e in other
symptoms of larval efforts at cooperation with the actual or supposed
wishes of the physician and in such cases it is not impossible that
passive movements are interpreted as orders. One must remember in this
connection that the more primitive are the mental operations of any
individual, the more important do signs, rather than speech, come to be
a medium of communication with other people. As an example of this type
we might mention Rose Sch. (Case 6), who flinched from pin pricks
(showing that she felt them) but made no effort to get away. When
somewhat clearer she said that she was "here to be cured." Similarly
Mary D. (Case 4), who showed no catalepsy from ordinary tests, kept her
head off the pillow for a long time after it was raised to have her hair
dressed. She showed such perseveration in many constrained positions.
She too flinched from pin pricks but not only made no effort to prevent
them but would even stick out her tongue to have a pin stuck in it.

The relationship of catalepsy to resistiveness is interesting but
unfortunately complicated and unclear. In only one of our cases was
catalepsy definitely present without resistiveness, and in one other a
"tendency to catalepsy" was noted without muscular rigidity being
observed. In this latter case, when the catalepsy became unquestionable,
resistiveness also appeared. It is one thing to note this coexistence
and another to explain it adequately. All that we can offer are mere
speculations as to the real meaning of the association of these
phenomena. It may be that the tension of muscles that occurs when
resistiveness is present gives the idea to the patient of holding the
position. There would be two possible explanations for this. We might
think there is a dissociation of consciousness, like that of hysteria,
where the feeling of tenseness in the muscles that comes from the
resistance to gravity is not discriminated from the resistance to the
movements made by the examiner. On the other hand, there might be a
similar dissociation where the perception of contraction in the
antagonistic muscles is interpreted as the action of the examiner in
placing the limb in a given position. This latter view would seem, on
the face of it, ridiculous, inasmuch as its presumes the existence of
two directly opposed tendencies, namely, those of opposition to the will
of the physician and compliance with it. But ambivalent tendencies are
frequently present in psychop