the foundations of personality-第41节

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　on　actual　physical　trouble；　and　the　rest　relates　to　temperament。　When　a　great　purpose　or　desire　has　been　built　up；　has　drained　all　the　enthusiasm　of　the　individual　and　then　suddenly　becomes　blocked；　as　in　a　love　affair；　or　when　a　business　is　threatened　or　crashes　or　when　beauty　starts　to　leave；then　one　sees　the　syndrome　of　anhedonia　in　essential　purity。　A　great　fear；　or　an　obsessive　moral　struggle　（as　when　one　fights　hopelessly　against　temptation）；　has　the　same　effect。　The　enthusiasm　of　purpose　and　the　eagerness　of　appetite　go　at　once；　in　certain　delicate　people；　when　pride　is　seriously　injured　or　when　a　once　established　superiority　is　crumbled。　The　humiliated　man　is　anhedonic；　even　if　he　is　a　philosopher。　The　most　striking　cases　are　seen　in　men　who　have　been　swung　from　humdrum　existence　to　the　exciting；　disagreeable　life　of　war　and　then　back　to　their　former　life。　The　former　task　cannot　be　taken　up　or　is　carried　on　with　great　effort；　the　zest　of　things　has　disappeared；　and　what　was　so　longed　for　while　in　the　service　seems　flat　and　stale；　especially　if　it　is　now　realized　that　there　are　far　more　interesting　fields　of　effort。　In　a　lesser　degree；　the　romances　that　girls　feed　on　unfit　them　for　sober　realities；　and　the　expectation　of　marriage　built　up　by　romantic　novel　and　theater　do　far　more　harm　than　good。　The　triangle　play　or　story　is　less　mischievous　than　the　one　which　paints　married　life　as　an　amorous　glow。　One　could　write　a　volume　on　eagerness；　enthusiasm　and　passion；　satisfaction　and　dissatisfaction。　Life；　to　be　worth　the　living；　must　have　its　enthusiasms；　must　swing　constantly　from　desire　to　satisfaction；　or　else　seems　void　and　painful。　Great　purposes　are　the　surest　to　maintain　enthusiasm；　little　purposes　become　flat。　He　who　hitches　his　wagon　to　a　star　must　risk　indeed；　but　there　is　a　thrill　to　his　life　outweighing　the　joy　of　minor　success。　To　reenthuse　the　apathetic　is　an　individual　problem。　When　the　lowered　pressure　of　the　energy　feeling　is　physical　in　origin；　then　rest　and　exercise；　massage　hydrotherapy；　medicines　（especially　the　bitter　tonics）；　change　of　scene　are　valuable。　And　even　where　the　cause　is　not　in　illness；　these　procedures　have　great　value　for　in　stimulating　the　organism　the　function　of　enthusiasm　is　recharged。　But　one　does　not　neglect　the　value　of　new　hopes；　new　interests；　friendship；　physical　pleasure　and　above　all　a　new　philosophy；　a　philosophy　based　on　readjustment　and　the　nobility　of　struggle。　Not　all　people　can　thus　be　reached；　for　in　some；　perhaps　many　cases；　the　loss　of　these　desires　is　the　beginning　of　mental　disease；　but　patient　effort　and　intelligent　sympathetic　understanding　still　work　their　miracles。

