the foundations of personality-第4章

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inst　the　mate；　who　is　accused　of　infidelity。　It　is　interesting　that　in　the　last　two　diseases　the　patient　is　〃clear…headed〃；　memory　and　orientation　are　good；　the　patient　speaks　well　and　gives　no　gross　signs　of　his　trouble。　As　the　effects　of　the　alcohol　wear　away；　the　patient　recovers；i。e。；　his　character　returns　to　its　normal。　It　becomes　necessary　at　this　point　to　take　up　a　reverse　side　of　our　study；　namely；　what　is　often　called　the　influence　of　〃mind　over　matter。〃　Such　cures　of　disease　as　seem　to　follow　prayer　and　faith　are　cited；　such　incidents　as　the　great　strength　of　men　under　emotion　or　the　disturbances　of　the　body　by　ideas　are　listed　as　examples。　This　is　not　the　place　to　discuss　cures　by　faith。　It　suffices　to　say　this：　that　in　the　first　place　most　of　such　cures　relate　to　hysteria；　a　disease　we　shall　discuss　later　but　which　is　characterized　by　symptoms　that　appear　and　disappear　like　magic。　I　have　seen　〃cured〃　（and　have　〃cured〃）　such　patients；　affected　with　paralysis；　deafness；　dumbness；　blindness；　etc。；　with　reasoning；　electricity；　bitter　tonics；　fake　electrodes；　hypnotism；　and　in　one　case　by　a　forcible　slap　upon　a　prominent　and　naked　part　of　the　body。　Hysteria　has　been　the　basis　of　many　a　saint's　reputation　and　likewise　has　aided　many　a　physician　into　affluence。　Nor　is　the　effect　of　coincidence　taken　into　account　in　estimating　cures；　whether　by　faith　or　by　drugs。　Many　a　physician　has　owed　his　start　to　the　fact　that　he　was　called　in　on　some　obscure　case　just　when　the　patient　was　on　the　turn　towards　recovery。　He　then　receives　the　credit　that　belonged　to　Nature。　Medical　men　understand　this；that　many　diseases　are　〃self…limited〃　and　pass　through　a　cycle　influenced　but　little　by　treatment。　But　faith　curists　do　not　so　understand；　and　neither　does　the　mass　of　people；　so　that　neither　one　nor　the　other　separates　〃post　hoc〃　from　〃propter　hoc。〃　If　the　truth　were　told；　most　of　the　miracle　and　faith　cures　that　are　not　of　hysterical　origin　are　due　to　coincidence。　Faith　curists　report　in　detail　their　successes；　but　we　have　no　statistics　whatever　of　their　failures。　If　thought　is　a　product　of　the　brain　activated　by　the　rest　of　the　organism；　it　would　be　perfectly　natural　to　expect　that　thought　would　influence　the　organism。　That　thought　is　intimately　associated　with　impulses　to　action　is　well　known。　This　action　largely　takes　place　in　the　speech　muscles　but　also　it　irradiates　into　the　rest　of　the　organism。　Especially　is　this　true　if　the　thought　is　associated　with　some　emotion。　Emotion；　as　we　shall　discuss　it　later；　is　at　least　in　large　part　a　bodily　reaction；　a　disturbance　in　heart；　lungs；　abdominal　organs；　blood　vessels；　sympathetic　nervous　system；　endocrines；　etc。　The　effect　of　thought　and　emotion　upon　the　body；　whether　to　heighten　its　activity　or　to　lower　its　activity；　is；　from　my　point　of　view；　merely　the　effect　of　one　function　of　the　organism　upon　others。　We　are　not　surprised　if　digestion　affects　thinking　and　mood；　and　we　need　not　be　surprised　if　thought　and　mood　disturb　or　improve　digestion。　And　we　may　substitute　for　digestion　any　other　organic　function。　As　a　working　basis；　substantiated　by　the　kind　of　proof　we　use　in　our　daily　lives　in　laboratories　and　machine　shops；　we　may　state　that　mind；　character　and　personality　are　organic　in　their　origin　and　are　functions　of　the　entire　organism。　What　a　man　thinks；　does　and　feels　（or　perhaps　we　should　reverse　this　order）　is　the　result　of　environmental　forces　playing　upon　a　marvelously　intricate　organism　in　which　every　part　reacts　on　every　other　part；　in　which　nervous　energy　influences　digestion　and　digestion　influences　nervous　energy；　in　which　enzymes；　hormones；　and　endocrines　engage　in　an　extraordinary　game　of　checks　and　balance；　which　in　the　normal　course　of　events　make　for　the　individual's　welfare。　