the foundations of personality-第44章

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ho　live　continually　on　the　brink　of　economic　disaster；　or　who　are　facing　real　danger。　But　there　are　types　who　find　in　every　possibility　of　injury　a　formidable　threat；　who　are　thrown　into　anguish　when　they　contemplate　any　evil；　remote　or　unlikely　as　it　may　be。　The　present　and　future　are　not　faced　with　courage　or　equanimity；　they　present　themselves　as　a　never…ending　series　of　threats；　threat　to　health；　to　fortune；　to　family；　reputation；　everything。　Horace　Fletcher　called　this　type　of　forethought　〃fear　thought。〃　Men　and　women；　brave　enough　when　face　to　face　with　actualities；　are　cowards　when　confronting　remote　possibilities。　The　housewife　especially　is　one　of　these　worriers；　and　her　mind　has　an　affinity　for　the　terrible。　I　have　described　her　elsewhere；＇1＇　but　she　has　her　prototype　among　men。　＇1＇　〃The　Nervous　Housewife。〃

Fear　of　this　type　is　an　injury　to　the　body　and　character　both　and　is　one　of　the　causes　and　effects　of　the　widespread　neurasthenia　of　our　day。　For　fear　injures　sleep；　and　this　brings　on　fatigue　and　fatigue　breeds　more　fear；　a　vicious　circle　indeed。　Fear　disturbs　digestion　and　the　energy　of　the　organism　is　thereby　lowered。　The　greatest　damage　by　worry　is　done　in　the　hypochondriac；　the　worrier　about　health。　Here；　in　addition　to　the　effects　of　fear；　introspection　and　a　minute　attention　to　every　pain　and　ache　demoralize　the　character；　for　the　sufferer　cannot　pay　attention　to　anything　else。　He　becomes　selfish；　ego…centric　and　without　the　wholesome　interest　in　life　as　an　adventure。　I　doubt　if　there　is　enough　good　in　too　minute　a　popular　education　on　disease　and　health　preservation。　Morbid　attention　to　health　often　results；　an　evil　worse　than　sickness。　Sometimes；　instead　of　the　indiscriminate　fear　of　worry；　there　are　localized　fears；　called　phobias；　which　creep　or　spring　into　a　man's　thoughts　and　render　him　miserable。　Thus　there　is　fear　of　high　places；　of　low　places；　of　darkness；　of　open　places；　of　closed　places；fear　of　dirt；　fear　of　poison　and　of　almost　everything　else。　A　bright　young　man　was　locked；　at　the　age　of　fourteen；　in　a　closed　dark　shanty；　when　released　he　rushed　home　in　the　greatest　terror。　Since　then　he　has　been　afflicted　with　a　fear　of　leaving　home。　He　dares　venture　only　about　fifty　feet　and　then　is　impelled　to　run　back。　If　anybody　hinders　his　return　he　attacks　them；　if　the　door　is　locked　he　breaks　through　a　window。　He　is　in　a　veritable　panic；　and　yet　presents　no　other　fears；　is　a　reader　and　thinker；　clever　at　his　work　（he　is　a　painter）；　but　his　fear　remains　inaccessible　and　uncontrollable。　Often　one　experience　of　this　kind　builds　up　an　obsessive　fear；　the　associations　left　by　the　experience　give　the　fear　an　open　pathway　to　consciousness；　without　any　inhibiting　power。　As　in　this　case；　the　whole　life　of　the　individual　becomes　changed。　Throughout　history　the　man　without　fear　has　been　idolized。　The　hero　is　courageous；　that　he　must　be；　the　coward　is　despised；　whatever　good　may　be　in　him。　Consequently；　there　is　in　most　men　a　fear　of　showing　fear；　and　pride；　self…respect；　often　urge　men　on　when　they　really　fear。　This　pride　is　greater　in　some　races　than　othersin　the　Indian　and　the　Anglo…Saxonbut　the　Oriental　does　not　think　it　wrong　to　be　afraid。　In　the　Great　War　this　fear　of　showing　fear　played　a　great　role　in　producing　shell　shock；　in　that　men　shrank　from　actual　cowardice　but　easily　developed　neuroses　which　carried　them　from　the　fighting　line。　There　is　this　to　add　to　this　little　sketch　of　fear：　it　turns　easily　to　anger　for　both　are　responses　to　a　threat。　