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第123章

criminal psychology-第123章

小说: criminal psychology 字数: 每页4000字

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ved Oedipus not as we do; they found his misfortune horrible; we find it unpleasant。

These are poetical criminal cases presented to us from different points of view; and we nowadays understand the same action still more differently; and not only in poetry; but in the daily life。 Try; for example; to get various individuals to judge the same formation of clouds。 You may hear the clouds called flower…stalks with spiritual blossoms; impoverished students; stormy sea; camel; monkey; battling giants; swarm of flies; prophet with a flowing beard; dunderhead; etc。 We have coming to light; in this accidental interpretation of fact; the speaker's view of life; his intimacies; etc。 This emergence is as observable in the interpretation also of the ordinary events of the daily life。 There; even if the judgments do not vary very much; they are still different enough to indicate quite distinct points of view。 The memory of the curious judgment of one cloud…formation has helped me many a time to explain testimonies that seemed to have no possible connection。

_Attitude or feeling_this indefinable factor exercises a great influence on conception and interpretation。 It is much more wonderful than even the march of events; or of fate itself。 Everybody knows what attitude (stimmung) is。 Everybody has suffered from it; everybody has made some use of it; but nobody can altogether define it。 According to Fischer; attitude consists in the compounded feelings of all the inner conditions and changes of the organism;


'1' Marie Borst: Recherches experimentales sur l' du temoignage。 Archives de Psychologie。 Geneva。 Vol。 III。 no。 11。

 expressed in consciousness。 This would make attitude a sort of vital feeling; the resultant of the now favorable; now unfavorable functioning of our organs。 The description is; however; not unexceptionable; inasmuch as single; apparently insignificant influences upon our senses may create or alter our attitudes for a long time without revealing its effect on any organ or its integration with the other mental states。 I know how merely good or bad weather determines attitude; how it may be helped immediately by a good cigar; and how often we may pass a day; joyous or dejected; only to discover that the cause is a good or a bad dream of the foregoing night。 Especially instructive in this regard was a little experience of mine during an official journey。 The trouble which brought me out was an ordinary brawl between young peasants; one of whom was badly cut up and was to be examined。 Half…way over; we had to wait at a wayside inn where I expected a relieving gendarme。 A quarter of an hour after the stop; when we renewed the journey; I found myself overcome by unspeakable sadness; and this very customary brawl seemed to me especially umpleasant。 I sympathized with the wounded boy; his parents; his opponents; all strangers to me; and I bewrayed the rawness of mankind; its love for liquor; etc。 This attitude was so striking that I began to seek its cause。 I found it; first of all; in the dreary region;then in the cup of hot coffee that I had drunk in the restaurant; which might possibly have been poisonous;finally; it occurred to me that the hoof…beats of the horses were tuned to a very saddening minor chord。 The coachman in his hurry had forgotten to take bells with him; and in order to avoid violating police regulations he had borrowed at the inn another peal; and my sad state dated from the moment I heard it。 I banished the sound and immediately I found myself enjoying the pretty scenery。

I am convinced that if I had been called to testify in my sad state; I would have told the story otherwise than normally。 The influence of music upon attitude is very well known。 The unknown influence of external conditions also makes a difference on attitude。 ‘‘If you are absorbed in thought;'' says Fechner; ‘‘you notice neither sunshine nor the green of the meadows; etc。; and still you are in a quite different emotional condition from that which would possess you in a dark room。''

The attitude we call indifference is of particular import。 It appears; especially; when the ego; because of powerful impressions; is concerned with itself; pain; sadness; important work; reflection;  disease; etc。 In this condition we depreciate or undervalue the significance of everything that occurs about us。 Everything is brought into relation to our personal; immediate condition; and is from the point of view of our egoism; more or less indifferent。 It does not matter whether this attitude of indifference occurs at the time of perception or at the time of restatement during the examination。 In either case; the fact is robbed of its hardness; its significance; and its importance; what was white or black; is described as gray。

There is another and similar attitude which is distinguished by the fact that we are never quite aware of it but are much subject to it。 According to Lipps'1' and Lotze;'2' there is to be observed in neurotic attitudes a not rare and complete indifference to feeling; and in consciousness an essential lack of feeling…tone in perception。 Our existence; our own being; seems to us; then; to be a foreign thing; having little concern with usa story we need not earnestly consider。 That in such condition little attention is paid to what is going on around us seems clear enough。 The experiences are shadowy and superficial; they are indifferent and are represented as such only。 This condition is very dangerous in the law court; because; where a conscientious witness will tell us that; e。 g。; at the time of the observation or the examination he was sick or troubled; and therefore was incorrect; a person utterly detached in the way described does not tell the judge of his condition; probably because he does not know anything about it。

There are certain closely…related mental and physical situations which lead to quite a different view。 Those who are suffering physically; those who have deeply wounded feelings; and those who have been reduced by worry; are examined in the same way as normal people; yet they need to be measured by quite a different standard。 Again; we are sometimes likely to suppose great passions that have long since passed their period; to be as influential as they were in their prime。 We know that love and hate disappear in the distance; and that love long dead and a long…deferred hatred tend to express themselves as a feeling of mildness and forgiveness which is pretty much the same in spite of its diverse sources。 If the examiner knows that a great passion; whether of hate or of love; exists; he thinks he is fooled when he finds a full; calm and objective judgment instead of it。 It seems impossible to him; and he either does not believe the probably accurate witness; or colors his testimony with that knowledge。


'1' T。 Lipps: Die Grundtatsachen des Seelenlebens。 Bonn 1883

'2' R。 H。 Lotze: Medizinische Psychologie。 Leipzig 1882。



Bodily conditions are still more remarkable in effecting differences in point of view。 Here no sense…illusion is presented since no change occurs in sense…perception; the changes are such that arise after the perception; during the process of judgment and interpretation。 We might like an idea when lying down that displeases us when we stand up。 Examination shows that this attitude varies with the difference in the quantity of blood in the brain in these two positions; and this fact may explain a whole series of phenomena。 First of all; it is related to plan…making and the execution of plans。 Everybody knows how; while lying in bed; a great many plans occur that seem good。 The moment you get up; new considerations arise; and the half…adopted plan is progressively abandoned。 Now this does not mean anything so long as nothing was undertaken in the first situation which might be binding for the resolution then made。 For example; when two; lying in bed; have made a definite plan; each is later ashamed before the other to withdraw from it。 So we often hear from criminals that they were sorry about certain plans; but since they were once resolved upon; they were carried out。 Numbers of such phenomena; many of them quite unbelievable in 

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