the foundations of personality-第68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！


etting〃　of　cares　and　worries；　by　indulging　in　excitement　which　has　no　fundamental　purpose。　The　pleasure　of　play　for　the　adult　is　in　the　release　of　trends　from　inhibition；　exactly　as　we　may　imagine　that　a　harnessed　horse；　pulling　at　a　load　and　with　his　head　held　back　by　a　check…rein；　might　feel　if　he　were　turned　loose　in　a　meadow。　This　is　the　kind　of　play　spirit　manifested　in　going　out　fishing；　dressed　in　old　clothes；　with　men　who　will　not　care　whatever　is　said　or　done。　There　is　purpose；　there　is　competition　and　cooperation　and　fellowship；　but　the　organization　is　a　loose　one　and　does　not　bear　heavily。　So；　too；　with　the　pleasure　of　a　game　of　ball　for　the　amateur　who　plays　now　and　then。　There　is　organization；　control　and　competition；　but　unless　one　is　a　poor　loser；　there　is　a　relaxed　tension　in　that　the　purpose　is　not　vital；　and　one　can　shout；　jump　up　and　down　and　express　himself　in　uninhibited　excitement。　Whether　this　excitement　has　a　value　in　discharging　other　excitement　and　feelings　that　are　inhibited　in　the　daily　work　is　another　matter；　if　it　has　such　a　value；　play　becomes　of　necessary　importance。　In　outdoor　games　in　general；　the　feeling　of　physical　fitness；　of　discharging　energy　along　primordial　lines　and　the　happy　feeling　that　comes　merely　from　color　of　sky　and　grass　and　the　outdoor　world；　bring　a　relief　from　sadness　that　comes　with　the　work　and　life　of　the　city　man。　Often　the　play　is　an　effort　to　seek　excitement　and　thus　to　forget　cares；　or　it　is　a　seeking　of　excitement　for　its　own　sake。　Thus　men　gamble；　not　only　for　the　gain　but　because　such　excitement　as　is　aroused　offers　relief　from　business　worries　or　home　difficulties。　The　prize　fights；　the　highly　competitive　professional　sports　of　all　kinds　are　frequented　and　followed　by　enormous　numbers　of　men；　not　only　because　men　greatly　admire　physical　prowess；　but　because　the　intense　excitement　is　sought。　I　know　more　than　one　business　and　professional　man　who　goes　to　the　〃fights〃　because　only　there　can　he　get　a　thrill。　There　is　a　generalized　mild　anhedonia　in　the　community；　which　has　its　origin　in　the　fatigue　of　overintense　purposes；　failure　to　realize　ideals　and　the　difficulties　of　choice。　People　who　suffer　in　this　way　often　seek　the　sedentary　satisfaction　of　watching　competitive　professional　games。　Indeed；　the　hold　of　competition　on　man　exists　not　alone　in　his　rivalry　feeling　toward　others；　it　is　evidenced　also　in　the　excitement　he　immediately　feels　in　the　presence　of　competitive　struggle；　even　though　he　himself　has　little　or　no　personal　stake。　Man　is　a　partisan　creature　and　loves　to　take　sides。　This　is　remarkably　demonstrated　by　children；　and　is　almost　as　well　shown　in　the　play　of　adults。　A　recent　international　prize　fight　awakened　more　intense　interest　than　almost　any　international　event　of　whatever　real　importance。　That　same　day　it　passed　practically　unnoticed　that　America　ended　a　state　of　war　with　Germany。　A　law　of　excitement；　that　it　lies　in　part　in　a　personal　hazard　accounts　for　the　growth　of　betting　at　games。　The　effort　to　gain　adds　to　the　interest；　i。　e。；　excitement。　That　it　adds　tension　as　well　and　may　result　in　fatigue　and　further　boredom　is　not　reckoned　with　by　the　bettor　or　gambler。　To　follow　the　middle　of　the　road　in　anything　is　difficult；　and　nowhere　is　it　more　beset　with　danger　than　in　the　seeking　of　excitement。　Games　of　skill　of　all　kinds；　whether　out　of　doors　or　within；　baseball；　cricket；　billiards；　and　pool　afford；　then；　the　pleasure　of　exertion　and　competition　in　an　exciting　way　and　yet　one　removed　from　too　great　a　stake。　Defeat　is　not　bitter；　though　victory　is　sweet；　a　good　game　is　desired；　and　an　easy　opponent　is　not　welcomed。　The　spirit　of　this　kind　of　play　has　been　of　great　value　to　society；　for　it　has　brought　the　feeling　of　fair　play　and　sportsmanship　to　the　world。　Primitive　in　its　origin；　to　take　defeat　nobly　and　victory　with　becoming　modesty　is　the　civilizing　influence　of　sportsmanship。　In　the　past　women　have　lacked　good…fellowship　and　sportsmanship　largely　because　they　played　no　competitive…cooperative　games。　