Deeply ingrained is the impulse to exchange ideas with other persons. So
strong is it that even when not removed from human associations we often
personify animals and inanimate objects and address the artificial
persons in words expressive of ideas.
The expressive instinct has produced a large number of meaningful human
attitudes, actions and sounds—silence, gesture, signalling, facial
expression, singing, whistling, handclapping and other noises made by
hands and feet. All of these facts have direct bearing on school
discipline. If thoroughly understood they can be so dealt with as to
relieve a teacher of much anxiety. Otherwise the torments of pandemonium
await the teacher and failure marks attempts at school work proper.
The most comprehensive desire that lies behind actions of this sort is
to gain recognition from other persons. We shall study the evidence for
this conclusion through a number of instances.