What　a　man　thinks；　does；　and　feels　influences　the　fate　of　his　organism　from　one　end　of　life　to　the　other。　We　have　not　adduced　in　favor　of　the　organic　nature　of　mind；　character　and　personality　the　facts　of　heredity。　This　is　a　most　important　set　of　facts；　for　if　the　egg　and　the　sperm　carry　mentality　and　personality；　they　may　be　presumed　to　carry　them　in　some　organic　form；　as　organic　potentialities；　just　as　they　carry　size；＇1＇　color；　sex；　etc。　That　abnormal　mind　is　inherited　is　shown　in　family　insanity　in　the　second；　third　and　fourth　generation　cases　of　mental　disease。　Certain　types　of　feeble…mindedness　surely　are　transmitted　from　generation　to　generation；　as　witness　the　case　of　the　famous　（or　infamous）　Jukes　family。　In　this　group　vagabondage；　crime；　immorality　and　other　character　abnormalities　appeared　linked　with　the　feeble…mindedness。　But　there　is　plenty　of　evidence　to　show　that　normal　character　qualities　are　inherited　as　well　as　the　abnormal。＇2＇　Galton；　the　father　of　eugenics；　collected　facts　from　the　history　of　successful　families　to　prove　this。　It　is　true　that　he　failed　to　take　into　account　the　facts　of　SOCIAL　heredity；　in　that　a　gifted　man　establishes　a　place　for　himself　and　a　tradition　for　his　family　that　is　of　great　help　to　his　son。　Nevertheless；　musical　ability　runs　in　families　and　races；　as　does　athletic　ability；　high　temper；　passion；　etc。　In　short；　at　least　the　potentialities；　the　capacities　for　character；　are　transmitted　together　with　other　qualities　as　part　of　the　capital　of　heredity。　＇1＇　I　have　collected　and　published　from　the　records　and　wards　of　the　State　Hospital　at　Taunton；　Mass。；　many　such　cases。　The　whole　subject　is　to　be　reviewed　in　a　following　book　on　the　transmission　of　mental　disease；　but　no　one　seriously　doubts　that　there　is　a　transference　of　〃insane〃　character　from　generation　to　generation。　In　fact；　I　believe　that　a　little　too　much　stress　hag　been　laid　on　this　aspect　of　mental　disease　and　not　enough　on　the　fact　that　sickness　may　injure　a　family　stock　and　cause　the　descendants　to　be　insane。　Any　one　who　has　seen　a　single　case　of　congenital　General　Paresis；　where　a　child　has　a　mental　disease　due　to　the　syphilis　of　a　parent；　and　can　doubt　that　character　and　mind　are　organic；　simply　is　blinded　by　theological　or　metaphysical　prejudice。　＇2＇　See　his　book　〃Genius。〃

This　means　that　in　studying　character　and　personality；　we　must　start　with　an　analysis　of　the　physical　make…up　of　the　individual。　We　are　not　yet　at　the　point　in　science　where　we　can　easily　get　at　the　activities　of　the　endocrinal　glands　in　normal　mentality。　We　are　able　to　recognize　certain　fundamental　types；　but　more　we　cannot　do；　nor　are　we　able　to　measure　nervous　energy　except　in　relatively　crude　ways；　but　these　crude　ways　have　great　value　under　certain　conditions。　When　there　has　been　a　change　in　personality；　the　question　of　bodily　disease　is　always　paramount。　The　first　questions　to　be　asked　under　such　circumstances　are；　〃Is　this　person　sick？〃　〃Is　the　brain　involved？〃　〃Are　endocrinal　glands　involved？〃　〃Is　there　disease　of　some　organ　of　the　body；　acting　to　lower　the　feeling　of　well…being；　acting　to　slacken　the　purposes　and　the　will　or　to　obscure　the　intelligence？〃　There　are　other　important　questions　of　this　type　to　answer；　some　of　which　may　be　deferred　for　the　time。　Meanwhile；　the　next　equally　fundamental　thesis　is　on　the　effect　of　the　environment　upon　mind；　character　and　personality。

