Elements of Folk Psychology: Outline of a Psychological History of the Development of MankindWundt, Wilhelm Max
Science
Elements of Folk Psychology: Outline of a Psychological History of the Development of Mankind
Wundt, Wilhelm Max
Ethnopsychology
In more recent times, therefore, Frazer, whose great work, "Totemism
and Exogamy," has assembled the richest collection of facts concerning
totemic culture, has turned to an essentially different theory. He
traces all forms of totemism back to conception totemism. Since the
latter, as we have already stated, probably arose out of individual
totemism, we are again confronted by an individualistic view, much as
in the hypothesis of the origin from names. Frazer derives conception
totemism from the dreams which mothers are supposed occasionally to
have experienced before the birth of a child. The animal appearing in
such a dream is thought to have become the totem or guardian animal of
the child. But, though conception totemism, as well as sex totemism,
may possibly have some connection with such phenomena--the fact that
the animals here concerned are chiefly nocturnal animals suggests that
such may be the case--totemism as a whole may, nevertheless, scarcely
be derived from dreams. Still less can this hypothesis be harmonized
with the fact that conception totemism is an anomaly. The ideas centred
about it are but of rare occurrence within the system of totemic
culture as a whole. Moreover, as Frazer also has assumed, they never
appear except as an offshoot of individual totemism, and this in turn,
when viewed in all its phases, cannot be regarded otherwise than as a
product of tribal totemism. In its reference to the dream, however,
this hypothesis may perhaps contain an element of truth, inasmuch as
it involves ideas that obviously play an important rôle in totemism.
This is shown particularly by reference to the totem animals that are
found most commonly in Australia, and that suggest a relation between
totemism and animistic ideas of the soul.
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