the foundations of personality-第18章

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e。　This　latter　phenomenon　is　very　striking　in　children；　they　become　fascinated　by　something　they　hear　or　see　and　project　themselves；　as　it　were；　into　that　object；　they　become　the　〃soapiness　of　soap；　or　the　wetness　of　water〃　（to　use　Chesterton's　phrase）；　and　when　they　listen　to　a　story　they　hold　nothing　in　reserve。　Consciousness　may　busy　itself　with　its　past　phases；　with　the　preceding　thought；　emotion；　sensation　how；　I　do　not　knowor　it　may　occupy　itself　mainly　with　the　world　of　things　which　are　hereby　declared　to　have　a　reality　in　our　theory。　In　the　first　instances　we　have　introspection　and　subjectiveness；　and　in　the　second　we　have　extroversion　and　objectivity。　＇1＇　For　discussion　of　consciousness　read　Berkeley；　Locke；　Hume；　Spencer；　Lotze；　Moyan；　James；　Wundt；　Munsterberg　and　every　other　philosopher　and　psychologist。　I　have　not　attempted　to　discuss　the　matter　from　the　philosopher's　point　of　view　for　the　very　obvious　reason　that　I　am　no　philosopher。

Since　consciousness　is　most　intense　when　the　new　or　unfamiliar　is　seen；　heard；　felt　or　attempted；　we　may　assume　it　has　a　chief　function　in　acquainting　the　individual　with　the　new　and　unfamiliar　and　in　the　establishment　of　habitual　reactions；　We　are　extraordinarily　conscious　of　a　queer；　unexplainable　thing　on　the　horizon；　we　bring　into　the　limelight　（or　IT　brings　into　the　limelight）　all　our　possible　reactions；fear；　flight；　anger；　fight；　circumvention；　curiosity　and　the　movements　of　investigation；　we　are　thrown　into　the　maelstrom　of　choice。　Choice　and　consciousness；　doubt　and　consciousness；　are　directly　related；　it　is　only　when　conduct　becomes　established　as　habit；　with　choosing　relegated　to　the　background；　that　consciousness；　in　so　far　as　the　act　is　concerned；　becomes　diminished。　A　moderate　constant　sensation　tends　to　disappear　from　consciousness；　as　when　we　keep　our　hand　in　warm　water。　It　then　takes　a　certain　increase　of　the　stimulus　to　keep　the　sensation　from　lapsing　out　of　consciousness。　This　lapsing　out　of　consciousness　of　the　steady　stimulus；　in　its　ramifications；　is　responsible　for　a　good　deal　of　the　activity　of　man；　since　sensation　is　a　goal　of　effort。＇1＇　Under　emotion　we　become　aware　of　two　sets　of　things；the　reaction　of　our　body　in　its　sum　total　of　pleasure　or　the　reverse；　and　second　the　object　that　sets　up　this　reaction。　Consciousness　fastens　itself　on　the　body　and　on　the　world；　and　the　bodily　reaction　becomes　a　guide　for　future　action。　Extreme　bodily　reactions　are　painful　and　may　result　in　the　abolishing　of　consciousness。　＇1＇　The　physiologists　speak　of　this　phenomenon　under　the　heading　of　the　Weber…Fechner　law；　after　the　two　physiologists　who　gave　it　prominence。　James　pokes　a　good　deal　of　fun　at　the　〃law；〃　which　is　expressed　mathematically。　Perhaps　the　mathematics　should　have　been　eliminated　as　too　〃scientific〃　for　our　present　attainment；　but　it　does　remain　true　that　it　is　not　the　ACTUAL　stimulus　increase　that　is　important　in　sensation　or　perception；　but　the　RELATIVE　stimulus　increase。　This　is　behind　all　of　〃getting　used　to　things〃；　it　removes　the　pain　from　humiliation　and　also　the　novelty　from　joy。　It　is　the　reason　behind　all　of　the　searching　for　novelty　and　excitement。

We　assume　that　consciousness　is　organic；　though　we　concede　that　it　may　be　true　that　it　is　borrowed　from　a　great　pool　of　consciousness＇1＇　out　of　which　we　all　come。　Consciousness　IS　organic　because　a　blow　on　the　head　may　abolish　it　as　may　drugs　and　disease；　or　a　shifting　of　the　blood　supply　as　in　emotion　or　fatigue　in　the　form　of　sleep；　etc。　Where　does　it　go　to　and　how　does　it　come　back？　The　savage　answered　that　question　by　building　up　the　idea　of　a　soul；　a　thing　that　might　migrate；　had　an　independent　existence；　took　journeys　in　the　form　of　dreams　and　lived　and　flourished　after　death。　Most　of　these　ideas　still　persist；　perhaps　as　much　through　the　fear　of　annihilation　as　anything　else；　but　as　to　whether　or　not　they　are　true　this　book　does　not　concern　itself。　We　have　no　proof　of　these　matters；　but　we　can　prove　that　we　can　play　on　consciousness　as　we　play　on　a　piano；　through　the　body　and　brain。　A　blow　injures　groups　of　nerve　cells　and　consciousness　disappears；　when　they　recover；　it　returns。　Where　does　any　function　go　when　structure　is　injured？　We　have　practically　the　same　kind　of　proof　for　the　position　of　consciousness　as　a　function　of　the　brain　and　body　that　we　have　for　gastric　juice　as　a　secretion　of　gastric　cells。　＇1＇　Even　if　it　were　true　that　consciousness　is　the　only　reality；　nobody　really　believes　it　in　that　nobody　acts　as　if　it　were　true。　Conversely；　everybody　acts　as　if　trees；　rocks；　and　people　were　realities；　as　if　fatigue；　sickness；　age；　etc。；　affected　consciousness。　That　is　why；　in　this　book；　we　are　discarding　as　irrelevant　the　〃ultimate〃　truth　concerning　consciousness。　My　humble　belief　is　that　the　ultimate　truth　in　this　matter　will　never　concern　us　because　we　shall　never　know　it。