CHAPTER　XI。　THE　EVOLUTION　OF　CHARACTER　WITH　ESPECIAL　REFERENCE　TO　THE　GROWTH　OF　PURPOSE　AND　PERSONALITY　There　have　been　various　philosophies　dealing　with　the　purposes　of　man。　Man　seeks　this　or　thatthe　eternal　good；　beauty；　happiness；　pleasure；　survivalbut　always　he　is　represented　as　a　seeker。　A　very　popular　doctrine；　Hedonism；　now　somewhat　in　disfavor；　represents　him　as　seeking　pleasurable；　affective　states。　The　difficulty　of　understanding　the　essential　nature　of　pleasure　and　pain；　the　fact　that　what　is　pleasure　to　one　man　is　pain　to　another；　rather　discredited　this　as　a　psychological　explanation。　I　think　we　may　phrase　the　situation　fairly　on　an　empirical　basis　when　we　say　that　seeking　arises　in　instinct　but　receives　its　impulse　to　continuity　by　some　agreeable　affective　state　of　satisfaction。　Man　steers　towards　pleasure　and　satisfaction　of　some　type　or　other；　but　the　force　is　the　unbalance　of　an　instinct。　When　we　speak　of　man　as　a　seeker；　we　are　not　separating　him　from　the　rest　of　living　things。　All　life　seeks；　and　the　more　mobile　a　living　thing　is　the　more　it　seeks。　A　sessile　mussel　chained　to　a　rock　seeks　little　but　the　fundamentals　of　nutrition　and　generation　and　these　in　a　simple　way。　An　animal　that　builds　habitations　for　its　young；　courts　its　mate；　plays；　teaches　and　fights；　may　do　nothing　more　than　seek　nutrition　and　generation；　but　it　seeks　these　through　many　intermediary　〃end〃　points；　through　many　impulses；　and　thus　it　has　many　types　of　satisfaction。　When　a　creature　develops　to　the　point　that　it　establishes　all　kinds　of　rules　governing　conduct；　when　it　establishes　sanctions　that　are　eternal　and　has　purposes　that　have　a　terminus　in　a　hereafter　which　is　out　of　the　span　of　life　of　the　planner；　it　becomes　quite　difficult　to　say　just　what　it　is　man　seeks。　In　fact；　every　man　seeks　many　things；　many　satisfactions；　and　whatever　it　may　be　that　Man　in　the　abstract　seeks；　individual　men　differ　very　decidedly　not　only　as　to　what　they　seek　but　as　to　what　should　be　sought。　Our　viscera；　our　tissues；　as　they　function；　change　by　the　using　up　of　energy　and　the　breaking　down　of　materials。　That　change　brings　about　sensory　disturbances　in　our　body　which　are　not　unpleasant　in　moderation；　which　we　call　hunger；　thirst　and　fatigue。　To　relieve　these　three　primitive　states　we　seek　food；　drink　and　rest；　we　DESIRE　food；　drink　and　rest。　Desire　then　is　primitive；　organic；　arising　mainly　in　the　vegetative　nervous　system；　and　it　awakens　mechanisms　that　bring　us　food；　drink　and　rest。　A　feeling　which　we　call　satisfaction　results　when　the　changes　in　the　viscera　and　tissues　are　readjusted　or　on　the　way　to　readjustment。　Here　is　the　simplest　paradigm　for　desire　seeking　satisfaction；　but　it　is　on　a　plane　rarely　found　in　man；　because　his　life　is　too　complicated　for　such　formulae　to　work。　Food　must　be　bought　or　produced；　and　this　involves　cooperation；　competition；　self…denial；　thrift；　science；　finance；　invention。　It　involves　ethics；　because　though　you　are　hungry　you　must　not　steal　food　or　give　improper　value　for　it。　Moreover；　though　you　are　hungry；　you　have　developed　tastes；　manners；　etc。；　and　you　cannot；　must　not　eat　this　or　that　（through　religion）；　you　mast　eat　with　certain　implements）；　and　would　rather　die　than　violate　the　established　standards　in　such　matters。＇1＇　Thus　to　the　simple　act　of　eating；　to　the　satisfaction　of　a　primitive　desire　set　up　by　a　primitive　need；　there　are　any　number　of　obstacles　set　up　by　the　complexities　of　our　social　existence。　The　sanction　of　these　obstacles；　their　power　to　influence　us；　rests　in　other　desires　and　purposes　arising　out　of　other　〃needs〃　of　our　nature。　What　are　those　needs？　They　are　inherent　in　what　has　been　called　the　social　instincts；　in　that　side　of　our　nature　which　makes　us　yearn　for　approval　and　swings　us　into　conformity　with　a　group。　The　group　organizes　the　activities　of　its　individuals　just　as　an　individual　organizes　his　activities。　The　evolutionists　explain　this　group　feeling　as　part　of　the　equipment　necessary　for　survival。　Perhaps　this　is　an　adequate　account　of　the　situation；　but　the　strength　of　the　social　instincts　almost　lead　one　to　a　more　mystical　explanation；　a　sort　of　acceptance　of　the　group　as　the　unit　and　the　individual　as　an　incomplete　fragment。　＇1＇　The　Sepoy　Rebellion　had　its　roots　in　a　food　taboo；　and　Mussulman；　Hebrew　and　Roman　Catholic　place　a　religious　value　on　diet。　Most　of　the　complexities　of　existence　are　of　our　own　creation。

What　is　true　of　hunger　is　true　of　thirst　and　fatigue。　Desires　in　these　directions　have　to　accommodate　themselves；　in　greater　or　lesser　degrees；　to　the　complexities　in　which　our　social　nature　and　customs　have　involved　us。　It　is　true　that　desires　upon　which　the　actual　survival　of　the　individual　depend　will　finally　break　through　taboo　and　restriction　if　completely　balked。　That　is；　very　few　people　will　actually　starve　to　death；　die　of　thirst　or　keep　awake　indefinitely；　despite　any　convention　or　taboo。　Nevertheless　there　are　people　who　will　resist　these　fundamental　desires；　as　in　the　case　of　MacSwiney；　the　Irish　republican；　and　as　in　the　case　of　martyrs　recorded　in　the　history　of　all　peoples。　It　may　be　that　in　some　of　these　we　are　dealing　with　a　powerful　inhibition　of　appetite　of　the　kind　seen　in　anhedonia。　The　elaboration　of　the　sex　impulses　and　desires　into　the　purposes　of　marriage；　the　repression　into　lifelong　continence　and　chastity；　forms　one　of　the　most　marvelous　of　chapters　in　the　psychological　history　of　man。　The　desire　for　sex　relationship　of　the　crude　kind　is　very　variable　both　in　force；　time　of　appearance　and　reaction　to　discipline　and　unquestionably　arises　from　the　changes　in　the　sex　organs。　Both　to　enhance　and　repress　it　are　aims　of　the　culture　and　custom　of　each　group；　and　the　lower　groups　have　given　actual　sexual　intercourse　a　mystical　supernatural　value　that　has　at　times　and　in　various　places　raised　it　into　the　basis　of　cults　and　religions。　Repressed；　hampered；　canalized；　forbidden；　the　sex　impulses　have　profoundly　modified　clothes；　art；　religion；　morals　and　philosophy。　The　sex　customs　of　any　nation　demonstrate　the　extreme　plasticity　of　human　desires　and　the　various　twists；　turns　and　customs　that　tradition　declares　holy。　There　have　been　whole　groups　of　people　that　have　deemed　any　sexual　pleasure　unholy；　and　the　great　religions　still　deem　it　necessary　for　their　leaders　to　be　continent。　And　the　absurdities　of　modesty；　a　modified　sex　impulse；　have　made　it　immoral　for　a　woman　to　show　her　leg　above　the　calf　while　in　her　street　clothes；＇1＇　though　she　may　wear　a　bathing　suit　without　reproach。　＇1＇　This　is；　of　course；　not　quite　so　true　in　1921　as　in　1