the foundations of personality-第38章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


t。　Other　hatred　plots　and　schemes；　the　intelligence　lends　itself　to　the　plans　completely　and　the　whole　personality　suffers　in　consequence。　Some　hatred；　weak　and　without　self…confidence；　or　seeking　the　effect　of　surprise；　is　hypocritical；　dissimulates；　affects　friendly　feeling；　rubs　its　hands　over　insults　and　awaits　the　opportune　moment。　This　type　is　associated　in　all　minds　with　a　feeling　of　disgust；　for　at　bottom　we　rather　admire　the　〃good〃　hater。　We　have　spoken　of　these　three　specialized　and　directed　outgrowths　of　excitement；　interest；　love　and　hatred　as　if　they　were　primarily　directed　to　the　outside　world；　though　in　a　previous　chapter　we　discussed　the　introspective　interest。　What　shall　we　call　the　love　and　hatred　a　man　has　for　himself？　Is　the　self…regarding　sentiment　any　different　than　the　sentiment　of　love　for　others？　Is　that　hate　and　disgust　we　feel　for　ourselves；　or　for　some　action　or　thought；　different　from　the　hate　and　disgust　we　have　for　others？　Judged　by　Shand's　dicta　that　anger　and　fear　are　aroused　if　the　object　of　love　is　threatened；　joy　is　aroused　as　it　prospers；　and　sorrow　if　it　is　deeply　injured　or　lost；　self…love　remarkably　resembles　other…love。　The　pride　we　take　in　our　own　achievements　is　unalloyed　by　jealousy；　and　there　is　always　a　trace　of　jealousy　in　the　pride　we　take　in　the　achievements　of　others；　but　there　is　no　difference　in　the　pride　itself。　There　is　no　essential　difference　in　the　〃good〃　we　seek　for　ourselves　and　in　the　good　we　seek　for　others；　for　what　we　seek　will　depend　on　our　idea　of　〃good。〃　Thus　the　ambitious　mother　seeks　for　her　daughter　a　rich　husband　and　the　idealist　seeks　for　his　son　a　career　of　devotion　to　the　ideal。　And　the　sensualist　devoted　to　the　good　of　his　belly　and　his　pocket　loves　his　child　and　shows　it　by　feeding　and　enriching　him。　There　seems　to　be　lacking；　however；　the　glow　of　tender　feeling　in　self…love。　The　projection　of　the　self…interest　to　others　has　a　passion；　a　melting　in　it　that　self…love　never　seems　to　possess；　though　it　may　be　constant　and　ever…operating。　Self…regard；　self…admiration　or　conceit　may　be　very　high　and　deeply　felt；　but　though　more　common　than　real　admiration　for　others；　it　seldom　reaches　the　awe　and　reverence　that　the　projected　emotion　reaches。　In　mental　disease；　of　the　type　known　as　Maniac　Depressive　insanity；　there　is　a　curious　oscillation　of　self…love　and　self…admiration。　This　disease　is　cyclic；　in　that　two　opposing　groups　of　symptoms　tend　to　appear　and　displace　each　other。　In　the　manic；　or　excited　state；　there　is　greatly　heightened　activity　with　correspondingly　heightened　feeling　of　power。　Self…love　and　admiration　reach　absurd　levels：　one　is　the　most　beautiful；　the　richest　and　wisest　of　persons；　infallible；　irresistible；　aye；　perhaps　God　or　Christ。　Sometimes　the　feeling　of　grandeur；　the　euphoria；　is　less　fantastic　and　the　patient　imagines　himself　a　great　inventor；　a　statesman　of　power　and　wisdom；　a　writer　of　renown；　etc。　Suddenly；　or　perhaps　gradually；　the　change　comes；　self…feeling　drops　into　an　abyss。　〃I　am　the　most　miserable　of　persons；　the　vilest　sinner；　hated　and　rightly　by　God　and　man；　cause　of　suffering　and　misery。　I　am　no　good；　no　use；　a　horrible　odor　issues　from　me；　I　am　loathsome　to　look　at；　etc。；　etc。〃　Desperate　suicidal　attempts　are　made；　and　all　the　desires　that　tend　to　preserve　the　individual　disappear；　including　appetite　for　food　and　drink；　the　power　to　sleep。　It　is　the　most　startling　of　transitions；　one　can　hardly　realize　that　the　dejected；　silent　person；　sitting　in　a　corner；　hiding　his　face　and　hardly　breathing；　is　the　same　individual　who　lately　tore　around　the　wards；　happy；　dancing；　singing　and　boasting　of　his　greatness　of　power。　