the foundations of personality-第12章

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s　not　quite　so　literal　and　direct　it　is　held　to　be　an　immanent　something　of　innate　origin。　Whatever　it　may　be；　it　surely　does　not　guide　us　very　accurately　or　well；　for　there　are　opposing　consciences　on　every　side　of　every　question；　and　opponents　find　themselves　equally　spurred　by　conscience　to　action　and　are　equally　convinced　of　righteousness。　In　the　long　run　it　would　be　difficult　to　decide　which　did　more　harm　in　the　world；　a　conscientious　persecutor　or　bigot；　an　Alvarez　or　James　the　First；　or　a　dissolute；　conscienceless　sensualist　like　Charles　the　Second。　Certainly　consciences　differ　as　widely　as　digestions。　Conscience；　so　it　seems　to　me；　arises　in　early　childhood　with　the　appearance　of　fixed　purposes。　It　is　entirely　guided　at　first　by　teaching　and　by　praise　and　blame；　for　the　infant　gives　no　evidence　of　conscience。　But　the　infant　（or　young　child）　soon　wants　to　please；　wants　the　favor　and　smiles　of　its　parents。　Why　does　it　wish　to　please？　Is　there　a　something　irreducible　in　the　desire？　I　do　not　know　and　cannot　pretend　to　answer。　This；　however；　may　be　definitely　stated。　Conscience　arises　or　grows　in　the　struggle　between　opposing　desires　and　purposes　in　the　course　of　which　one　purpose　becomes　recognized　as　the　proper　guide　to　conduct。　Let　us　take　a　simple　case　from　the　moral　struggles　of　the　child。　A　three…year…old；　wandering　into　the　kitchen；　with　mother　in　the　back　yard　hanging　out　the　clothes；　makes　the　startling　discovery　that　there　is　a　pan　of　tarts；　apple　tarts；　on　the　kitchen　table；　easily　within　reach；　especially　if　Master　Three…Year…Old　pulls　up　a　chair。　Tarts！　The　child　becomes　excited；　his　mouth　waters；　and　those　tarts　become　the　symbol　and　substance　of　pleasure；and　within　his　reach。　But　in　the　back　of　his　mind；　urging　him　to　stop　and　consider；　is　the　memory　of　mother's　injunction；　〃You　must　always　ask　for　tarts　or　candy　or　any　goodies　before　you　take　them。〃　And　there　is　the　pain　of　punishment　and　scolding　and　the　vision　of　father；　looking　stern　and　not　playing　with　one。　These　are　distant；　faint　memories；　weak　forces；but　they　influence　conduct　so　that　the　little　one　takes　a　tart　and　eats　it　hurriedly　before　mother　returns　and　then　runs　into　the　dining　room　or　bedroom。　Thus；　instead　of　merely　obeying　an　impulse　to　take　the　tart；　as　an　uninstructed　child　would；　he　has　now　become　a　little　thief　and　has　had　his　first　real　moral　struggle。　But　it　is　a　grim　law　that　sensual　pleasures　do　not　last　beyond　the　period　of　gratification。　If　this　were　not　so　there　could　be　no　morality　in　the　world；　and　conscience　would　never　reach　any　importance。　Whether　we　gratify　sex　appetite　or　gastric　hunger；　the　pleasure　goes　at　once。　True；　there　may　be　a　short　afterglow　of　good　feeling；　but　rarely　is　it　strongly　affective；　and　very　often　it　is　replaced　by　a　positive　repulsion　for　the　appetite。　On　the　other　hand；　to　be　out　of　conformity　with　your　group　is　a　permanent　pain；　and　the　fear　of　being　found　out　is　an　anxiety　often　too　great　to　be　endured。　And　so　our　child；　with　the　tart　gone；　wishes　he　had　not　taken　it；　perhaps　not　clearly　or　verbally；　he　is　regretful；　let　us　say。　Out　of　this　regret；　out　of　this　fear　of　being　found　out；　out　of　the　pain　of　nonconformity；　arises　the　conscience　feeling　which　says；　〃Thou　shalt　not〃　or　〃Thou　shalt；〃　according　to　social　teaching。　It　may　be　objected　that　〃Conscience　often　arrays　itself　against　society；　against　social　teaching；　against　perhaps　all　men。〃　It　is　not　my　place　to　trace　the　growth　in　mind　of　the　idea　of　the　Absolute　Good；　or　absolute　right　and　wrong；　with　which　a　man　must　align　himself。　