the foundations of personality-第22章

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CHAPTER　VI。　EMOTION；　INSTINCT；　INTELLIGENCE　AND　WILL　In　a　preceding　chapter　we　discussed　man　as　an　organism　reacting　against　an　outside　world　and　spurred　on　by　internal　activities　and　needs。　We　discussed　stimulation；　reflexes；　inhibition；　choice　and　the　organizing　activity；　memory　and　habit；　consciousness　and　subconsciousness；　all　of　which　are　primary　activities　of　the　organism。　But　these　are　mere　theories　of　function；　for　the　activities　we　are　interested　in　reside　in　more　definite　reactions；　of　which　the　foregoing　are　parts。　We　see　a　dreaded　object　on　the　horizon　or　foresee　a　calamity；and　we　fear。　That　state　of　the　organism　（note　I　do　not　say　that　STATE　OF　MIND）　resulting　from　the　vision　is　an　emotion。　We　fly　at　once；　we　hide；　and　the　action　is　in　obedience　to　an　instinct。　But　ordinarily　we　do　not　fly　or　hide　haphazard；　we　think　of　ways　and　means；　if　only　in　a　rudimentary　fashion；　we　shape　plans；　perhaps　as　we　fly；　we　pick　up　a　stick　on　the　run；　hoping　to　escape　but　preparing　for　the　reaction　of　fight　if　cornered。　〃What　shall　I　dowhat　shall　I　do？　finds　no　conscious　answer　if　the　emotion　is　overwhelming　or　the　instinctive　flight　a　pell…mell　affair；　but　ordinarily　memories　of　other　experiences　or　of　teaching　come　into　the　mind　and　some　effort　is　made　to　meet　the　situation　in　an　〃intelligent〃　manner。　Here；　then；　is　a　response　in　which　three　cardinal　reactions　have　occurred　and　are　blended；the　emotion；　the　instinctive　action；　and　the　intelligent　action；　or　to　make　abstractions；　emotion；　instinct　and　intelligence。　（Personally；　I　think　half　the　trouble　with　our　thought　is　that；　we　abstract　from　our　experiences　a　common　group　of　associations　and　believe　that　the　abstraction　has　some　existence　outside　our　thoughts。）　Thus　there　arise　in　us；　as　a　result　of　things　experienced；　curious　feelings　and　we　speak　of　the　feelings　as　emotions；　we　make　a　race…old　response　to　a　situation；an　instinctive　reaction；　our　memories；　past　experiences　and　present　purposes　are　stirred　into　activity；　and　we　plan　and　scheme；　and　this　is　an　intelligent　reaction；　but　there　is　in　reality　no　metaphysical　entity　Emotion；　Instinct；　Intelligence。　I　believe　that　here　the　philosophers　whose　mental　activities　are　essentially　in　the　direction　of　forming　abstract　ideas　have　misled　us。　What　I　wish　to　point　out　is　this：　that　to　any　situation　all　three　reactions　may　take　place　and　modify　one　another。　We　are　insultedsome　one　slaps　our　facethe　fierce　emotion　of　anger　arises　and　through　us　surge　waves　of　feeling　manifested　on　the　motor　side　by　tensed　muscles；　rapid　heart；　harsh　breathing；　perhaps　a　general　reddening　of　face　and　eyes。　Instinctively　our　fists　are　clenched；　a　part　of　the　reaction　of　fight；　and　it　needs　but　the　slightest　increase　of　anger　to　send　us　leaping　on　the　aggressor；　to　fight　him　perhaps　to　the　death。　But　no；the　situation　has　aroused　certain　memories　and　certain　inhibitions：　the　one　who　struck　us　has　been　our　friend　and　we　can　see　that　he　is　acting　under　a　mistaken　impression；　or　else　we　perceive　that　he　is　right；　that　we　have　done　him　a　wrong　for　which　his　blow　is　a　sort　of　just　reaction。　We　are　checked　by　these　cerebral　activities；　we　choose　some　other　reaction　than　fight；　perhaps　we　prevent　him　from　further　assault；　or　we　turn　and　walk　away；　or　we　start　to　explain；　to　mollify　and　console；　or　to　remonstrate　and　reprove。　In　other　words；　〃intelligence〃　steps　in　to　inhibit；　to　bring　to　the　surface　the　possibilities；　to　choose；　and　thus　overrides　the　emotional　instinctive　reaction。　It　may　not　succeed　in　the　overriding；　we　may　hesitate；　inhibit；　etc。；　for　only　a　second　or　so；　before　hot　anger　overcomes　us；　and　the　instinctive　response　of　fight　and　retaliation　takes　place。　These　examples　might　be　multiplied　a　thousandfold。　Every　day　of　our　lives　situations　come　up　in　which　there　is　a　blending　or　an　antagonism　between　emotional；　instinctive　and　intelligent　responses。　In　fact；　very　few　acts　of　the　organized　human　being　are　anything　else。　For　every　emotion　awakens　memories　of　past　emotions　and　the　consequences；　every　instinct　is　hampered　by　other　instincts　or　by　the　inhibitions　aroused　by　obstacles；　and　intelligence　continually　struggles　against　emotion　and　blind　instinct。　