criminal psychology-第150章
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ould wonder if fetish and doll of themselves showed signs of vitalitybut whether they really take them to be alive is unknown to the adult。 And if we can not sympathetically apprehend the views and imaginings of our own youth； how much less possible is it so to apprehend those of other people。 We have to add to this fact； moreover； the characteristic circumstance that less powerful effects must be taken into consideration。 The power of imagination is much more stimulated by mild； peaceful impressions than by vigorous ones。 The latter stun and disquiet the soul； while the former lead it to self…possession。 The play of ideas is much more excited by mild tobacco smoke； than by the fiery column of smoking Vesuvius； the murmur of the brook is much more stimulating than the roar of the stormy sea。 If the converse were true it would be far easier to observe the effects in others。 We see that a great impression is at work； our attention is called to its presence； and we are then easily in the position of observing its effect in others。 But the small； insignificant phenomena we observe the less； the less obvious their influence upon the imagination of others appears to be。 Such small impressions pass hundreds of times without effect。 For once； however； they find a congenial soul； their proper soil； and they begin to ferment。 But how and when are we to observe this in others？
We rarely can tell whether a man's imagination is at work or not。 Nevertheless； there are innumerable stories of what famous men did when their imagination was at work。 Napoleon had to cut things to pieces。 Lenau used to scrape holes in the ground。 Mozart used to knot and tear table…cloth and napkins。 Others used to run around； still others used to smoke； drink； whistle； etc。 But not all people have these characteristics； and then we who are to judge the influence of the imagination on a witness or a criminal are certainly not present when the imagination is at work。 To get some notion of the matter through witnesses is altogether too unsafe a task。 Bain once justly proposed keeping the extremities quiet as a means of conquering anger。 Thus it may be definitely discovered whether a man was quite angry at a given instant by finding out whether his hands and feet were quiet at the time； but such indices are not given for the activity of imagination。
Moreover； most people in whom the imagination is quite vigorously at work know nothing about it。 Du Bois…Reymond says somewhere； ‘‘I've had a few good ideas in my life； and have observed myself when I had them。 They came altogether involuntarily； without my ever having thought of them。'' This I do not believe。 His imagination； which was so creative； worked so easily and without effort that he was not aware of its activity； and moreover； his fundamental ideas were so clear that everything fell into lines spontaneously without his being conscious of it later。 This ‘‘working'' of the imagination is so effortless to fortunate natures that it becomes an ordinary movement。 Thus Goethe tells of an imaginary flower which broke into its elements； united again； broke again； and united in another form； etc。 His story reveals one of the reasons for the false descriptions of perception。 The perception is correct when made； then the imagination causes movements of ideas and the question follows which of the two was more vigorous； the perceptive or the imaginal activity？ If the one was intenser； memory was correct； if the other； the recollection was erroneous。 It is hence important； from the point of view of the lawyer； to study the nature and intensity of witnesses' imagination。＇1＇ We need only to observe the influence of imaginal movements on powerful minds in order to see clearly what influence even their weak reflection may have on ordinary people。 Schopenhauer finds the chief pleasure of every work of art in imagination； and Goethe finds that no man experiences or enjoys anything without becoming productive。
Most instructive is the compilation of imaginative ideas given by Hfler＇2＇ and put together from the experiences of scholars； investigators； artists； and other important persons。 For our purposes it would be better to have a number of reliable statements from other people which would show how normal individuals were led astray by their imaginations。 We might then learn approximately what imaginative notions might do； and how far their limits extend。 Sully calls attention to the fact that Dickens's characters were real to him and that when the novel was completed； its dramatic person became personal memories。 Perhaps all imaginative people are likely to take their imaginings as actual remembered events and persons。 If this happens to a witness； what trouble he may cause us！
A physician； Dr。 Hadekamp； said that he used to see the flow of blood before he cut the vein open。 Another physician； Dr。 Schmeisser； confirms this experience。 Such cases are controlled physically； the flow of blood can not be seen before the knife is removed。 Yet how often； at least chronologically； do similar mistakes occur when no such control is present？ There is the story of a woman who could describe so accurately symptoms which resulted from a swallowed needle； that the physicians were deceived and undertook
＇1＇ Cf。 Witasek： Zeitschrift f。 Psychologie。 Vol。 XII。 ‘‘ber Willkrliche Vorstellungsverbindung。''
＇2＇ Psychologie。 Wien u。 Prag。 1897。
operations which only served to show that the woman had merely imagined it all。 A similar case is that of a man who believed himself to have swallowed his false teeth。 He even had serious feelings of choking which immediately disappeared on the discovery of the teeth under his night…table。 A prominent oculist told me that he had once treated for some time a famous scholar because the latter so accurately described a weakening of the retina that the physician； in spite of his objective discoveries； was deceived and learned his mistake only when it appeared that the great scholar fortunately had been made game of by his own imagination。 Maudsley tells how Baron von Swieten once saw burst a rotten corpse of a dog； and； for years after； saw the same thing whenever he came to the same place。 Many people； Goethe； Newton； Shelley； William Black； and others； were able completely to visualize past images。 Fechner tells of a man who claimed voluntarily to excite anywhere on his skin the feeling of pressure； heat； and cold； but not of cut； prick or bruise； because such imaginations tended to endure a long time。 There is the story of another man who had a three days' pain in his finger because he had seen his child crush an analogous finger。
Abercrombie tells of an otherwise very excitable person who believed in the reality of the luck that a fortune…teller had predicted for him； and some authorities hold that practically everybody who eagerly awaits a friend hears his step in every sound。 Hoppe's observation that pruritus vulv excites in imaginative women the illusion of being raped is of considerable importance； and we criminalists must watch for it in certain cases。 Lieber tells of a colored preacher who so vividly painted the tortures in hell that he himself could merely cry and grunt for minutes at a time。 Mller cites a lady who was permitted to smell from an empty bottle and who regularly lost consciousness when she was told that the bottle contained laughing gas。 Women often assert that when about to change their homes they often see the new residence in dreams just as it really appears later on。 Then there is a story of a man blind for fourteen years who nevertheless saw the faces of acquaintances and was so troubled thereby that the famous Graefe severed his optic nerve and so released him from his imagination。
Taine describes the splendid scene in which Balzac once told Mad。 de Girardin that he intended to give Sandeau a horse。 He did not do so； but talked so much about it that he used to ask Sandeau how the horse was。 Taine comments that it is clear that the starting point of such an illusion is a voluntary fiction。 The person in question knows it as such in the beginning but forgets it at the end。 Such false memories are numerous among bar
