Elements of Folk Psychology: Outline of a Psychological History of the Development of MankindWundt, Wilhelm Max
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Elements of Folk Psychology: Outline of a Psychological History of the Development of Mankind
Wundt, Wilhelm Max
Ethnopsychology
possess a very complex social organization, but are, nevertheless,
only slightly superior, on the whole, to primitive peoples. Thus, the
various phases of totemic culture may develop in relative independence
of one another, even though they are in constant interaction. This is
true particularly in the sense that the more developed totemic customs
and cults occur even on low cultural levels, whereas, on the other
hand, they more and more disappear with the progress of culture.
2. THE STAGES OF TOTEMIC CULTURE.
We cannot undertake to describe the extraordinarily rich external
culture attained by those groups of peoples who may, in the main, be
counted as belonging to the domain of totemism. This is the task of
ethnology, and is not of decisive importance for folk psychology.
True, in the case of primitive man, the conditions of external culture
were described in some detail. This was necessary because of the
close connection between these conditions and the psychical factors
fundamental to all further development. The beginning of the totemic
period marks a great change. New forces now come into play, such as are
not to be found among the universal motives that have controlled the
life of man from its very beginning. Of these forces there is _one_ in
particular that should be mentioned--one that is practically lacking
among primitive tribes. This consists in the reciprocal influences
exercised upon one another by peoples who occupy approximately the
same plane of culture but who nevertheless exhibit certain qualitative
differences. Migrations are also an important factor in the totemic
age, as well as is the tribal warfare with which migrations are
connected.
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