All the elements of human character crop up in men's social
relations; in the foreground are their self-interest or sense of
self-preservation, together with their social and anti-social
promptings; a little farther back are their active energy, their
intelligence, their artistic feelings, and their religious
susceptibilities. Now all these should be broadly examined as elements
of the mind, without an immediate reference to the political machine.
Of course, the social feelings need a social situation, and cannot be
studied without that; but there are many social situations that give
scope for examining them, besides what is contemplated in political
society; and the psychologist proper ought to avail himself of all the
opportunities of rendering the statement of these various elements
precise. For this purpose, his chief aim is the ultimate analysis of the
various faculties and feelings. This analysis nobody but himself cares
to institute; and yet a knowledge of the ultimate constitution of an
emotional tendency is one of the best aids in appreciating its mode of
working. Without a good preliminary analysis of the social and
anti-social emotions, for example, you are almost sure to be counting
the same thing twice over, or else confounding two different facts under
one designation.
Pages:
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198