the foundations of personality-第61节

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ny　detail　all　the　forms　of　pleasure…excitement　seeking。　Dancing；　music；　the　theater　and　the　movies　offer　outlets　both　for　the　artistic　impulses　and　the　seeking　of　excitement。　In　the　theater　and　the　movies　one　seeks　also　the　interest　we　take　in　the　lives　of　others；　the　awakening　of　emotions　and　the　happy　ending。　Only　a　few　people　will　ever　care　for　the　artistic　wholesale　calamity　of　a　play　like　〃Hamlet；〃　and　even　they　only　once　in　a　while。　Men　and　women　seek　variety；　they　seek　excitement　in　any　and　all　directions；　they　want　relief　from　the　tyranny　of　purpose　and　of　care。　But　also；they　hate　a　vacuum；　they　can　usually　bear　themselves　and　their　thoughts　for　only　a　little　while；　because　their　thoughts　are　often　basicly　melancholy　and　full　of　dissatisfaction。　So　they　seek　escape　from　themselves；　they　try　to　kill　time；　reading；　playing　and　going　to　entertainments。　In　fact；　most　of　our　reading　is　actuated　by　the　play　spirit；　and　is　an　effort　to　obtain　excitement　through　the　lives　of　others。　Humor＇1＇　is　a　form　of　pleasure　seeking　and　giving；　but　depends　on　a　certain　technique；　the　object　of　which　is　to　elicit　the　laugh　or　its　equivalent。　The　laugh　is　a　discharge　of　tension；　and　while　usually　it　accompanies　pleasure；　it　may　indicate　the　tension　of　embarrassment　or　even　complex　emotional　states。　But　the　laugh　or　smile　of　humor　has　to　be　elicited　in　certain　ways；　chief　of　which　are　to　bring　about　a　feeling　of　expectation；　and　by　some　novel　arrangement　of　words；　to　send　the　mind　on　a　voyage　of　discovery　which　suddenly　ends　with　a　burst　of　pleasure　when　the　〃point〃　is　seen。　The　pleasure　felt　in　humor　arises　from　the　feeling　of　novelty；　the　pleasure　of　discovering　a　hidden　meaning　and　the　pleasure　in　the　〃point〃　or　motive　of　the　story；　joke　or　conduct。　＇1＇　I　use　this　term　to　include　wit；　satire　and　even　certain　phases　of　the　comic。

Usually；　the　humorous　pleasure　has　these　motives：　it　points　at　the　folly　and　absurdity　of　other　people's　conduct；　thought；　logic　and　customs。　It　gives　a　feeling　of　superiority；　and　that　is　why　all　races　love　to　poke　fun　at　other　races：　certain　characteristics　of　Jew；　Irishman；　Yankee；　Scot；　etc。；　are　presented　in　novel　and　striking　fashion；　in　a　playful　manner。　It　points　out　the　weak　and　absurd　side　of　people　and　institutions　with　which　we　have　trouble；　and　this　brings　in　marriage；　business；　mothers…in…law；　creditors；　debtors；　as　those　whose　weakness　is　exposed　by　the　technique　of　humor。　Humor　likes　to　explode　pretension；　pedantry；　dignity；　pomposity；　we　get　a　feeling　of　joy　whenever　those　who　are　superior　come　a　cropper；　which　is　increased　when　we　feel　that　they　have　no　right　to　their　places。　So　the　humorous　technique　deals　with　the　get…rich…quick　folk；　the　foolish　nobleman；　the　politician；　the　priest　（especially　in　the　Middle　Ages）；　etc。　Not　only　does　humor　seek　to　obtain　pleasure　from　an　attack　on　others　and　thus　to　feel　superior　or　to　compensate　for　inferiority；　but　also　it　reaches　its　highest　form　in　exposing　man　himself；　including　the　humorist。　The　humorist；　seeking　his　own　weaknesses　and　contradictions；　his　falsities；　strips　the　disguise　from　himself　in　some　surprising　way。　Bergson　points　out　that　to　strip　away　a　disguise　is　naturely　humorous　unless　it　reveals　too　rudely　the　horrible。　The　humorist　takes　off　the　mask　from　himself　and　others；　and　in　so　far　as　we　can　detach　ourselves　from　pride　and　vanity；　we　laugh。　The　one　who　cannot　thus　detach　himself　is　〃hurt〃　by　humor；　the　one　who　somehow　has　become　a　spectator　of　his　own　strivings　can　laugh　at　himself。　Thus　humor；　in　addition　to　becoming　a　compensation　and　a　form　of　entertainment；　is　a　form　of　self…revelation　and　self…understanding　carried　on　by　a　peculiar　technique。　On　the　whole　this　technique　depends　upon　a　hiding　of　the　real　meaning　of　the　story　or　situation　under　a　disguise　of　the　commonplace。　The　humorist　phrases　his　words　or　develops　his　situation　so　as　to　send　the　thoughts　of　the　listener　flying　in　several　directions。　There　is　a　brief　confusion；　an　incongruity　is　felt；　then　suddenly　from　under　a　disguise　the　point　becomes　clear　and　the　laugh　is　in　part　one　of　triumph；　in　part　one　of　pleased　surprise。　I　shall　not　attempt　an　analysis　of　the　psychology　of　humor；　for　illustrious　writers　and　thinkers　have　stubbed　their　intellectual　toes　on　this　rock　for　centuries。　In　later　years　the　analyses　of　Freud　and　Bergson　are　noted；　but　there　is　a　list　of　writers　from　Aristotle　down　whose　remarks　and　observations　have　brought　out　clearly　certain　trends。　For　us　the　direction　that　any　one's　humor　takes　is　a　very　important　phase　in　the　study　of　character。　Humor　is　a　weapon；　and　the　humorist　has　two　ends　in　view：　the　one　to　please　his　audience　and　to　align　them　on　his　side；　the　second　to　attack　either　playfully　or　seriously　some　person　or　institution　with　the　technique　of　humor。　Certain　trends　are　seen　in　humor；　one　to　seek　a　feeling　of　superiority　by　revealing　the　inferiority　of　others　in　a　surprising　way；　another　to　release　a　burdensome＇1＇　inhibition；　a　third　to　play　with　and　in　a　sense　mock　the　disagreeable　features　of　life；　and　the　fourth　to　seek　detachment　from　one's　self；　to　seek　relief　from　sorrow；　disappointment　and　deprivation　by　viewing　the　self　as　from　afar。　＇1＇　In　this　way　humor　is　an　effort　for　freedom；　through　humor　one　tastes　of　experiences　otherwise　forbidden。

