Of all the above-named complex emotions, Pride, perhaps, is the most
plainly expressed. A proud man exhibits his sense of superiority over
others by holding his head and body erect. He is haughty (_haut_), or
high, and makes himself appear as large as possible; so that
metaphorically he is said to be swollen or puffed up with pride. A
peacock or a turkey-cock strutting about with puffed-up feathers, is
sometimes said to be an emblem of pride.[1113] The arrogant man looks
down on others, and with lowered eyelids hardly condescends to see
them; or he may show his contempt by slight movements, such as those
before described, about the nostrils or lips. Hence the muscle which
everts the lower lip has been called the _musculus superbus_. In some
photographs of patients affected by a monomania of pride, sent me by
Dr. Crichton Browne, the head and body were held erect, and the mouth
firmly closed. This latter action, expressive of decision, follows, I
presume, from the proud man feeling perfect self-confidence in himself.
The whole expression of pride stands in direct antithesis to that of
humility; so that nothing need here be said of the latter state of
mind.
_Helplessness, Impotence: Shrugging the shoulders_.—When a man wishes
to show that he cannot do something, or prevent something being done,
he often raises with a quick movement both shoulders. At the same time,
if the whole gesture is completed, he bends his elbows closely inwards,
raises his open hands, turning them outwards, with the fingers
separated. The head is often thrown a little on one side; the eyebrows
are elevated, and this causes wrinkles across the forehead. The mouth
is generally opened. I may mention, in order to show how unconsciously
the features are thus acted on, that though I had often intentionally
shrugged my shoulders to observe how my arms were placed, I was not at
all aware that my eyebrows were raised and mouth opened, until I looked
at myself in a glass; and since then I have noticed the same movements
in the faces of others. In the accompanying Plate VI., figs. 3 and 4,
Mr. Rejlander has successfully acted the gesture of shrugging the
shoulders.
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