Is not his only reason for calling some actions instinctive or impulsive the fact that he does not want to be held responsible for them? What he cannot control is not his fault. Therefore, what he does not want to be blamed for he says is not under his control. Any thing, person or mysterious power can be made the scapegoat for his misdeed. Much more likely is he to blame other things, persons or powers for what he does contrary to what he thinks people want him to do, than to account for some praiseworthy action by saying it was the result of some power other than himself. If his marriage has turned out unhappily he consoles himself by saying all marriage is a lottery. If it turns out well he pats himself on the back and says, in actions though not in so many words: “See what a fine match I have made!” But why should he take only praise and put blame on some mysterious power—luck, or providence or what not? § 129 His sexual instinct is most likely to be assigned to some mysterious power. But it is no more mysterious than his heartbeat and no more miraculous than the growth of his beard or finger nail. In spite of the fact that he has not given them much thought, his sex instincts are as much a part of him as any tissue of his body. The same principle applies to the praise or blame attached by others to the acts which his sexual instincts prompt him to do. If he kiss a strange girl in an environment where strange girls are kissed by everyone, his act is not blamed. So it is his own act and not inspired by some unholy power (unless indeed he has to explain to someone how he happened to be in that environment, or he would have to blame that on his instinct). If his amativeness shows itself in any place where that form of self-expression is frowned upon, he will be mentally preparing excuses, even if he does not have to use them, and he will simply say he was forced by his irresistible impulse to do that very thing. If his environment consisted at the time of one woman whose unconscious passion was already directed toward him, she might call upon him for an explanation which of course she wouldn’t really care about, but any sort of explanation logical or not would suffice, because the demand was only conventional. He takes the praise for what is conventionally praised in his actions. He shifts the blame to anything not himself. Also he takes the praise, if any is accorded, to anything that has cost him much effort. He leaves, or dodges, the blame. So the two ideas according to which he reacts to praise or blame are the idea of whether the actions praised or blamed are his, the result of his conscious effort, and the idea of whether or not the actions or their results are pleasant. § 130 On this principle he does always the next best thing to what he thinks is expected of him provided he cannot or fancies he cannot do exactly what people look to him to do.