Evolution Of The Japanese, Social And PsychicGulick, Sidney Lewis
History
Evolution Of The Japanese, Social And Psychic
Gulick, Sidney Lewis
Japan -- Civilization; Japan -- Social life and customs; National characteristics, Japanese
"Individuality" is defined by the Standard Dictionary as "the state or
quality of being individual; separate or distinct existence."
"Individual" is defined as "Anything that cannot be divided or
separated into parts without losing identity.... A single person,
animal, or thing." "Personality" is defined as "That which constitutes
a person; conscious, separate existence as an intelligent and
voluntary being." "Person" is defined as "Any being having life,
intelligence, will, and separate individual existence." On these
various definitions the following observations seem pertinent.
"Individuality" has reference only to the distinctions existing
between different objects, persons, or things. The term draws
attention to the fact of distinctness and difference and not to the
qualities which make the difference, and least of all to the
consciousness of identity by virtue of which "we feel each one of us
at home within himself."
"Personality" properly has reference only to that which constitutes a
person. As contrasted with an animal a person has not only life, but
also a highly developed and self-conscious intelligence, feeling, and
will; these involve moral relations toward other persons and religious
relations toward God.
Consciousness is not attendant on every act of the person, much less
is self-consciousness, although both are always potential and more or
less implicit. A person is often so absorbed in thought or act as to
be wholly unconscious of his thinking or acting; the consciousness is,
so to speak, submerged for the time being. Self-consciousness implies
considerable progress in reflection on one's own states of mind, and
in the attainment of the consciousness of one's own individuality. It
is the result of introspection. Self-consciousness, however, does not
constitute one's identity; it merely recognizes it.
The foundation for a correct conception of the term "personality"
rests on the conception of the term "soul" or "spirit." In my
judgment, each human being is to be conceived as being a separate
"soul," endowed by its very nature with definite capacities or
qualities or attributes which we describe as mental, emotional, and
volitional, having powers of consciousness more or less developed
according to the social evolution of the race, the age of the
individual, his individual environment, and depending also on the
amount of education he may have received. The possession of a soul
endowed with these qualities constitutes a person; their possession in
marked measure constitutes developed personality, and in defective
measure, undeveloped personality.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account