However　widely　we　spread　the　function　of　consciousness　and　its　domain；　we　still　leave　a　large　field　of　activities　untouched。　And　so　we　come　to　the　conception　of　the　subconsciousness。　There　are　two　prevailing　sets　of　opinions　concerning　the　subconscious。　The　first　is　quite　matter…of…fact。　It　states　that　the　movements　and　activities　of　a　large　part　of　the　body　are　outside　of　the　realm　of　consciousness；　such　as　the　activities　of　the　great　visceraheart；　lungs；　intestines；　liver；　blood　vessels；　sex　glandsand　are　largely　operated　by　the　vegetative　nervous　system。＇1＇　There　are　influences　pouring　into　the　brain　from　these　organs；　together　with　influences　from　muscles；　joints；　tendons；　and　these　influences；　though　not　consciously　itemized；　are　the　subconsciously　received　stimuli　which　give　us　feelings　of　vigor；　energy；　courage；　hopefulness；　or　the　reverse；　according　to　the　state　of　the　organism。　In　health　the　ordinary　result　of　these　stimuli　is　good；　though　people　may　have　health　in　that　no　definite　disease　is　present；　and　yet　there　is　some　deficiency　in　the　energy…arousing　viscera　which　brings　a　lowered　coenesthesia；　a　lessened　vigor　and　lowered　mood。　In　youth　the　state　of　the　organs　brings　a　state　of　well　feeling；　in　old　age　there　is　a　constant　feeling　of　a　low　balance　of　energy　and　mood；　and　the　person　is　always　on　the　verge　of　unpleasant　feeling。　In　the　great　change　periods　of　lifeat　puberty　and　the　climacteric　（or　the　menopause）the　sudden　change　in　the　activity　of　the　sex　organs　may　produce　great　alterations＇2＇　in　the　coenaesthesia　and　therefore　in　the　energy　and　mood　of　the　individual。　＇1＇　This　is　not　the　place　to　describe　the　vegetative　nervous　system。　（It　was　formerly　called　the　sympathetic　nervous　system；　but　this　term　is　now　limited　to　one　part　of　this　system；　and　the　term　autonomic　to　another　part；　although　some　writers　still　use　the　term　sympathetic　for　the　whole；　and　others　＇the　English＇　the　term　autonomic　for　the　whole。）　This　system　is　the　nervous　mechanism　of　organic　life；　regulating　heart；　lungs；　blood　vessels；　intestines；　sex　organs；　acting　together　with　endocrines；　etc。　A　huge　amount　of　work　has　been　done　of　late　years　on　this　system　and　we　know　definitely　that　it　stimulates；　inhibits　and　regulates　these　organs；　and　also　that　it　records　their　activities。　We　are　commencing　to　believe　that　this　system　is　fully　as　important；　in　mental　life；　as　the　brain。　See　Langley；　Schaeffer；　Higier；　etc。　＇2＇　This　is　especially　true　of　the　menopause　in　women；　and　often　enough　of　each　menstrual　period。　That　there　is　a　climacteric　in　men　is　not　so　clear；　but　something　corresponding　to　it　occurs；　at　least　in　the　case　of　some　men。

In　addition；　these　activities；　which　are　so　all…important；　determine　the　basic　conduct　by　arousing　the　basic　appetites　and　desires　of　the　individual。　It　is　the　change　in　the　gastro…intestinal　tract　and　in　the　tissues　of　the　body　that　starts　up　the　hunger　feeling　and　the　impulses　which　prompt　men　to　seek　food；　in　other　words；　this　type　of　coenaesthesia　has　set　going　all　the　physical　and　mental　activities　relating　to　food；　it　is　the　basic　impulse　behind　agriculture　and　stock　raising；　as　well　as　energizing　work　activities　of　all　kinds。　It　is　the　tension　in　the　seminal　vessels　of　the　male　that　wakes　up　his　passion；　if　it　is　not　the　sole　source　of　that　passion。　Sex　desire　in　the　adult　male　has　many　elements　in　i