Teaching；　experience；　knowledge；　all　modify　emotional　and　instinctive　responses　so　that　sometimes　they　are　hardly　recognizable　as　such。　On　the　other　hand；　though　intelligence　normally　occupies　the　seat　of　power；　it　is　easily　ousted　and　in　reality　only　steers　and　directs　the　vehicle　of　life；　choosing　not　the　goal　but　the　road　by　which　the　goal　can　safely　be　reached。　In　general　terms　we　shall　define　emotions；　instincts　and　intelligence　as　follows：　1。　For　emotions　we　shall　accept　a　modified　James…Lange　theory；　supplementing　it　by　the　developments　of　science　since　their　day。　When　a　thing　is　seen　or　heard　（or　smelled　or　tasted　or　thought）；　it　arouses　an　emotion；　that　emotion　consists　of　at　least　three　parts。　First；　the　arousal　of　memories　and　experiences　that　give　it　a　value　to　the　individual；　make　it　a　desired　object　or　a　dreaded；　distasteful　object。　Second；　at　the　same　time；　or　shortly　preceding　or　succeeding　this；　a　great　variety　of　changes　takes　place　in　the　organism；　changes　that　we　shall　call　the　vaso…visceral…motor　changes。　This　means　merely　that　there　is　a　series　of　reactions　set　up　in　the　sympathetic　nervous　system；　in　the　blood　vessels　and　bodily　structures　they　control　and　in　the　glands　of　internal　secretion；changes　which　include　the　blush　or　the　pallor；　the　rapid　heartbeat；　the　quickened　or　labored　breathing；　the　changes　in　the　digestive　tract　which　include　the　vomiting　of　disgust　and　the　diarrhoea　of　fear；　the　changes　that　passion　brings　in　the　male　and　the　female　and　many　other　alterations　to　be　discussed　again。　Third；　there　is　then　the　feeling　of　these　coenaesthetic　changes；a　feeling　of　pleasantness；　unpleasantness　mingled　with　the　basic　feeling　of　excitement；　and　from　then　on　that　situation　is　linked　in　memory　with　the　feeling　that　we　usually　call　the　emotion　but　which　is　only　a　part　of　it。　Nevertheless；　it　becomes　the　part　longed　for　or　thereafter　avoided；　it　is　the　value　of　the　emotion　to　us；　as　conscious　personalities；　although　it　may　be　a　false；　disastrous；　dangerous　value。　Excitement　is　the　generalized　mood　change　that　results　in　consciousness　in　consequence　of　the　vaso…visceral…motor　changes　of　emotion；　it　is　therefore　based　on　bodily　changes　as　is　the　feeling；　pleasant　or　unpleasant；　that　also　occurs。　William　James　said　that　we　laugh　and　are　therefore　happy；　we　weep　and　are　therefore　sad；　the　bodily　changes　are　primary　and　the　feeling　secondary。　We　do　not　accept　this　dictum　entirely；　but　we　say　that　the　organism　reacts　in　a　complicated　way　and　that　the　feelingsadness；　disgust；　anger；　joysprings　from　the　memories　and　past　experiences　aroused　by　a　situation　as　well　as　from　the　widespread　bodily　excitement　also　so　aroused。　For　the　neurologist　both　the　cerebral　and　the　sympathetic…　endocrinal　components　of　emotion　are　important。　For　the　moment　we　turn　to　instinct　and　instinctive　reactions。　2。　Man　has　always　wondered　that　things　can　be　known　without　teaching。　So　slow　and　painful　is　the　process　of　mastering　a　technique；　whether　of　handicraftsmanship　or　of　art；　so　imbued　are　we　with　the　need　of　education　for　the　acquirement　of　knowledge；　that　we　are　taken　aback　by　the　realization　that　all　around　us　are　creatures　carrying　on　the　most　elaborate　technique；　going　through　the　most　complicated　procedures　and　apparently　possessed　of　the　surest　knowledge　without　the　possibility　of　teaching。　The　flight　of　birds；　the　obstetric　and　nursing　procedures　of　all　animals；　and　especially　the　complicated　and　systematized　labors　of　bees；　ants　and　other　insects；　have　aroused　the　wonder；　admiration　and　awe　of　scientists。　A　chick　pecks　its　way　out　of　its　egg　and　shakes　itself；then　immediately　starts　on　the　trail　of　food　and　usually　needs　no　instruction　as　to　diet。　The　female　insect　lays　its　eggs；　the　male　insect　fertilizes　them；　the　progeny　go　through　the　states　of　evolution　leading　to　adult　life　without　teaching　and　without　the　possibility　of　previous　experience。　Since　the　parent　never　sees　the　progeny；　and　the　progeny　assume　various　shapes　and　have　very　varied　capacities　at　these　times；　there　can　be　no　possibl