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第30章

the foundations of personality-第30章

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olled by some purpose or purposes; or is it diffuse; involuntary; not well directed? 2。 Is it narrow; so that it excludes the greater part of the world; or is it easily evoked by a multiplicity of things? In the breadth of interest is contained the breadth of character; but not necessarily its intensity or efficiency。 There are people of narrow but intense successful interest; and others of broad; intense successful interest; but one meets; too frequently; people quickly interested in anything; but not for long or in a practical fashion。 There is a certain high type of failure that has this difficulty。 3。 Is its main trend outward; and if so; is there some special feature or features of the world that excite interest? 4。 Is its main trend inward; and is he interested in emotions; thoughts; sensations;In his mind or his body; in ideas or in feelings? For it is obvious that the man interested in his ideas is quite a different person than he who is keenly aware of his emotions; and that the hypochondriac belongs in a class by himself。 5。 If there are special interests; how do these harmonize with ability and with well…defined plan and purpose。 It is not sufficient to be keenly interested; though that is necessary。 One of the greatest disharmonies of life is when a man is interested when he is not proficient; though usually proficiency develops interest because it gives superiority and achievement。 Interest is heightened by the success of others; for we are naturally competitive creatures; or by admiration for those successful in any line of activity。 The desire to emulate or excel or to get power is a mighty factor in the maintenance of interest。 〃See how nicely Georgie does it;〃 is a formula for both children and adults; and if omitted; interest would not be easily aroused or maintained。 In other words; the competitive feeling and desire in its largest sense are necessary for the concentrated excitement of interest。 So any scheme of social organization that proposes to do away with competition and desire for superiority labors under the psychological handicap of removing the basis of much of the interest in work and study and must find some substitute for the lacking incentives before it can seriously ask for the adherence of those with a realistic view of human nature。 One might; it is true; establish traditions of work; bring about a livelier social conscience as to service; but these are not sufficient to arouse real interest in the vast majority of the race。 Here and there one finds a man in whom interest is aroused by the unsolved problem; by the reward of fame and the pleasure of achievement; but such persons are rare。 The average man (and woman); in my experience; loses interest in anything that does not directly benefit him or in which his personal competitive feeling is not aroused。 Interest becomes vague and ill…defined the farther the matter concerned is from the direct personal good of the individual; and proportionately it becomes difficult to sustain it。 That is why in our day 〃dollars and cents〃 appeals to interest are made; away with abstracts; away with sentiment; the publicity man working for a good cause now uses the methods of the man selling shoes or automobiles: he attempts to show that one's interest and cooperation are demanded and necessary because one's direct personal welfare is involved。 Whether or not ethically justifiable; it is a recognition of the fact that interest is aroused and sustained; for the majority; by some direct personal involvement。 Thus in education; a fact to be learned; or a subject to be studied; should be first sketched or placed in some use value to the student。 Knowledge for knowledge's sake is appealing only to the rare scholar; he who palpitates with interest over the relationship of things to one another; he who seeks to discover values。 Now and then one finds such a person; one thrown into sustained excitement by learning; but the great majority of students; whether in medicine; law or mathematics; are 〃practical;〃 meaning that their interests are relatively narrow and the good they seek an immediate one to be reaped by themselves。 Recognizing this fact in the abstract; the most of teaching is conducted on the plane of the real scholar; and the average student is left to find values for himself。 From first to last in teaching I would emphasize usevalue; true; I would seek to broaden the conception of usevalue; so that a student would see that usefulness is a social value; but no matter how abstract and remote the subject; its relationship to usefulness would be preliminary and continuously emphasized in order to sustain interest。 Interest; like any other form of excitement; needs new stimuli and periods of relaxation。 People under the driving force of necessity continue at their work for longer periods of time and more constantly than is psychologically possible for the maintaining of interest。 So it disappears; and then fatigue sets in at once;a fatigue that is increased by the effort to work and the regret and rebellion at the change。 The memory seems to suffer and a fear is aroused that 〃I am losing my memory〃; the threat to success brings anguish and often the health becomes definitely impaired。 Overconcentrated; too long maintenance of interest brings apathy;an apathy that cannot be dispelled except by change and rest。 Here there is wide individual variation from those who need frequent change and relaxation periods to those who can maintain interest in a task almost indefinitely。 A hobby; or a secondary object of interest; is therefore a real necessity to the man or woman battling for a purpose; whose interest must be sustained。 It acts to relax; to shift the excitement and to allow something of the feeling of novelty as one reapproaches the task。 As a matter of fact; excitement and interest are not easily separated from their derivatives and elaborations。 Desire; purpose; ambition; imply a force; interest implies a direction for that force。 Interest may be as casual as curiosity aroused by the novel and strange; or as deep…seated and specialized as a talent。 The born teacher is he who knows how to arouse and maintain and direct interest; the born achiever is the man whose interest; quickly aroused; is easily maintained and directs effort。 To find the activity that is natively interesting and yet suited to one's ability is the aim in vocational guidance。 There are some curious pathological aspects to interest 〃conflict〃 aspects of the subject。 A man finds himself palpitatingly interested in what is horrible to him; as a bird is fascinated by a snake。 Sex abnormalities have a marvelous interest to everybody; although many will not admit it。 Stories of crime and bloodshed are read by everybody with great avidity;and people will go miles to the site of grim tragedy。 Court rooms are packed whenever a horrible murder is aired or a nauseating divorce scandal is tried。 A chaste woman will read; on the sly and with inner rebellion; as many pornographic tales as she can get hold of; and the 〃carefully〃 brought up; i。 e。; those whose interest has been carefully directed; suddenly become interested in the forbidden; they seek to peek through windows when they should be looking straight ahead。 As a matter of fact; interest is as much inhibited as conduct。 〃You mustn't ask about that〃 is the commonest answer a child gets。 〃That's a naughty question to ask〃 runs it a close second。 Can one inhibit interest; which is the excitement caused by the unknown? The answer is that we can; because a large part of education is to do this very thing。 〃Can we inhibit any interest without injuring all interests?〃 is a question often put。 My answer would be that it is socially necessary that interest in certain directions be inhibited; whether it hurts the individual or not。 But the interest in a forbidden direction can be shifted to a permitted direction; and this should be done。 In my opinion; sex interest can be so handled and a blunt thwarting of this interest should be avoided。 Some explanation leading the child to larger; less personal aspects of sex should be given。 The interest of the child is often thwarted through sheer laziness。 〃Don't bother me〃 is the reply of a parent shirking a sacred duty。

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