the foundations of personality-第76章

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re　are　persons　of　no　artistic　ability　whatever　who　show　a　generalized；　excitable…emotional　temperament。　All　young　children　show　the　main　traits　of　this　type；　and　there　is　something　essentially　simple　about　all　these　folk；　no　matter　how　civilized　or　sophisticated　they　get　to　be。　A。　L。；　a　woman　of　fifty；　belongs　to　this　group。　She　is　a　Jewess　and　now　a　widow。　All　of　her　life　her　character　and　temperament　have　been　the　same；　and　though　her　experiences　have　been　varied　she　has　not　in　any　essential　altered。　This　last　is　rather　characteristic　of　the　group；　for　experience　has　but　little　effect　on　their　emotional　reactions。　A。　L。　cries　very　easily　and　readily；　but　her　tears　are　easily　dried　and　her　joy　is　grotesquely　childlike。　She　is　readily　frightened；　worries　without　restraint　and　finds　a　melancholy　satisfaction　in　the　worst。　At　the　same　time；　her　fears　do　not　persist　and　are　easily　dissipated　by　encouragement　or　good　fortune。　She　is　readily　angered　and　〃raises　a　row〃　with　great　facility　and　without　restraint。　For　this　reason　her　relatives　and　friends　become　panic…stricken　when　she　becomes　angry；　for　they　know　that　she　does　not　hesitate　to　make　an　embarrassing　scene。　In　the　efforts　to　conciliate　her　they　are　apt　to　give　her　her　own　way；　as　a　result　of　which　she　is　the　proverbial　spoiled　child；　capitalizing　her　weakness。　Our　Jewess　uses　her　emotions　for　effect；　which　means　that　she　has　become　theatrical。　Though　there　is　reality　in　her　emotional　display；　time　and　the　advantages　she　has　gained　have　brought　enough　finish　and　restraint　to　her　manifestations　to　gain　the　designation　artistic。　True；　it　is　a　crude　artistry；　for　intelligence　does　not　sufficiently　guide　it；　and　her　art　is　used　sometimes　indiscriminately　and　inopportunely。　As　she　grows　older　the　value　of　her　tears　is　less；　and　she　is　becoming　that　prime　nuisance；　the　elderly　scold。　Among　the　emotional　types　well　recognized　by　the　neurologist　is　that　known　as　the　cyclothymic。　In　the　individuals　of　this　group　there　is　a　periodicity　to　mood　（rather　than　to　emotions）。　There　is　a　definitely　pathological　trend　to　the　cyclothymic；　and　in　its　most　marked　form　one　sees　the　recurring　depressions　and　excitement　of　Manic　Depressive　Insanity。　Aside　from　these　pathological　forms；　there　are　persons　who　show　curious　periodic　changes　in　mood。　They　become　depressed　for　no　especial　reason；　are　〃blue〃　for　day　after　day　and　then　quickly　return　to　their　normal。　Sometimes　these　blue　spells　alternate　with　periods　of　exaltation　and　happiness；　but　in　my　experience　this　is　far　less　common　than　periodic　blue　spells；　a　kind　of　recurrent　anhedonia。　L。　D。　is　ordinarily　what　is　known　as　a　vivacious　person。　Bright；　talkative；　keen　in　her　discriminations；　she　has　all　her　life　been　at　the　mercy　of　strange　alterations　in　mood；　alterations　which　come　and　go　without　what　seems　to　others　adequate　reason。　As　a　child　L。　D。　was　sick　a　great　deal。　She　showed　an　unusual　susceptibility　to　infection；　and　it　was　not　until　she　was　nine　years　of　age　that　she　attended　school　regularly。　Her　illnesses　made　it　impossible　to　discipline　her；　and　so　she　has　always　been　a　bit　〃spoiled；〃　though　her　kind　and　generous　nature　makes　her　a　charming　person。　But　more　important　than　the　fact　that　she　could　not　be　disciplined　is　the　lowering　of　energy　that　these　sicknesses　produced；　a　lowering　marked　mainly　by　a　liability　to　fatigue　and　depression。　Let　there　come　a　sickness；　and　this　woman's　stock　of　hopeful　mood　goes　and　there　results　a　loss　of　interest　in　life；　a　loss　of　zest　and　joyousness。　A　digression；and　a　return　to　the　theme　of　the　first　chapter　of　this　book。　The　dependence　of　the　mental　life　on　bodily　structure；　equally　true　in　the　both　sexes；　is　exquisitely　demonstrated　in　woman。　In　many　women　there　occurs　an　extraordinary　increase　of　sex　desire　just　before　the　menstrual　period　and　in　some　to　the　point　where　it　causes　great　internal　conflict。　Others　show　moderate　depression　and　even　confusion　at　this　time；　and　to　the　majority　of　women　some　mood　and　thought　change　is　taken　for　granted。　