pathology of lying-第43节

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on　promptly；　and　reads　well。　　Her　association　and　memory　processes　have　been　proved　normal；　but　given　a　task　to　do　she　is　prone　to　show　inhibitory　pauses　and　other　phenomena　which　interfere　much　with　a　satisfactory　result。　　She　has　some　little　reputation　of　being　able　to　give　long；　almost　verbatim　accounts　of　sermons　which　she　has　heard；　but　the　accuracy　of　her　report　we　have　not　been　able　to　verify。　　She　gave　the　antonyms　of　twenty　words　in　average　time　of　1。4''；　which　is　a　good　record。　　There　was　one　failure；　but　that　was　quite　typical。　　At　the　end　of　20''；　which　is　beyond　the　time　of　failure；　she　gave　‘‘unhappy''　as　the　opposite　of　‘‘happy；''　adding　that　she　had　thought　of　that　before；　only　she　did　not　speak　it　out。　　Her　tests　for　psychomotor　control　were　miserably　done。　　She　was　rapid　in　movement；　but　absolutely　inaccurate　and　did　not　follow　instructions。　　However；　we　felt　that　even　this　did　not　indicate　her　full　ability；　for　she　had　capably　held　a　position　in　a　millinery　establishment　where　she　was　required　to　show　manipulative　dexterity。　　Perhaps　the　best　statement　of　her　performances　is　that　she　demonstrated　great　irregularities　from　time　to　time；　and　even　at　the　same　examination　in　her　work　on　different　tests。

On　account　of　her　peculiar　testimony　against　herself；　her　memory　processes　and　especially　her　performance　on　the　‘‘Aussage''　test　the　case　seemed　of　great　interest。　　We　found；　as　we　stated　above；　in　various　ways　that　her　abilities　to　remember；　when　at　her　best；　were　normal；　but　using　the　‘‘Aussage''　picture　we　obtained　only　6　details　in　free　recital；　she　was　sure　that　was　all　she　saw　in　the　picture。　　Then　on　cross…questioning　she　mentioned　9　more　items　correctly；　and　gave　8　others　much　altered　from　the　truth。　　No　other　item　was　added；　but　her　report　on　these　was　almost　illusional　in　its　incorrectness。　　Of　5　suggestions　offered　she　accepted　2　of　the　least　important；　refusing　the　others　entirely。　　This　was　a　remarkably　poor　result　for　a　girl　of　her　age；　but　may　not　be　indicative　of　her　best　abilities　even　on　this　type　of　work。　　Our　final　opinion　was　that　she　was　not　clearly　subnormal　in　native　ability。

Annie　has　grown　somewhat　more　stable　as　the　years　have　gone　on。　　Following　our　first　acquaintance　with　her　we　have　known　this　girl　to　make　serious　false　accusations　against　others　（vide　infra）　and　to　again　damage　her　own　reputation　by　alleging　herself　to　be　pregnant　when　she　was　not。　　Her　word　in　other　matters　all　along　has　been　found　somewhat　unreliable；　but　there　has　been　no　extensive　weaving　of　romances　such　as　those　indulged　in　by　typical　pathological　liars。　　Our　original　diagnosis　of　this　as　a　case　of　pathological　accusation　upon　the　basis　of　mild　hysteria　we　have　seen　no　reason　to　change。　　Both　Annie　and　other　members　of　her　family　are　representatives　of　a　most　important　type　for　court　officials　and　all　other　social　workers　to　understand。　　A　great　deal　of　trouble　has　been　caused　in　several　religious　congregations　by　the　unusual　character　of　the　behavior　of　these　people。　　Also　the　number　of　times　they　have　been　in　courts　for　various　reasons　is　astonishing。

The　history　of　physical　and　mental　development　merges　closely　with　the　story　of　evolution　in　the　moral　sphere；　and　all　can　be　given　together。　　On　account　of　the　mother　having　long　been　dead　and　the　father　being　the　peculiar　man　that　he　is　there　is　some　question　about　the　truth　of　some　of　the　details　which　have　been　given　us；　but　we　have　reason　to　believe　that　the　main　facts　are　true　because　they　have　been　held　to　be　the　truth　in　the　family　circle　generally　and　were　not　merely　given　to　us。　　Verification　of　details　would　be　very　difficult　because　the　family　are　distributed　between　Europe　and　America；　and　no　relatives　outside　the　immediate　family　are　at　hand。　　The　mother　was　in　excessively　poor　condition　at　the　birth　of　Annie。　　She　had　miscarriages　preceding　and　following。　　It　is　stated　that　the　diagnosis　of　malaria　was　made　and　that　the　mother　had　convulsions　both　before　and　after　confinement。　　At　the　birth　the　prolonged　labor　and　instrumentation　were　not　known　to　have　done　any　damage。　　As　an　infant　Annie　is　said　to　have　been　frail；　but　not　to　have　had　any　definite　sickness　or　any　convulsions。

