The fear of the psychopathic may even resort to love so as to gain
safety and protection from the tantalizing agonies of the fear
instinct. _That is why some physicians are deceived, and ascribe
psychopathic troubles to love instead of to the real fundamental
cause of all psychopathic disorders, namely self-preservation and
the fear instinct._
Similarly mysticism, a psychopathic malady of a social character,
has its origin in the impulse of self-preservation and the fear
instinct, and takes refuge in “love” or in “union” with the
Infinite which serves as a rock of protection, security, and
salvation from all terrors of life. _Psychopathic love is a
neurotic fear delusion._ There is nothing more deceptive and
delusive than psychopathic love,--for it takes its origin in self
and fear.
VI. _The Principle of Recession_
Experiences are blotted out from memory in the course of time. A
very small percentage of impressions is registered by the brain,
a still smaller percentage can be reproduced, and out of them a
very small percentage carries _recognition_ as memory, that is,
of impressions experienced before. _Forgetfulness is therefore a
normal physiological function characteristic of the brain and mind._
Forgetfulness depends on at least three conditions, lack of
registration, lack of reproduction, and lack of recognition.
There will correspondingly be at least three forms of amnesia or
forgetfulness, _amnesia of registration, amnesia of reproduction,
and amnesia of recognition_. The real problem of Psychology is not
so much the lapses of memory, but the _why_ and _how_ of memory,
and especially of recognitive memory.
This, however, we may establish as a law that when memory in
regard to definite experiences weakens in the course of time, the
lapse follows _from recognition to reproduction, and finally to
registration_. Recognition fails first, then comes the failure of
memory reproduction, and finally memory registration of the special
experience becomes blurred and wiped out. This may be termed
_the law of memory decay, or of memory regression_. This is the
principle of memory recession.
Some, though by no means all, child memories or infantile
experiences follow this law of regression or recession. Child
experiences, like all old experiences, tend to recede in
their course of decay or of regression below the threshold of
consciousness. The experiences are not recognized on reproduction,
or are reproduced with great difficulty, or have even lost the
function of being reproduced. When under such conditions, the
experiences are said to have become subconscious, or have receded
into the subconscious.
On the other hand some of those subconscious experiences, or
subconscious memories may, under favorable conditions, once more
regain their functions of reproduction and recognition, and
become fully conscious. This may occur in various trance states,
subconscious states, and in various psychopathic conditions.
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.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account