I　believe　it　is　the　strength　of　the　ego　feeling　which　gives　to　some　the　vigor　and　unyieldingness　of　their　conscience。　〃I　am　right；〃　says　such　a　person；　〃and　the　rest　of　the　world　is　wrong。　God　is　with　me；　my　conscience　and　future　times　will　agree；〃　thus　appealing　to　the　distant　tribunal　as　James　pointed　out。　All　the　insane　hospitals　have　their　sufferers　for　conscience's　sake；　paranoid　personalities　whose　egos　have　expanded　to　infallibility　and　whose　consciences　are　correspondingly　developed。　Conscience　thus　represents　the　power　of　the　permanent　purposes　and　ideals　of　the　individuals；　and　it　wars　on　the　less　permanent　desires　and　impulses；　because　there　is　in　memory　the　uneasiness　and　anxiety　that　resulted　from　indulgence　and　the　pain　of　the　feeling　of　inferiority　that　results　when　one　is　hiding　a　secret　weakness　or　undergoing　reproof　or　punishment。　This　group　of　permanent　purposes；　ideals　and　aspirations　corresponds　closely　to　the　censor　of　the　Freudian　concept　and　here　is　an　example　where　a　new　name　successfully　disguises　an　age…old　thought。　In　other　words；　conscience　is　social　in　its　origin；　developing　differently　in　different　people　according　to　their　teaching；　intelligence；　will；　ego…feeling；　instincts；　etc。　From　the　standpoint　of　character　analysis　there　are　many　types　of　people　in　regard　to　conscience　development。　In　respect　to　the　reactions　to　praise　and　blame　the　following　types　are　conspicuous：　1。　A　〃weak〃　group　in　whom　these　act　as　apparently　the　sole　motives。　2。　A　group　energized　by　love　of　praise。　3。　A　group　energized　mainly　by　fear　of　blame。　4。　A　type　that　scorns　anything　but　material　reward。　5。　Another；　that　〃takes　advantage〃　of　reward；　likes　praise　but　is　merely　made　conceited　by　it；　hates　blame　but　is　merely　made　angry　by　it；　fears　punishment　and　finds　its　main　goad　to　good　conduct　in　this　fear。　6。　Then　there　are　those　in　whom　all　these　motives　operate　in　greater　or　lesser　degree；the　so…called　normal　person。　In　reality　he　has　his　special　inclinations　and　dreads。　7。　The　majority　of　people　are　influenced　mainly　by　the　group　with　which　they　have　cast　their　positions；　the　blame　of　others　being　relatively　unimportant　or　arousing　anger。　For　there　is　this　great　difference　between　our　reactions　to　praise　and　blame：　that　while　the　praise　of　almost　any　one　and　for　almost　any　quality　is　welcome；　the　blame　of　only　a　few　is　taken　〃well；〃　and　for　the　rest　there　is　anger；　contempt　or　defiance。　The　influence　of　blame　varies　with　the　respect；　love　and　especially　acknowledged　superiority　of　the　blamer。　The　〃boss〃　has　a　right　to　blame　and　so　has　father　or　mother　while　we　are　children；　but　we　resent　bitterly　the　blame　of　a　fellow　employee；　〃he　has　no　right　to　blame；〃　and　we　rebel　against　the　blame　of　our　parents　when　we　grow　up。　In　fact；　the　war　of　the　old　and　new　generations　starts　with　the　criticism　of　the　elder　folk　and　the　resentment　of　the　younger　folk。　It　will　be　seen　that　reaction　to　praise　and　blame；　etc。；　will　depend　upon　the　irritability　of　ego　feeling；　the　love　of　superiority　and　the　dislike　for　inferiority。　This　basic　situation　we　must　defer　discussing；　but　what　is　of　importance　is　that　the　primitive　disciplinary　weapons　we　have　discussed　never　lose　their　cardinal　value　and　remain　throughout　life　and　in　all　societies　the　prime　modes　of　thought　and　conduct。　In　similar　fashion　the　conscience　types　might　be　depicted。　From　the　over…conscientious　who　rigidly　hold　themselves　to　an　ideal；　who　watch　every　departure　from　perfection　with　agony　and　self…reproach；　and　who　may　either　reach　the　highest　level　or　〃break　down〃　and　become　inefficient　to　the　almost　conscienceless　group；　doing　only　what　seems　more　profitable；　are