Indeed；　is　he　the　same　individual？　No　wonder　the　ancients　regarded　such　insanity　as　a　possession　by　an　evil　spirit。　We　of　a　later　day　who　deal　with　this　disease　on　the　whole　are　inclined　to　the　belief　that　some　internal　factor　of　a　physical　kind　is　responsible；　some　neuronic　shift；　or　some　strange；　visceral　endocrinal　disorder。　While　self…hate　in　this　pathological　aspect　is　relatively　uncommon；　in　every　person　there　are　self…critical；　self…condemning　activities　which　sometimes　for　short　periods　of　time　reach　self…hatred　and　disgust。　McDougall　makes　a　good　deal　of　the　self…abasing　instinct　which　makes　us　lower　ourselves　gladly　and　willingly。　This　seems　to　me　to　be　an　aspect　of　the　emotion　of　admiration　and　wonder；　for　we　do　not　wish　ordinarily　to　kneel　at　the　feet　of　the　insignificant；　debased；　or　it　is　an　aspect　of　fear　and　the　effort　to　obtain　conciliation　and　pity。　But　the　establishment　of　ideals　for　ourselves　to　which　we　are　not　faithful　brings　with　it　a　disgust　and　loathing　for　self　that　is　extremely　painful　and　leads　to　a　desire　for　penance　of　any　kind　In　order　that　we　may　punish　ourselves　and　feel　that　we　have　made　amends。　The　capacity　for　self…hate　and　self…disgust　depends　largely　upon　the　development　of　these　ideals　and　principles　of　conscience；　of　expectation　of　the　self。　Frequently　there　is　an　overrigidity；　a　ceaseless　self…examination　that　now　and　then　produces　miracles　of　character　and　achievement　but　more　often　brings　the　breakdown　of　health。　This　is　the　seeker　of　perfection　in　himself；　who　will　not　compromise　with　his　instincts　and　his　human　flesh。　There　seekers　of　perfection　are　among　the　noblest　of　the　race；　admired　in　the　abstract　but　condemned　by　their　friends　as　〃too　good；〃　〃impractical；〃　as　possessors　of　the　〃New　England　conscience。〃　One　of　the　effects　of　a　Puritanical　bringing…up　is　a　belief　that　pleasure　is　unworthy；　especially　in　the　sex　field　and　even　in　marriage。　Now　and　then　one　meets　a　patient　caught　between　perfectly　proper　desire　and　an　obsession　that　such　pleasure　is　debasing；　and　a　feeling　of　self…disgust　and　self…hatred　results　that　is　the　more　tragic　since　it　is　useless。　There　are　those　in　whom　self…love　and　self…esteem　is　at　a　lower　pressure　than　with　the　average　man；　just　as　there　are　those　in　whom　it　is　at　a　much　higher　pressure。　Such　people；　when　fatigued　or　when　subject　to　the　hostile　or　even　non…friendly　opinion　of　others；　become　so…called　self…conscious；　i。　e。；　are　afflicted　with　fear　and　a　feeling　of　inferiority。　This　may　deepen　into　self…contempt　and　self…hatred。　Part　of　what　is　called　confidence　in　oneself　is　self…esteem；　and　under　fatigue；　illness；　after　punishment　of　a　physical　or　mental　nature；　it　is　apt　to　disappear。　Very　distressing　is　this　in　those　who　have　been　accustomed　to　courage　and　self…confidence；　perhaps　whose　occupation　makes　these　qualities　necessary。　Soldiers；　after　gassing　or　cerebral　concussion；　men　completely　without　introspection；　fearless　and　gay　with　assurance；　become　apprehensive；　self…analytical　and　without　the　least　faith　in　themselves；　so　that　they　approach　their　work　in　fear。　So　with　men　who　work　in　high　places　or　where　there　is　risk；　such　as　steeplejacks；　bridge　builders；　iron　workers；　engineers；　let　an　accident　happen　to　them；　or　let　there　occur　an　exhausting　disease　with　its　aftermath　of　neurasthenia；　and　the　self…esteem　and　self…confidence　disappear　so　that　in　many　cases　they　have　to　give　up　their　job。　Because　self…disgust　and　hatred　are　so　painful；　compensatory　〃mechanisms〃　have　been　set　up。　There　is　in　many　people　a　tendency　to　project　outward