CHAPTER　II。　THE　ENVIRONMENTAL　BASIS　OF　CHARACTER　From　the　time　any　one　of　us　is　born　into　the　world　he　is　subject　to　the　influences　of　forces　that　reach　backwards　to　the　earliest　days　of　the　race。　The　〃dead　hand〃　rules；yes；　and　the　dead　thought；　belief　and　custom　continue　to　shape　the　lives　and　character　of　the　living。　The　invention　and　development　of　speech　and　writing　have　brought　into　every　man's　career　the　mental　life　and　character　of　all　his　own　ancestors　and　the　ancestors　of　every　other　man。　A　child　is　not　born　merely　to　a　father　and　a　mother。　He　is　born　to　a　group；　fiercely　and　definitely　prejudiced　in　custom；　belief　and　ideal；　with　ways　of　doing；　feeling　and　thinking　which　it　seeks　to　impose　on　each　of　its　new　members。　Family；　tribe；　race　and　nation　all　demand　of　each　accession　that　he　accept　their　ideals；　habits　and　beliefs　on　peril　of　disapproval　and　even　of　punishment。　And　man　is　so　constituted　that　the　approval　and　disapproval　of　his　group　mean　more　to　him　even　than　his　life。　The　social　setting　into　which　each　one　is　born　is　his　social　heredity。　〃The　heredity　with　which　civilization　is　most　supremely　concerned；〃　says　Sir　Edwin　Ray　Lankester；　〃is　not　that　which　is　inborn　in　the　individual。　It　is　the　SOCIAL　inheritance　which　constitutes　the　dominant　factor　in　human　progress。〃＇1＇　It　is　this　social　inheritance　which　shapes　our　characters；　rough…hewn　by　nature。　It　is　by　the　light　of　each　person's　social　inheritance　that　we　must　also　judge　his　character。　＇1＇　The　Eugenists　fiercely　contest　this　statement；　and　rightly；　for　it　is　extreme。　Society　is　threatened　at　its　roots　by　the　present　high　birth　rate　of　the　low　grade　and　the　low　birth　rate　of　the　high　grade。　Environment；　culture；　can　do　much；　but　they　cannot　make　a　silk　purse　out　of　a　sow's　ear。　Neither　can　heredity　make　a　silk　purse　out　of　silk；　without　culture　and　the　environmental　influences；　without　social　heredity；　the　silk　remains　crude　and　with　no　special　value。　The　aims　of　a　rational　society；　which　we　are　born　a　thousand　years　too　soon　to　see　would　be　twofold：　to　control　marriage　and　birth　so　that　the　number　of　the　unfit　would　be　kept　as　low　as　possible；　and　then　to　bring　fostering　influences　to　bear　on　the　fit。

〃Education；〃　says　Oliver　Wendell　Holmes；　〃is　only　second　to　nature。　Imagine　all　the　infants　born　this　year　in　Boston　and　Timbuctoo　to　change　places！〃　And　education　is　merely　social　inheritance　organized　by　parents　and　teachers　for　the　sake　of　molding　the　scholar　into　usefulness　and　conformity　to　the　group　into　which　he　is　born。　There　may　be　in　each　individual　an　innate　capacity　for　this　ability　or　that；　for　expressing　and　controlling　this　or　that　emotion；　for　developing　this　or　that　purpose。　Which　ability　will　be　developed；　which　emotion　or　purpose　will　be　expressed；　is　a　matter　of　the　age　in　which　a　man　is　born；　the　country　in　which　he　lives；　the　family　which　claims　him　as　its　own。　In　a　warrior　age　the　fighting　spirit　chooses　war　as　its　vocation　and　develops　a　warlike　character；　in　a　peaceful　time　that　same　fighting　spirit　may　seek　to　bring　about　such　reforms　as　will　do　away　with　war。＇1＇　When　the　world　said　that　a　man　might　and　really　ought　now　and　then　to　beat　his　wife　and　rule　her　by　force；　the　really　conformable　man　did　so；　while　his　descendant；　living　in　a　time　and　country　where　woman　is　the　domestic　〃boss；〃　submits；　humorously　and　otherwise；　to　a　good…natured　henpecking。　And　in　the　times　where　a　woman　had　no　vocation　but　that　of　housewife；　the　wife　of　larger　ability　merely　became　a　discontented；　futile　woman；　whereas　in　an　age　which　opens　up　politics　to　her；　the　same　type　of　person　expands　into　a　vigorous；　dominating　political　leader。　Though　the　force　of　the　water　remain　the　same；　the　nature　of　the　land　determines　whether　the　water　shall　collect　as　a　river；　carrying　the　produce　of　the　land　to　the　sea；　or　as　a　stagnant　lake　in　which　idlers　fish。　Time；　social　circumstances；　education　and　a　thousand　and　one　factors　determine　whether　one　shall　be　a　〃Village　Hampden；〃　quarreling　in　a　petty　way　with　a　petty　autocrat　over　some　petty　thing；　or　a　national　Hampden；　whose　defiance　of　a　tyra