the foundations of personality-第1节

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The　Foundations　of　Personality
by　Abraham　Myerson


CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
I。　THE　ORGANIC　BASIS　OF　CHARACTER
II。　THE　ENVIRONMENTAL　BASIS　OF　CHARACTER
III。　MEMORY　AND　HABIT
IV。　STIMULATION；　INHIBITION；　ORGANIZING　ENERGY；　CHOICE
　　　　　AND　CONSCIOUSNESS
V。　HYSTERIA；　SUBCONSCIOUSNESS　AND　FREUDIANISM
VI。　EMOTION；　INSTINCT；　INTELLIGENCE　AND　WILL
VII。　EXCITEMENT；　MONOTONY　AND　INTEREST
VIII。　THE　SENTIMENTS　OF　LOVE；　FRIENDSHIP；　HATE；　PITY
　　　　　AND　DUTY；　COMPENSATION　AND　ESCAPE
IX。　ENERGY　RELEASE　AND　THE　EMOTIONS
X。　COURAGE；　RESIGNATION；　SUBLIMATION；　PATIENCE；　THE
　　　　　WISH　AND　ANHEDONIA
XI。　THE　EVOLUTION　OF　CHARACTER　WITH　ESPECIAL　REFERENCE
　　　　　TO　THE　GROWTH　OF　PURPOSE　AND　PERSONALITY
XII。　THE　METHODS　OF　PURPOSE…WORK　CHARACTERS
XIII。　THE　QUALITIES　OF　THE　LEADER　AND　THE　FOLLOWER
XIV。　SEX　CHARACTERS　AND　DOMESTICITY
XV。　PLAY；　RECREATION；　HUMOR　AND　PLEASURE　SEEKING
XVI。　RELIGIOUS　CHARACTERS。　DISHARMONY　IN　CHARACTER
XVII。　SOME　CHARACTER　TYPES


