Now an influence which has been of great significance to every human being
since the traditional period, at least, has been the concept of the universe
regnant at the period of that individual's life. The insistence by its
protagonists upon this concept as the ultimate motive of human endeavour
made its acceptance almost universal at periods when it was the custom to
lean upon the dicta of authority for guidance in life even when blind
obedience was not the rule. Now in natural affairs, inconvenient
questionings and scepticisms towards dogmatisms would ultimately reach
truth. But as inaccessibleness to verification of what was called
supernatural made authority, rather than investigation, its criterion,
excommunication from the tribe would still all criticism.[1] Thus every act
of life became permeated by motives, originated in arbitrary interpretations
of a super-nature.
[1] A dramatic study of this occurrence is presented by Grant Allen in "The
Story of Why-Why" in his book "The Wrong Paradise."
These influences were specially conspicuous concerning the difficulties of
man's almost blind struggle against the uncomprehended astronomical and
geodetic phenomena marvelled at and fled from, as well as the pestilences
which ravaged him. In his sociological affairs too, every act or thought
became embued with relationship to an extraneous power.
It is by these social and physical phenomena that the greatest appeal is
made to the states of feeling termed emotions and sentiments. So that it
became the custom to invoke, concerning ill states of feeling, the reference
to a supernatural influence. Thus, from the cradle up, the ordering of
social relationships was made dependent upon the simple expedient of the
supernatural extraneous agent, rather than upon the more difficult and
elaborate analysis and synthesis which would have been required for a proper
investigation of each perturbing circumstance in its relation to life as a
whole. The power of this influence was inversely proportional to the
resiliency and tenacity as well as the general well-being of the individual.
But not only is reference to the supernatural favoured by traditional
cosmogony, but because of certain psychological features of the individual
himself there is a tendency towards supernatural explanations of the
introspective observations. The Occasions of introspection of this kind are
two, and I am not speaking of the inculcated introspection of the moralists.
One of these Occasions is the self-examination into his conduct which is a
normal character of a thinking being. This may give rise to supernatural
explanations even when the introspection is not determined by the tradition
of which I have already spoken.
The second kind of Occasion demanding introspection, is the autochthonous
emanation of feeling of unaccustomed character. Such feelings occur at the
physiological epochs;--but at these times they are readily explained in a
familiar and simple way, and hence no supernatural agency is usually
invoked. A similar explanation is made readily enough in cases of evident
bodily disease, even where mental symptoms are prominent, for it is no
longer the custom to speak of demon-possession even in the acute deliria.
But even where no physiological epoch or clearly defined physical disease
stands forth, unusual feelings are no uncommon phenomenon, and they demand
explanation. Such occur conspicuously in the psychopathological syndrome so
completely described by Janet under the term psychasthenia. Persons thus
afflicted feeling an incapacity and an impediment to their free activity and
not recognizing that they are sick, endeavour to interpret their feelings.
Of course, the interpretation varies somewhat in accordance with the nature
of the feelings, and with the person's information about the world and his
psyche. But quite apart from modifications of this type, I have found it
very common for patients to declare "I feel as if there was another person
in me," or "I feel compelled as if by another agency to act thus." The
explanation of a supernatural agent weighing upon them becomes very easy.
For the purpose of this discussion, it is not important whether
psychasthenia arises purely from degeneration of structure, or from faults
in the chemistry of the plasma which bathes the nerve structures, or whether
it is a purely psychopathological condition to which the physical phenomena
are secondary, as some would have us believe. Our object is merely the
setting forth of the fact that it is a diseased condition which disposes its
victim towards metaphysical explanations.
It is a sort of uneasiness which prevents comfort in the feelings of
certainty, in the operations of the intellect and decision of action. The
patient finding himself abulic, and perhaps too critical minded to accept
the mundane supports in his vicinity, seeks a solace in that which to him
seems powerful because incomprehensible, that is to say in something
supernatural.
For this, it is not essential that the victim's mind be pervaded by the
infantine cosmogony which parades often as religious truth. Without anything
of the sort, there may arise naive interpretations, hardly even having
explicit reference to supernatural agents. For example, a patient may say
"If I begin on Friday, a certain undertaking will fail," "If I do not turn
my vest twice, misfortune will occur," "It is incumbent upon me to turn
round in my chair, or the negotiations will fail." The enumeration of
expedients would be useless. The above are from three different patients,
one a boy of fourteen now completely cured; the second from the son of a
prominent public man now quite restored to health; the third from a case
still under care. In none of these was the bodily state of importance, the
psychological reactions were the sole object of therapeutic effort, and
their ordination was accomplished by purely psychological means.
DATA CONCERNING DELUSIONS OF PERSONALITY WITH NOTE ON THE ASSOCIATION OF
BRIGHT'S DISEASE AND UNPLEASANT DELUSIONS.[*]
[*] Presented in abstract at the Sixth Annual Meeting of the American
Psychopathological Association, held in New York City, May 5, 1915. Being
Contributions of the State Board of Insanity, Whole Number 47 (1915. 13).
The material was derived from the Pathological Laboratory of the Danvers
State Hospital, Hathorne, Massachusetts, and the clinical notes were
collected by Dr. A. Warren Stearns, to whom I wish to express my
indebtedness but to whom no one should ascribe the somewhat speculative
character of the present conclusions. (Bibliographical Note.--The previous
contribution was State Board of Insanity Contribution, Whole Number 46
(1915.12) by D. A. Thom and E. E. Southard entitled "An Anatomical Search
for Idiopathic Epilepsy: Being a First Note on Idiopathic Epilepsy at
Monson State Hospital, Massachusetts," accepted by Review of Neurology and
Psychiatry, 1915.)