the foundations of personality-第14节

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to　special　habits：　alcohol；　tobacco；　drugs；　sex　perversions。　5。　Relating　to　study　and　advancement：　love　of　books；　attendance　at　lectures。　Especially　in　the　study　of　children　is　some　such　scheme　essential；　for　then　one　gets　a　definite　idea　of　their　defects　and　takes　definite　efforts　to　make　habitual　the　desired　practice；　or　else　one　sees　the　special　trend；　and；　if　it　is　good；　fosters　it。　This；　of　course；　is　the　long　and　short　of　character　development。

CHAPTER　IV。　STIMULATION；　INHIBITION；　ORGANIZING　ENERGY；　CHOICE　AND　CONSCIOUSNESS　There　are　three　fundamental　factors　in　the　relation　of　any　organism　to　the　environment　and　in　the　relation　of　the　various　parts　of　an　organism　to　each　other　which　we　must　now　consider。　To　consider　a　living　thing　of　any　kind　as　something　separate　from　the　stimuli　the　world　streams　in　on　it；　or　to　consider　it　as　a　real　unit；　is　a　mistake　that　falsifies　most　of　the　thinking　of　the　world。　On　us；　as　living　things；　the　universe　pours　in　stimuli　of　a　few　kinds。　Or　rather　there　are　few　kinds　of　stimuli　we　are　specialized　to　receive　and　react　to；　there　may　be　innumerable　other　kinds　to　which　we　cannot　react　because　they　do　not　reach　us。　The　world　for　us　is　a　collection　of　things　that　we　see；　hear；　smell；　taste　and　feel；　but　there　may　be　vast　reaches　of　things　for　which　we　have　no　avenues　of　approach；completely　unimaginable　things　because　our　images　are　built　upon　our　senses。　To　some　of　the　stimuli　the　world　pours　in　on　us　we　must　react　properly　or　die。　Certain　〃mechanisms〃　with　which　we　are　equipped　must　respond　to　these　stimuli　or　the　forces　of　the　world　destroy　us。　A　lion　on　the　horizon　must　awaken　flight；　or　concealment；　or　the　modified　fight　reaction　of　using　weapons；　extreme　cold　or　heat　must　start　up　impulses　and　reflexes　leading　away　from　their　disintegrating　effects。　Food　must；　when　smelled　or　seen；　lead　us　to　conduct　whereby　we　supply　ourselves　or　we　die　from　hunger。　Dangers　and　needs　awaken　reactions；　both　through　instinctive　responses　and　through　intelligence。　The　main　activities　of　life　are　to　be　classed　as　〃averting〃　and　〃acquiring；〃　for　if　life　showers　us　with　the　things　we　would　or　need　to　have；　it　also　pelts　us　with　the　things　we　fear；　hate　or　despise。　It　would　be　interesting　to　know　which　activities　are　the　most　numerous；　presumably　the　lucky　or　successful　man　is　busy　acquiring　while　the　unlucky　or　unsuccessful　finds　himself　busiest　averting。　The　averting　activities　are　directed　largely　against　the　disagreeable；　disgusting；　dangerous　and　the　undesired；　the　acquiring　activities　are　directed　toward　the　pleasant；　the　necessary；　the　desired。　The　problems　of　life　are　to　know　what　is　really　good　or　bad　for　us　and　how　to　acquire　the　one　and　avert　the　other。　While　there　are　certain　things　that　〃naturally〃＇1＇　are　deemed　good　or　bad；　there　are　more　that　are　so　regarded　through　training　and　education。　Morality　and　Taste　are　alike　concerned　with　bringing　about　attitudes　that　will　determine　the　〃right〃　response　to　the　stimuli　of　the　world。　＇1＇　I　place　in　quotations　NATURALLY　because　it　is　difficult　to　know　what　is　〃natural〃　and　what　is　cultural。　In　the　widest　sense　everything　is　natural；　in　the　narrowest　very　few　things　are　natural。　Cooked　food；　clothing；　houses；　marriages；　education；　etc。；　are　not　found　in　a　state　of　nature；　any　more　than　clocks　and　plays　by　Ibsen　are。　Our　judgment　as　to　what　is　good　and　bad　is　mainly　instinctive　leaning　directed　or　smothered　by　education。

The　stimuli　that　thus　pour　in　upon　the　individual；　and　to　which　he　must　react；　must　find　an　organism　ready　to　respond　in　some　way　or　other。　A　sleeping　man　naturally　does　not　adjust　himself　to　danger；　nor　does　a　paralyzed　man　fly。　The　most　attractive　female　in　the　world　causes　no　response　in　the　very　young　male　child　and　perhaps　stirs　only　reminiscences　in　the　aged。　Food；　which　causes　the　saliva　to　flow　in　the　mouth　of　the　hungry；　may　disgust　the　full。　Throughout　life　there　are　factors　in　the　internal　life　of　the　organism　instantly　changing　one's　reaction　to　things　of　physical；　mental　and　moral　significance。　He　talks　loudest　of　restraint　and　control　who　has　no　desire；　and　in　satiation　even　the　sinner　sees　the　beauty　of　asceticism。　There　must　be　a　coincidence　of　stimulus；　readiness　and　opportunity　for　the　full；　successful　response　to　take　place。＇1＇　＇1＇　A　slang　epigram　puts　it　better：　The　time；　the　place；　and　the　girl。