THE　FOUNDATIONS　OF　PERSONALITY
INTRODUCTION　Man's　interest　in　character　is　founded　on　an　intensely　practical　need。　In　whatsoever　relationship　we　deal　with　our　fellows；　we　base　our　intercourse　largely　on　our　understanding　of　their　characters。　The　trader　asks　concerning　his　customer；　〃Is　he　honest？〃　and　the　teacher　asks　about　the　pupil；　〃Is　he　earnest？〃　The　friend　bases　his　friendship　on　his　good　opinion　of　his　friend；　the　foe　seeks　to　know　the　weak　points　in　the　hated　one's　make…up；　and　the　maiden　yearning　for　her　lover　whispers　to；　herself；　〃Is　he　true？〃　Upon　our　success　in　reading　the　character　of　others；　upon　our　understanding　of　ourselves　hangs　a　good　deal　of　our　life's　success　or　failure。　Because　the　feelings　are　in　part　mirrored　on　the　face　and　body；　the　experience　of　mankind　has　become　crystallized　in　beliefs；　opinions　and　systems　of　character　reading　which　are　based　on　physiognomy；　shape　of　head；　lines　of　hand；　gait　and　even　the　method　of　dress　and　the　handwriting。　Some　of　these　all　men　believe　in；　at　least　in　part。　For　example；　every　one　judges　character　to　a　certain　extent　by　facial　expression；　manner；　carriage　and　dress。　A　few　of　the　methods　used　have　become　organized　into　specialties；　such　as　the　study　of　the　head　or　phrenology；　and　the　study　of　the　hand　or　palmistry。　All　of　these　systems　are　really　〃materialistic〃　in　that　they　postulate　so　close　a　union　of　mind　and　body　as　to　make　them　inseparable。　But　there　are　grave　difficulties　in　the　way　of　character…judging　by　these　methods。　Take；　for　example；　the　study　of　the　physiognomy　as　a　means　to　character　understanding。　All　the　physiognomists；　as　well　as　the　average　man；　look　upon　the　high；　wide　brow　as　related　to　great　intelligence。　And　so　it　issometimes。　But　it　is　also　found　in　connection　with　disease　of　the　brain；　as　in　hydrocephalus；　and　in　old　cases　of　rickets。　You　may　step　into　hospitals　for　the　feeble…minded　or　for　the　insane　and　find　here　and　there　a　high；　noble　brow。　Conversely　you　may　attend　a　scientific　convention　and　find　that　the　finest　paper　of　the　meeting　will　be　read　not　by　some　Olympian…browed　member；　but　by　a　man　with　a　low；　receding　forehead；　who　nevertheless　possesses　a　high…grade　intellect。　So　for　centuries　men　have　recognized　in　the　large　aquiline　nose　a　sign　of　power　and　ability。　Napoleon's　famous　dictum　that　no　man　with　this　type　of　proboscis　is　a　fool　has　been　accepted　by　many；　most　of　whom；　like　Napoleon　probably；　have　large　aquiline　noses。　The　number　of　failures　with　this　facial　peculiarity　has　never　been　studied；　nor　has　any　one　remarked　that　many　a　highly　successful　man　has　a　snub　nose。　And　in　fact　the　only　kind　of　a　nose　that　has　a　real　character　value　is　the　one　presenting　no　obstruction　to　breathing。　The　assigned　value　given　to　a　〃pretty〃　nose　has　no　relation　to　character；　except　as　its　owner　is　vain　because　of　it。　One　might　go　on　indefinitely　discussing　the　various　features　of　the　face　and　discovering　that　only　a　vague　relationship　to　character　existed。　The　thick；　moist　lower　lip　is　the　sensual　lip；　say　the　physiognomists；　but　there　are　saints　with　sensual　lips　and　chaste　thoughts。　Squinty　eyes　may　indicate　a　shifty　character；　but　more　often　they　indicate　conjunctivitis　or　some　defect　of　the　optical　apparatus。　A　square　jaw　indicates　determination　and　courage；　but　a　study　of　the　faces　of　men　who　won　medals　in　war　for　heroism　does　not　reveal　a　preponderance　of　square　jaws。　In　fact；　man　is　a　mosaic　of　characters；　and　a　fine　nature　in　one　direction　may　be　injured　by　a　defect　in　another；　even　if　one　part　of　the　face　really　did　mean　something　definite；　no　one　could　figure　out　its　character　value　because　of　the　influence　of　other　featurescontradictory；　inconsistent；　supplementary。　Just　as　the　wisest　man　of　his　day　took　bribes　as　Lord　Chancellor；　so　the　finest　face　may　be　invalidated　by　some　disharmony；　and　a　fatal　weakness　may　disintegrate　a　splendid　character。　Moreover；　no　one　really　studies　faces　disinterestedly；　impartially；　without　prejudice。　We　like　or　dislike　too　readily；　we　are　blinded　by　the　race；　sex　and　age　of　the　one　studied；　and；　most　fatal　of　all；　we　judge　by　standards　of　beauty　that　are　totally　misleading。　The　sweetest　face　may　hide　the　most　arrant　egoist；　for　facial　beauty　has　very　little　to　do　with　the　nature　behind　the　face。　In　fact；　facial　make…up　is　more　influenced　by　diet；　disease　and　racial　tendency　than　by　character。　It　would　be　idle　to　take　up　in　any　detail　the　claims　of　phrenologist　and　palmist。　The　former　had　a　very　respectable　start　in　the　work　of　Broca　and　Gall＇1＇　in　that　the　localization　of　function　in　the　various　parts　of　the　brain　made　at　least　partly　logical　the　belief　that　the　conformation　of　the　head　also　indicated　functions　of　character。　But　there　are　two　fatal　flaws　in　the　system　of　phrenological　claims。　First；　even　if　there　were　an　exact　cerebral　localization　of　powers；　which　there　is　not；　it　would　by　no　means　follow　that　the　shape　of　the　head　outlined　the　brain。　In　fact；　it　does　not；　for　the　long…headed　are　not　long…brained；　nor　are　the　short…headed　short…brained。　Second；　the　size　and　disposal　of　the　sinuses；　the　state　of　nutrition　in　childhood　have　far　more　to　do　with　the　〃bumps〃　of　the　head　than　brain　or　character。　The　bump　of　philoprogenitiveness　has　in　my　experience　more　often　been　the　result　of　rickets　than　a　sign　of　parental　love。　＇1＇　It　is　to　be　remembered　that　phrenology　had　a　good　standing　at　one　time；　though　it　has　since　lapsed　into　quackdom。　This　is　the　history　of　many　a　〃short　cut〃　into　knowledge。　Thus　the　wisest　men　of　past　centuries　believed　in　astrology。　Paracelsus；　who　gave　to　the　world　the　use　of　Hg　in　therapeutics；　relied　in　large　part　for　his　diagnosis　and　cures　upon　alchemy　and　astrology。