So　there　is　a　sarcastic　humor　which　points　out　the　foibles　and　weaknesses　of　others　either　grossly　or　delicately。　Usually　these　others　are　those　differing　from　one's　own　groupthe　Irish；　Jew；　farmer；　Negroand　the　jokes　either　deal　with　their　personal　appearance　（a　low　humor）　or　their　characteristic　expressions；　points　of　view　and　actions。　The　audience　is　convulsed　at　their　quaintness　or　folly；　though　often　enough　on　the　stage　the　comic　figure　delivers　a　sort　of　wisdom　mingled　with　his　foolishness；　and　this　adds　to　the　humorous　explosion。　The　sarcastic　humor　in　its　highest　form　reaches　satire；　where　under　a　disguise　powerful　institutions　or　the　habit　and　ways　of　life　of　a　group　are　criticized。　In　polite　society　people　are　continually　attacking　each　other　in　a　kind　of　warfare　called　repartee；　in　which　the　tension　is　kept　just　without　the　bounds　of　real　hostility；　while　the　audience　sides　with　the　one　whose　shaft　is　the　most　telling。　In　the　lower　ranks　this　interchange；　which　is　surprisingly　frequent；　is　coarse　and　insulting。　It　is　supposed　to　be　a　test　of　character　to　be　able　to　〃stand〃　these　attacks　with　equanimity　and　even　to　join　in　the　laugh　against　oneself。　To　〃kid〃　and　take　〃kidding〃　is　thus　an　important　social　trait。　Humor　is　often　used　to　expose　the　folly　of　the　pretentious。　Much　of　the　stock　in　trade　of　the　humorist　lies　in　his　attack　on　the　pedant；　the　pompous；　the　great；　the　new…rich；　the　over…important　of　one　kind　or　another。　To　find　them　less　than　they　pretend　to　be　gives　two　especial　kinds　of　pleasure　to　the　audience；　the　first　the　stripping　away　of　disguise　（Bergson）；　and　the　second　the　relief　of　our　own　feeling　of　inferiority　in　their　presence　by　showing　how　inferior　they　really　are。　Since　inhibition　wears　on　us；　the　great　inhibitions　are　directly　attacked　by　the　humorist。　Thus　sex　forms　one　of　the　great　subjects　of　humor；　and　from　the　obscene　story　told　by　those　on　whom　the　sex　inhibitions　rest　lightly　to　the　joke　about　clothes；　etc。；　told　by　those　who　mock　the　opposite　sex；　the　whole　idea　is　to　bring　about　pleasure　in　the　release　of　inhibitton　and　the　play　of　the　mind　around　the　forbidden。　Freud　has　some　interesting　remarks　on　this　type　of　humor；　which　he　regards　largely　as　sexual　aggression。　It　is　necessary　to　say　that　the　release　of　inhibition　is　always　that　of　an　inhibition　not　too　strongly　felt　or　accepted。　A　really　modest　person；　one　to　whom　the　sex　code　is　a　sacred　thing；　does　not　find　pleasure　in　a　crude　sex　joke。　Similarly　with　the　inhibition　surrounding　marriage；　which　is　a　stock　subject　of　humor。　The　overearnest　person　dislikes　this　type　of　humor　and　reacts　against　it　by　calling　it　〃in　bad　taste。〃　In　the　Middle　Ages　（and　to…day　among　those　opposed　to　the　Catholic　church）；　the　priest　and　nun　were　slyly　or　coarsely　attacked　by　the　humorist；　and　in　all　times　those　somewhat　skeptical　find　in　religion；　its　ceremonials　and　customs；　a　field　for　joke　and　satire。　The　most　interesting　of　the　types　of　humor　flirts　with　the　disagreeable。　Man　is　the　only　animal　foreseeing　death　and　disaster；　and　he　not　only　quakes　in　the　knowledge　of　misfortune；　but　also　he　jokes　about　it。　It　may　be　that　the　excitement　of　approaching　in　spirit　the　disagreeable　is　pleasant；　and　perhaps　there　is　pleasure　in　attacking　disaster；　even　in　a　playful　way。　The　ability　to　joke　about　other　people's　misfortunes　is　not；　of　course；　a　measure　of　gallantry　or　courage　and　usually　indicates　a　feeling　of　superiority　such　as　we　all　tend　to　feel　in　the　presence　of　the　unfortunate；　even　where　no　element　of　weakness　has　caused　their　mishap。　But　to　joke　about　one's　own　troubles；　danger　and　disaster　at　least　indicate　a　sense　of　proportion；　an　ability　to　stand　aloof　from　oneself。　This　propensity　is　remarkably　manifest　in　hospitals；　in　war　and　wherever　disaster　or　danger　is　present。　The　soldiers　nickname　in　a　familiar　way　all　their　troubles　and　all　their　dangers。　The　popular　phrases　for　dying　illustrate　this；croaked；　flew　up　the　sp