Scanned by Charles Keller with OmniPage Professional OCR software THE FOUNDATIONS OF PERSONALITY BY ABRAHAM MYERSON, M.D. CONTENTS INTRODUCTION I. THE ORGANIC BASIS OF CHARACTER II. THE ENVIRONMENTAL BASIS OF CHARACTER III. MEMORY AND HABIT IV. STIMULATION, INHIBITION, ORGANIZING ENERGY, CHOICE AND CONSCIOUSNESS V. HYSTERIA, SUBCONSCIOUSNESS AND FREUDIANISM VI. EMOTION, INSTINCT, INTELLIGENCE AND WILL VII. EXCITEMENT, MONOTONY AND INTEREST VIII. THE SENTIMENTS OF LOVE, FRIENDSHIP, HATE, PITY AND DUTY, COMPENSATION AND ESCAPE IX. ENERGY RELEASE AND THE EMOTIONS X. COURAGE, RESIGNATION, SUBLIMATION, PATIENCE, THE WISH AND ANHEDONIA XI. THE EVOLUTION OF CHARACTER WITH ESPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE GROWTH OF PURPOSE AND PERSONALITY XII. THE METHODS OF PURPOSE-WORK CHARACTERS XIII. THE QUALITIES OF THE LEADER AND THE FOLLOWER XIV. SEX CHARACTERS AND DOMESTICITY XV. PLAY, RECREATION, HUMOR AND PLEASURE SEEKING XVI. RELIGIOUS CHARACTERS. DISHARMONY IN CHARACTER XVII. SOME CHARACTER TYPES THE FOUNDATIONS OF PERSONALITY INTRODUCTION Man's interest in character is founded on an intensely practical need. In whatsoever relationship we deal with our fellows, we base our intercourse largely on our understanding of their characters. The trader asks concerning his customer, "Is he honest?" and the teacher asks about the pupil, "Is he earnest?" The friend bases his friendship on his good opinion of his friend; the foe seeks to know the weak points in the hated one's make-up; and the maiden yearning for her lover whispers to, herself, "Is he true?" Upon our success in reading the character of others, upon our understanding of ourselves hangs a good deal of our life's success or failure. Because the feelings are in part mirrored on the face and body, the experience of mankind has become crystallized in beliefs, opinions and systems of character reading which are based on physiognomy, shape of head, lines of hand, gait and even the method of dress and the handwriting. Some of these all men believe in, at least in part. For example, every one judges character to a certain extent by facial expression, manner, carriage and dress. A few of the methods used have become organized into specialties, such as the study of the head or phrenology, and the study of the hand or palmistry. All of these systems are really "materialistic" in that they postulate so close a union of mind and body as to make them inseparable.