Without　meaning　to　pun；　we　may　dismiss　the　claims　of　palmistry　offhand。　Normally　the　lines　of　the　hand　do　not　change　from　birth　to　death；　but　character　does　change。　The　hand；　its　shape　and　its　texture　are　markedly　influenced　by　illness；＇1＇　toil　and　care。　And　gait；　carriage；　clothes　and　the　dozen　and　one　details　by　which　we　judge　our　fellows　indicate　health；　strength；　training　and　culture；　all　of　which　are　components　of　character；　or　rather　are　characters　of　importance　but　give　no　clue　to　the　deeper…lying　traits。　＇1＇　Notably　is　the　shape　of　the　hand　changed　by　chronic　heart　and　lung　disease　and　by　arthritis。　But　the　influence　of　the　endocrinal　secretions　is　very　great。

As　a　matter　of　fact；　judgment　of　character　will　never　be　attained　through　the　study　of　face；　form　or　hand。　As　language　is　a　means　not　only　of　expressing　truth　but　of　disguising　it；　so　these　surface　phenomena　are　as　often　masks　as　guides。　Any　sober…minded　student　of　life；　intent　on　knowing　himself　or　his　fellows；　will　seek　no　royal　road　to　this　knowledge；　but　will　endeavor　to　understand　the　fundamental　forces　of　character；　will　strive　to　trace　the　threads　of　conduct　back　to　their　origins　in　motive；　intelligence；　instinct　and　emotion。　We　have　emphasized　the　practical　value　of　some　sort　of　character　analysis　in　dealing　with　others。　But　to　know　himself　has　a　hugely　practical　value　to　every　man；　since　upon　that　knowledge　depends　self…correction。　For　〃man　is　the　only　animal　that　deliberately　undertakes　while　reshaping　his　outer　world　to　reshape　himself　also。〃＇1＇　Moreover；　man　is　the　only　seeker　of　perfection；　he　is　a　deep；　intense　critic　of　himself。　To　reach　nobility　of　character　is　not　a　practical　aim；　but　is　held　to　be　an　end　sufficient　in　itself。　So　man　constantly　probes　into　himself〃Are　my　purposes　good；　is　my　will　stronghow　can　I　strengthen　my　control；　how　make　righteous　my　instincts　and　emotions？〃　It　is　true　that　there　is　a　worshipand　always　has　beenof　efficiency　and　success　as　against　character；　that　man　has　tended　to　ask　more　often；　〃What　has　he　done？〃　or；　〃What　has　he　got？〃　rather　than；　〃What　is　he？〃　and　that　therefore　man　in　his　self…analysis　has　often　asked；　〃How　shall　I　get？〃　or；　〃How　shall　I　do？〃　In　the　largest　sense　these　questions　are　also　questions　of　character；　for　even　if　we　discard　as　inadequate　the　psychology　which　considers　behavior　alone　as　important；　conduct　is　the　fruit　of　character；　without　which　it　is　sterile。　＇1＇　Hocking。

This　book　does　not　aim　at　any　short　cuts　by　which　man　may　know　himself　or　his　neighbor。　It　seeks　to　analyze　the　fundamentals　of　personality；　avoidin