The　simplest　response　to　any　stimulus　from　the　outer　world　is　the　reflex　act。　Theoretically　a　reflex　act　is　dependent　upon　the　interaction　of　a　sensory　surface；　a　sensory　nerve　cell；　a　motor　nerve　cell　and　a　muscle；　i。　e。；　a　receptive　apparatus　and　a　motor　apparatus　in　such　close　union　that　the　will　and　intelligence　play　no　part。　Thus　if　one　puts　his　finger　on　a　hot　stove　he　withdraws　it　immediately；　and　such　responses　are　present　even　in　the　decapitated　frog　and　human　for　a　short　time。　So　if　light　streams　in　on　the　wide…open　pupil　of　the　eye；　it　contracts；　grows　smaller；　without　any　effort　of　the　will；　and　in　fact　entirely　without　the　consciousness　of　the　individual。　Swallowing　is　a　series　of　reflexes　in　a　row；　so　that　food　in　the　back　part　of　the　mouth　sets　a　reflex　going　that　carries　it　beyond　the　epiglottis；　another　reflex　carries　it　to　the　esophagus　and　then　one　reflex　after　the　other　transports　the　food　the　rest　of　the　way。　Except　for　the　first　effort　of　swallowing；　the　rest　is　entirely　involuntary　and　even　unconscious。　Those　readers　who　are　interested　would　do　well　to　read　the　work　of　Pavlow　on　the　conditioned　reflex；　in　which　the　great　Russian　physiologist　builds　up　all　action　on　a　basis　of　a　modification　of　the　primitive　reflex　which　he　calls　the　〃conditioned　reflex。〃＇1＇　＇1＇　Pavlow　is　one　of　the　scientists　who　regard　all　mental　life　as　built　up　out　of　reflexes。　The　immediate　reflex　is　only　one　variety；　thought；　emotion；　etc。；　are　merely　reflexes　placed　end　to　end。　Pavlow　divides　action　into　two　trends；　one　due　to　an　unconditioned　reflex；　of　innate　structure；　and　the　other　a　modified　or　conditioned　reflex　which　arises　because　some　stimulus　has　become　associated　with　the　reflex　act。　Thus　saliva　dripping　from　a　dog's　mouth　at　the　smell　of　food　is　an　unconditioned　reflex；　if　a　bell　is　heard　at　the　same　time　the　food　is　smelled　then　in　the　course　of　time　the　saliva　flows　at　the　sound　of　the　bell　alone；a　conditioned　reflex。　A　very　complex　system　has　been　built　up　of　this　kind　of　facts；　which　I　have　criticized　elsewhere。

The　simple　reflex；　immediate　response　to　a　stimulus；　has　only　a　limited　field　in　human　life　or　adult　life。　Sherrington　points　out　in　his　notable　book；　〃The　Integrative　Action　of　the　Nervous　System；〃　that　there　is　a　play　of　the　entire　organism　on　each　responding　element；　and　there　is　also　a　competition　throughout　each　pathway　to　action。　Let　us　examine　this　a　little　closer。　A　man　is　hungry；　let　us　say；　i。　e。；　there　arise　from　his　gastro…intestinal　tract　and　from　the　tissues　stimuli　which　arouse　motor　mechanisms　to　action　and　the　man　seeks　food。　The　need　of　the　body　arouses　desire　in　the　form　of　an　organic　sensation　and　this　arouses　mechanisms　whose　function　is　to　satisfy　that　desire。　Let　us　assume　that　he　finds　something　that　looks　good　and　he　is　about　to　seize　it　when　an　odor；　called　disagreeable；　assails　his　nostrils　from　the　food；　which　stops　him。　Then　there　arises　a　competition　for　action　between　the　desire　for　food　and　the　visual　stimulus；　associated　memories；　etc。；　on　the　one　hand；　and　the　odor；　the　awakened　fear；　memories；　disgust；　etc。；　on　the　other　hand。　This　struggle　for　action；　for　use　of　the　mechanisms　of　action；　is　the　struggling　of　choosing；　one　of　the　fundamental　phenomena　of　life。　In　order　for　a　choice　to　become　manifest；　what　is　known　as　inhibition　must　come　into　play；　an　impulse　to　action　must　be　checked　in　order　that　an　opposing　action　can　be　effective。　The　movement　of　rejection　uses　muscles　that　oppose　the　movement　of　acquirement；　e。　g。；　one　uses　the　triceps　and　the　other　the　biceps；　muscles　situated　in　opposite　sides　of　the　upper　arm　and　having　antagonistic　action。　In　order　for　triceps　to　act；　biceps　must　be　inhibited　from　action；　and　in　that　inhibition　is　a　fundamental　function　of　the　organism。　In　every　function　of　the　body　there　are　opposing　groups　of　forces；　for　every　dilator　there　is　a　contractor；　for　every　accelerator　of　action　there　is　inhibition。　Nature　drives　by　two　reins；　and　one　is　a　checkrein。　This　function　of　inhibition；　then；　delays；　retards　or　prevents　an　action　and　is　in　one　sense　a　higher　function　than　the　response　to　stimulation。　Its　main　seat　is　the　cerebrum；　the　〃highest〃　nervous　tissue；　whereas　reflex　and　instinctive　actions　usually　are　in　the　vegetative　nervous　system；　the　spinal　cord；　the　bulbar　regions　and　the　mid…brain；　all　of　which　are　lower　centers。　Choice；　which　is　intimately　associated　with　inhibition；　is　par　excellence　a　cerebral　function　and　in　general　is　associated　with　intense　consciousness。　The　act　of　choosing　brings　to　the　circumstances　the　whole　past　history　of　the　individual；　it　marshals　his　resources　of　judgment；　intelligence；　will；　purposes　and　desires。　In　choice　lies　the　fate　of　the　personality；　for　it　is　basically　related　to　habit　formation。　Further；　in　the　dynamics　of　life　a　right；　proper　choice；　an　appropriate　choice；　opens　wide　the　door　of　oppor