　of　self…　sacrifice；　conduct　that　makes　nothing　of　privation；　suffering；　even　death；　if　these　will　help　the　object　of　the　tender　feeling；　the　child。　Tender　feeling　of　this　type；　which　we　call　love；　is　a　theme　one　cannot　discuss　dryly；　for　it　sweeps　one　into　reveries；　it　suggests　softly　glowing　eyes；　not　far　from　tears；　tenderly　curved　lips；　just　barely　smiling；　and　the　soft　humming　of　the　mother　to　the　babe　in　her　arms。　It　is　the　soft　feeling　which　is　the　unifying　feeling；　and　when　it　reaches　a　group　they　become　gentle　in　tone　and　manners　and　feel　as　one。　The　dream　of　the　reformer　has　always　been　the　extension　of　this　tender　feeling　from　the　baby；　from　the　child　and　the　helpless；　to　all　men；　thus　abolishing　strife；　conquering　hate；　unifying　man。　This　type　of　love　is　also　paternal；　though　it　is　doubtful　whether　as　such　it　ever　reaches　the　intensity　it　does　in　the　mother。　By　a　sort　of　association　it　spreads　to　all　children；　to　all　little　things；　to　all　helpless　things；　except　where　there　exists　a　counter　feeling　already　well　established。　Though　typical　in　the　mother；　child　relationship；　tender　feeling　or　love；　exists　in　many　other　relationships。　The　human　family；　with　its　close　association；　its　inculcated　unity　of　interests；　in　its　highest　form　is　based　on　the　tender　feeling。　The　noble　ideal　of　the　brotherhood　of　man　comes　from　an　extension　of　the　feeling　found　in　brothers。　The　brotherly　feeling　is　emphasized；　though　the　sisterly　feeling　is　fully　as　strong；　merely　because　the　male　member　of　genus　homo　has　been　the　articulate　member；　he　has　written　and　talked　as　if　he；　and　not　his　sister；　were　the　important　human　personage。　So　fraternal　feeling　is　tender　feeling；　existing　between　members　of　the　same　family；　or　the　love　that　we　conceive　ought　to　be　present。　Is　such　love　instinctive；　as　is　the　maternal　love？　If　it　is；　that　instinct　is　very　much　weaker；　and　hostile　feeling；　indifference；　rivalry；　may　easily　replace　it。　We　rarely　conceive　of　a　mortal　world　where　so　intense　a　love　as　that　of　the　mother　will　be　the　common　feeling；　all　we　dare　hope　for　is　a　world　in　which　there　will　be　a　fine　fraternal　feeling。　Fraternal　feeling　is　born　of　association　together；　any　task　undertaken　en　masse；　any　living　together　under　one　roof。　Even　when　men　sit　down　to　eat　at　the　same　table；　it　tends　to　appear。　So　college　life；　the　barracks；　secret　orders；　awaken　it；　but　here；　as　always；　while　it　links　together　the　associated；　it　shuts　out　as　non…fraternal　those　not　associated。　What　we　call　friendly　feeling　is　a　less　vehement；　more　intellectualized　form　of　tender　feeling。　It　demands　a　certain　equality　and　a　certain　similarity　in　tastes；　though　some　friendships　are　noted　for　the　dissimilarity　of　the　friends。　Friendship　lives　on　reciprocal　benefits；　tangible　or　intangible；　though　sentimentalists　may　take　exception　to　this。　Primary　in　it　is　the　good　opinion　of　the　friends　and　interest　in　one　another；　we　cannot　be　friends　with　those　who　think　we　are　foolish　or　mean　or　bad。　We　ALLOW　a　friend　to　say　that　we　have　acted　wrongly　because　we　think　he　has　our　interest　at　heart；　because　he　has　shown　that　he　has　this　interest　at　heart；　though　his　saying　so　sometimes　strains　the　friendship　for　a　while。　Friendship　ideally　expects　no　material　benefits；　but　it　lives　on　the　spiritual　benefit　of　sympathy　and　expressed　interest　and　the　flattery　of　a　taste　in　common。　It　is　a　unification　of　individuals　that　has　been　glorified　as　the　perfect　relationship；　since　it　has　no　classifiable　instinct　behind　it　and　is　in　a　sense　democracy　at　its　noblest。　Friendship　is　easiest　formed　in　youth；　because　men　are　least　selfish；　least　specialized　at　that　time。　As　time　goes　on；　alas；　our　own　interests　and　purposes　narrow　down　in　order　that　we　may　succeed；　there　is　less　time　and　energy　for　friendship。　Sex　love　is　only　in　part　made　up　of　tender　feeling。　Passion；　admiration　of　beauty；　desire　of　possession；　the　love　of　conquest；　take　away　from　the　〃other〃　feeling　that　is　the　basis　of　tenderness　or　true　love。　We　desire　so　much　for　ourselves　in　sex　love　that　we　have　not　so　much　capacity　for　tender　feeling　as　we　usually　think　we　have。　The　protests　of　eternal　devotion　and　unending　self…sacrifice　are　sincere　enough　but　they　have　this　proviso　in　the　background：　〃You　must　give　yourself　to　me。〃　If　the　lovers　can　also　be　friends；　if　they　have　a　real　harmony　of　tastes；　desires　and　ambitions；　if　they　can　recede　their　ego　feeling；　know　how　to　compromise；　then　this　added　to　sex　feeling　makes　the　most　genuinely　satisfying　of　all　human　relations；　or　at　least　the　most　reciprocal。　But　the　two　human　beings　who　fall　in　love　are　rarely　enough　alike；　and　their　relationship　is　rarely　one　of　equality；　traditional　duties　and　rights　are　not　equal；　they　will　seek　different　things；　and　their　relationship　is　too　close　and　intimate　to　be　an　easy　one　to　maintain。　Sex　love　and　marriage　are　different　matters；　for