I　remember　in　my　boyhood　being　mortally　afraid　of　a　larger　boy　who　one　day　chased　me；　caught　me　and　started　to　〃beat　me　up。〃　Before　I　knew　it；　the　fear　had　gone　and　I　was　fighting　him　with　such　fierceness　and　fury　that　in　amazement　he　ran　away。　So　a　rat；　cornered；　becomes　fierce　and　blood…thirsty　and　there　is　always　the　danger；　in　the　use　of　fear　as　a　weapon；　that　it　become　changed　quite　readily　into　the　fighting　spirit。　7。　Anger　is　a　primitive　reaction　and　is　the　backbone　of　the　fighting　spirit。　It　tends　to　displace　fear；　though　it　may　be　combined　with　it；　in　one　of　the　most　unhappy　because　helplessmental　states。　Anger　in　its　commonest　form　is　a　violent　energizer　and　in　the　stiffened　muscles；　the　set　jaw；　bared　teeth；　and　the　forward…thrust　head　and　arms　one　sees　the　animal　prepared　to　fight。　Anger　is　aroused　at　any　obstruction；　any　threat　or　injury；　from　physical　violences　to　the　so…called　〃slight。〃　In　fact；　it　is　the　intent　of　the　opponent　as　understood　that　makes　up　the　stimulus　to　anger　in　the　human　being。　We　forgive　a　blow　if　it　is　accidental；　but　even　a　touch；　if　in　malice　or　in　contempt；　arouses　a　fierce　reaction。　We　call　becoming　angry　too　readily　〃losing　the　temper；〃　and　there　is　a　type　known　as　the　irascible　in　whom　anger　is　the　readiest　emotion。　The　bluff　English　squire；　the　man　in　authority；　is　this　type；　and　his　anger　lasts。　In　its　lesser　form　anger　becomes　irritability；　a　reaction　common　to　the　neurotic　and　the　weak。　When　anger　is　not　frank；　but　manifests　itself　by　a　lowered　brow　and　sidelong　look；　we　speak　of　sullenness　or　surliness。　The　sullen　or　surly　person；　chronically　ill…tempered　and　hostile；　is　regarded　as　unsocial　and　dangerous；　whereas　the　most　lovable　persons　are　quick　to　anger　and　quick　to　repent。　As　a　man's　anger；　so　is　he。　There　are　some　whose　anger　is　always　a　reaction　against　interference　with　their　comfort；　their　dignity；　their　property　and　their　will；　it　never　by　any　chance　is　aroused　by　the　wrongs　of　others。　Usually；　however；　these　folk　camouflage　their　motive。　〃It's　the　principle　of　the　thing　I　object　to；〃　is　its　commonest　social　disguise；　which　sometimes　successfully　hides　the　real　motive　from　the　egoist　himself。　Wherever　wills　and　purposes　meet　in　conflict；　there　anger；　or　its　offshoot；　contempt；　is　present；　and　the　more　egoistic　one　is；　the　more　egoistic　the　sources　of　anger。　The　explosiveness　of　the　anger　will　depend　on　the　power　of　inhibition　and　the　power　of　the　intelligence；　as　well　as　on　the　strength　of　the　opponent。　There　are　enough　whose　temper　is　uncontrolled　in　the　presence　of　the　weak　who　manage　to　be　quite　calm　in　the　presence　of　the　strong。　I　believe　there　is　much　less　difference　amongst　races　in　this　respect　than　we　suspect；　and　there　is　more　in　tradition　and　training。　There　was　a　time　when　it　was　perfectly　proper　for　a　gentleman　to　lose　his　temper；　but　now　that　it　is　held　〃bad　form；〃　most　gentlemen　manage　to　control　it。　If　it　is　common　for　men　to　become　angry　at　ego…injury；　there　are　in　this　world；　as　its　leaven　of　reform；　noble　spirits　who　become　angry　at　the　wrongs　of　others。　The　world　owes　its　progress　to　those　whose　anger；　sustained　and　intellectualized；　becomes　the　power　behind　reform；　to　those　like　Abraham　Lincoln；　who　vowed　to　destroy　slavery　because　he　saw　a　slave　sold　down　the　river；　to　the　Pinels；　outraged　by　the　treatment　of　the　insane；　to　the　sturdy　〃Indignant　Citizen；〃　who　writes　to　newspapers　about　what　〃is　none　of　his　business；〃　but　who　is　too　angry　to　keep　still；　and　whose　anger　makes　public　opinion。　Whether　anger　is　useful　or　not　depends　upon　its　cause　and　the　methods　it　employs。　Righteous　anger；　whether　against　one's　own　wrongs　or　the　wrongs　of　others；　is　the　hall…mark　of　the　brave　and　noble　spiri