At　the　menopause　mental　difficulties　to　the　point　of　insanity　are　witnessed；　and　in　some　cases　the　change　is　permanent。　Back　of　mood　is　the　entire　organic　life　of　the　organism；　and　back　of　the　nature　of　our　thoughts　and　deeds　is　mood。　A　peculiarity　of　fatigue　is　remarkably　well　shown　by　this　person。　When　she　is　tired　or　convalescent　a　depressing　thought　sticks；　becomes　an　obsession；　a　fixed　idea；　to　the　plague　of　her　life。　Thus　when　she　was　nursing　her　first　baby　the　night　feedings　exhausted　her。　One　night；　half　asleep　and　half　awake；　with　the　vigorous　little　animal　pulling　away　at　her　breast；　she　watched　the　pulsing　fontanelle　on　the　top　of　the　baby's　head；　and　the　thought　came　to　her　how　dreadfully　easy　it　would　be　to　injure　the　brain　beneath。　Her　heart　pounced　in　fear；　she　almost　fainted　at　the　thought；　and　yet　it　〃stuck〃　and　came　back　to　her　with　each　random　association。　I　need　not　detail　how　the　idea　recurred　a　dozen　times　a　day　and　brought　the　fear　that　she　was　going　insane。　She　stopped　nursing　the　baby　at　night；　got　a　good　rest；　and　the　idea　disappeared。　She　was　〃able　to　shake　off〃　when　rested　that　which　was　a　hideous　obsession　when　fatigued。　Indeed；　one　might　speak　of　persons　of　this　type　as　hypothymic　as　well　as　cyclothymic。　The　hypothymic　are　those　whose　stock　of　courage　and　hope　is　easily　exhausted；　who　become　easily　discouraged。　They　are　borrowers　of　energy　and　vigor；　they　need　sturdier　folk　around　them；　often　they　are　said　to　be　sensitive；　and　while　this　is　sometimes　true；　it　is　more　often　the　case　that　they　are　more　affected。　That　is；　two　persons　may　notice　the　same　thing　or　suffer　the　same　sickness；　but　the　so…called　sensitive　has　a　reserve　of　courage　and　energy　that　disappears；　whereas　the　other　has　enough　left　in　stock　so　that　he　does　not　feel　any　change。　The　extraordinary　complexity　of　human　character　is　well　illustrated　by　C。　D。　She　is　hypothymic　or　cyclothymic　to　the　little　affairs　of　life　and　to　the　minor　illnesses。　Yet　when　her　family　fortunes　were　greatly　imperilled　by　a　financial　crisis；　she　stood　up　against　the　strain　far　better　than　did　her　husband；　a　man　sturdy　and　buoyant　in　most　of　the　affairs　of　life。　His　ego　was　more　concerned　with　financial　fortune　than　was　hers；　and　against　this　ill　she　was　the　philosopher　and　not　he。　We　may　well　contrast　L。　D。　with　her　husband。　He　belongs　to　the　sturdy　in　emotions　and　morals；the　stable。　Dark　days　and　bright　days；　sickness　and　health；　fatigue　and　rest　seem　to　impair　his　courage；　hope　and　general　cheerfulness　of　mood　but　little。　He　has　a　high　organic　balance　and　a　well…built…up　philosophy。　I　started　to　say　of　him　that　he　is　an　optimist；　but　this　is　not　true。　He　is　cheerful；　but　he　does　not　sing；　〃Tra　la　la；　all　the　things　that　are；　are　good。〃　He　says；　〃There　are　bad　things；　but　I　must　carry　on　and　fight　the　good　fight。〃　His　is　a　philosophy　of　courage　and　endurance；　but　not　of　optimistic　twaddle。　He　is　too　wide…brained　to　speak　of　life　as　〃all　good〃　when　he　knows　of　inherited　disease；　cruelty；　preventable　poverty；　gross　neglect　and　unmerited　misfortune。　Yet　he　lends　hope　and　comfort　to　the　afflicted；　and　he　has　an　unvarying　comfort　for　his　cyclothymic　mate。　He　has　built　up　his　ego　around　a　business；　one　in　which　there　was　sunk　not　only　his　own　fortune　but　that　of　a　host　of　friends。　When　this　was　so　threatened　as　to　seem　inevitably　lost；　his　ego　was　deeply　wounded；　he　lost　courage　and　hope　and　then　needed　the　strength　of　his　wife。　This　she　gave；　and　when　the　tide　of　affairs　turned；　his　own　courage　was　ready　and　unimpaired。　We　are　like　trees；the　hard；　strong；　knotty　parts　of　our　fiber　are　distributed　in　irregular　fashion；　and　he　who　seems　strongest　has　a　weak　place　somewhere。　Attack　that；　and　his　resistance；　courage　and　hope　disappear。　While　there　are　the　types　of　mood　and　emotional　make…up；　there　are　curious　monothymic　types；　people　who　habitually　tend　to　react　with　one　emotion　or　mood。　The　fear　type。　It　must　again　be　emphasized　that　we　cannot　separate　emotion；　mood；　instinct；　intelligence　in　our　analysis。　And　so　we　shall　speak　of　individuals　of　this　or　that　type　when　what　we　mean　is　that　they　reacted　habitually　and　remarkably　in　one　direction。　Thus　with　the　man　F。；　who　has　quick　imagination；　and　w