However；　at　about　Annie's　fifth　year　there　began　a　long　list　of　illnesses。　　She　had　scarlet　fever　severely　and　also　a　number　of　other　children's　diseases。　　At　8　years　she　had　an　attack　of　muscular　jerking；　and　then　had　a　number　of　successive　attacks　until　she　was　14　years。　　At　one　time　she　was　in　a　public　hospital　for　three　weeks　on　account　of　this。　　It　was　stated　that　this　was　chorea；　but　of　course　we　can　not　be　sure　on　this　point。　　Annie　was　always　regarded　as　a　very　nervous　child；　she　was　frequently　a　somnambulist　until　she　was　about　12。　　She　is　very　nervous　before　the　onset　of　menstruation。　　Of　recent　years　she　has　been　an　excessive　user　of　tea　at　times　before　we　first　saw　her　she　is　said　to　have　had　12　cups　of　tea　in　a　day。　　At　times　she　was　then　suffering　from　sleeplessness；　and　was　wont　to　feel　tired　in　the　morning。　　As　a　young　child　she　had　severe　night　fears；　seeing　terrifying　shadows　upon　the　wall。

On　account　of　her　illnesses　and　her　general　nervous　condition；　Annie　was　very　irregular　in　her　school　attendance。　　However；　she　reached　6th　grade。　　As　to　the　family　opinion　of　her　mentality　we　hear　that　they　have　regarded　her　as　being　an　odd　type；　not　lazy；　but　irritable；　hateful；　and　moody　by　spells。　　Her　memory　is　said　to　be　most　irregular；　sometimes　exceedingly　good。　　The　other　children　find　it　difficult　to　get　along　with　her　because　she　slaps　them　so　much。　　At　times　she　swears。　　At　the　time　of　the　revival　meeting；　shortly　before　we　saw　her；　she　is　said　to　have　come　home　from　church　in　an　hysterical　state。　　When　in　custody　she　was　in　rather　a　dazed　condition。　　Where　she　was　detained　they　say　she　acted　as　if　she　were　stunned。　　Her　memory　did　not　seem　at　all　clear；　nor　has　it　ever　seemed　other　than　confused　about　the　events　immediately　surrounding　the　main　episode　of　her　career。　　She　maintained　she　could　not　remember　just　exactly　what　she　had　said；　and　her　account　of　it　contradicted　that　of　her　father。

As　we　afterwards　learned　from　the　church　people；　it　is　undoubtedly　a　fact　that　her　notions　of　self…accusation　came　from　a　Sunday　School　session　in　which　her　teacher　repeated　what　had　been　talked　about　in　the　revival　meeting　concerning　the　scarlet　woman。　　A　day　or　two　afterward　the　girl　told　that　she　herself　was　‘‘a　scarlet　woman。''　　She　told　it　first　to　the　teacher；　was　then　taken　to　the　pastor；　when　she　reiterated　the　story；　and　the　police　authorities　were　called　in。　　Of　course　her　story　implied　lack　of　home　guardianship　and　consequently　the　whole　affair　was　handled　for　some　days　by　the　police　alone；　after　the　girl　had　given　a　very　detailed　description　of　her　immoral　life。　　By　the　time　we　saw　the　father　it　had　been　ascertained　that　this　girl　had　never　been　away　from　home　a　single　night　in　her　life　and　probably　had　never　been　in　the　least　immoral　sexually。

It　is　necessary　to　have　knowledge　of　the　heredity　and　environmental　background　to　understand　this　case。　　Almost　nothing　is　known　of　the　maternal　family。　　After　losing　his　first　wife；　the　father　was　twice　remarried；　and　even　the　third　wife　has　divorced　him。　　He　had　a　brother　who；　after　going　insane　and　killing　two　laborers；　committed　suicide。　　His　grandmother；　and　probably　also　a　cousin；　were　insane。　　Two　of　his　sisters　were　of　a　nervous　and　hysterical　type　and　said　to　have　attacks　of　aphonia。　　A　child　by　his　second　wife　is　epileptic。　　This　man　gives　us　a　long　account　of　his　own　defective　heredity　and　of　his　own　physical　ailments。　　He　does　not　recognize　the　fact；　however；　that　he　also　is　mentally　below　par。　　We　have　seen　him　on　numerous　occasions　and　known　of　his　great　activity　in　the　courts；　and　have　attempted　to　size　him　up。　　He　is　undoubtedly　a　constitutional　inferior；　in　poor　general　physical　condition　and　subject　to　episodic　mental　states。　　One　would　be　inclined　to　call　him　a　semi…responsible　individual　with　mild　delusions；　defective　reasoning　ability；　great　energy　in　self…assertion；　and　of　combative　disposition。　　This　latter　shows　itself　in　his　voluble　emphasis　on　the　alleged　ill　treatment　of　himself　and　family；　even　by　his　wives。　　He　is　never　physically　violent。　　On　account　of　false　accusations；　whether　delusional　or　not；　he　got　at　least　one　pastor　into　a　peck　of　trouble；　and；　strangely　enough；　his　wives　have　been　involved　in　some　other　church　embroilments　when　his　own　character　was　called　severely　into　question。　　On　one　occasion　we　were　interested　to　enumerate　an　astonishing　list　of　people　and　organizations　which；　he　stated；　had　treated　him　and　his　family　unfairly。　　It　seemed　to　us　that　during　the　last　two　or　three　years　he　must　largely　have　lived　in　the　courts　to　carry　on　his　transactions　there。　　His　concern　for　his　daughter　seemed　genuine　and　her　delinquency　led　him　to　seek　the　law　more　than　ever。　　Some　of　the　good　people　who　have　become　interested　in　his　affairs　tell　us　that　his　is　the　strangest　story　they　have　ever　heard。　　His　veracity　is　often　in　question。　　On　more　than　one　occasion　with　us　he　has　dwelled　on　his　nervous　states；　and　on　the　fact　that　he　is　subject　to　times　of　mental　confusion；　but　h