I　shall　not　attempt　to　take　up　in　any　detail　all　the　forms　of　pleasure…excitement　seeking。　Dancing；　music；　the　theater　and　the　movies　offer　outlets　both　for　the　artistic　impulses　and　the　seeking　of　excitement。　In　the　theater　and　the　movies　one　seeks　also　the　interest　we　take　in　the　lives　of　others；　the　awakening　of　emotions　and　the　happy　ending。　Only　a　few　people　will　ever　care　for　the　artistic　wholesale　calamity　of　a　play　like　〃Hamlet；〃　and　even　they　only　once　in　a　while。　Men　and　women　seek　variety；　they　seek　excitement　in　any　and　all　directions；　they　want　relief　from　the　tyranny　of　purpose　and　of　care。　But　also；they　hate　a　vacuum；　they　can　usually　bear　themselves　and　their　thoughts　for　only　a　little　while；　because　their　thoughts　are　often　basicly　melancholy　and　full　of　dissatisfaction。　So　they　seek　escape　from　themselves；　they　try　to　kill　time；　reading；　playing　and　going　to　entertainments。　In　fact；　most　of　our　reading　is　actuated　by　the　play　spirit；　and　is　an　effort　to　obtain　excitement　through　the　lives　of　others。　Humor＇1＇　is　a　form　of　pleasure　seeking　and　giving；　but　depends　on　a　certain　technique；　the　object　of　which　is　to　elicit　the　laugh　or　its　equivalent。　The　laugh　is　a　discharge　of　tension；　and　while　usually　it　accompanies　pleasure；　it　may　indicate　the　tension　of　embarrassment　or　even　complex　emotional　states。　But　the　laugh　or　smile　of　humor　has　to　be　elicited　in　certain　ways；　chief　of　which　are　to　bring　about　a　feeling　of　expectation；　and　by　some　novel　arrangement　of　words；　to　send　the　mind　on　a　voyage　of　discovery　which　suddenly　ends　with　a　burst　of　pleasure　when　the　〃point〃　is　seen。　The　pleasure　felt　in　humor　arises　from　the　feeling　of　novelty；　the　pleasure　of　discovering　a　hidden　meaning　and　the　pleasure　in　the　〃point〃　or　motive　of　the　story；　joke　or　conduct。　＇1＇　I　use　this　term　to　include　wit；　satire　and　even　certain　phases　of　the　comic。

Usually；　the　humorous　pleasure　has　these　motives：　it　points　at　the　folly　and　absurdity　of　other　people's　conduct；　thought；　logic　and　customs。　It　gives　a　feeling　of　superiority；　and　that　is　why　all　races　love　to　poke　fun　at　other　races：　certain　characteristics　of　Jew；　Irishman；　Yankee；　Scot；　etc。；　are　presented　in　novel　and　striking　fashion；　in　a　playful　manner。　It　points　out　the　weak　and　absurd　side　of　people　and　institutions　with　which　we　have　trouble；　and　this　brings　in　marriage；　business；　mothers…in…law；　creditors；　debtors；　as　those　whose　weakness　is　exposed　by　the　technique　of　humor。　Humor　likes　to　explode　pretension；　pedantry；　dignity；　pomposity；　we　get　a　feeling　of　joy　whenever　those　who　are　superior　come　a　cropper；　which　is　increased　when　we　feel　that　they　have　no　right　to　their　places。　So　the　humorous　technique　deals　with　the　get…rich…quick　folk；　the　foolish　nobleman；　the　politician；　the　priest　（especially　in　the　Middle　Ages）；　etc。　Not　only　does　humor　seek　to　obtain　pleasure　from　an　attack　on　others　and　thus　to　feel　superior　or　to　compensate　for　inferiority；　but　also　it　reaches　its　highest　form　in　exposing　man　himself；　including　the　humorist。　The　humorist；　seeking　his　own　weaknesses　and　contradictions；　his　falsities；　strips　the　disguise　from　himself　in　some　surprising　way。　Bergson　points　out　that　to　strip　away　a　disguise　is　naturely　humorous　unless　it　reveals　too　rudely　the　horrible。　The　humorist　takes　off　the　mask　from　himself　and　others；　and　in　so　far　as　we　can　detach　ourselves　from　pride　and　vanity；　we　laugh。　The　one　who　cannot　thus　detach　himself　is　〃hurt〃　by　humor；　the　one　who　somehow　has　become　a　spectator　of　his　own　strivings　can　laugh　at　himself。　Thus　humor；　in　addition　to　becoming　a　compensation　and　a　form　of　entertainment；　is　a　form　of　self…revelation　and　self…understanding　carried　on　by　a　peculiar　technique。　On　the　whole　this　technique　depends　upon　a　hiding　of　the　real　meaning　of　the　story　or　situation　under　a　disguise　of　the　commonplace。　The　humorist　phrases　his　words　or　develops　his　situation　so　as　to　send　the　thoughts　of　the　listener　flying　in　several　directions。　There　is　a　brief　confusion；　an　incongruity　is　felt；　then　suddenly　from　under　a　disguise　the　point　becomes　clear　and　the　laugh　is　in　part　one　of　triumph；　in　part　one　of　pleased　surprise。　I　shall　not　attempt　an　analysis　of　t