FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   >>  
he second system is capable of occupying an idea only when it is in position to check the development of pain emanating from it. Whatever withdraws itself from this inhibition also remains inaccessible for the second system and would soon be abandoned by virtue of the principle of pain. The inhibition of pain, however, need not be complete; it must be permitted to begin, as it indicates to the second system the nature of the memory and possibly its defective adaptation for the purpose sought by the mind. The psychic process which is admitted by the first system only I shall now call the _primary_ process; and the one resulting from the inhibition of the second system I shall call the _secondary_ process. I show by another point for what purpose the second system is obliged to correct the primary process. The primary process strives for a discharge of the excitement in order to establish a _perception_ identity with the sum of excitement thus gathered; the secondary process has abandoned this intention and undertaken instead the task of bringing about a _thought identity_. All thinking is only a circuitous path from the memory of gratification taken as an end-presentation to the identical occupation of the same memory, which is again to be attained on the track of the motor experiences. The state of thinking must take an interest in the connecting paths between the presentations without allowing itself to be misled by their intensities. But it is obvious that condensations and intermediate or compromise formations occurring in the presentations impede the attainment of this end-identity; by substituting one idea for the other they deviate from the path which otherwise would have been continued from the original idea. Such processes are therefore carefully avoided in the secondary thinking. Nor is it difficult to understand that the principle of pain also impedes the progress of the mental stream in its pursuit of the thought identity, though, indeed, it offers to the mental stream the most important points of departure. Hence the tendency of the thinking process must be to free itself more and more from exclusive adjustment by the principle of pain, and through the working of the mind to restrict the affective development to that minimum which is necessary as a signal. This refinement of the activity must have been attained through a recent over-occupation of energy brought about by consciousness. But we are aware that
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   >>  



Top keywords:

process

 

system

 
identity
 

thinking

 

secondary

 
primary
 

inhibition

 
memory
 
principle
 

presentations


excitement
 

thought

 

attained

 

mental

 

occupation

 

purpose

 

stream

 

abandoned

 

development

 
impede

attainment
 

substituting

 

recent

 
refinement
 
deviate
 

activity

 

intensities

 
brought
 

obvious

 

misled


allowing
 

energy

 

condensations

 
continued
 

formations

 

compromise

 

intermediate

 

consciousness

 

occurring

 
processes

adjustment

 
working
 

restrict

 
affective
 
exclusive
 

offers

 
points
 

departure

 

tendency

 
important