The unconscious : $b The fundamentals of human personality, normal and abnormalPrince, Morton
Science
The unconscious : $b The fundamentals of human personality, normal and abnormal
Prince, Morton
Psychology, Pathological; Subconsciousness
2. In consequence of this principle of systematization it is in our
power by educational suggestion in hypnosis to organize mental processes
and _build complexes_ of the same kind and in the same way as when the
subject is awake. In fact, it is more readily done, inasmuch as in
hypnosis the critical judgment and reflection tend to be suspended. The
suggested ideas are accepted and education more easily accomplished.
While in hypnosis the individual may thus be made to accept and hold new
beliefs, new judgments, in short, new knowledge.[152] After waking he
may or may not remember his hypnotic experiences. Generally he does. If
he does the new knowledge, if firmly organized (by repetition and strong
affective tones) is still retained, and if accepted (i.e., not repressed
by conflicting ideas) shapes his views and conduct in accordance
therewith. Even if his hypnotic experiences are not remembered, they
still belong to his personality, inasmuch as they are neurographically
conserved, and, experience shows, may still influence his stream of
consciousness. His views are modified by his unconscious personality.
His ideas may and generally do awaken the neurograms of associated
systems created in hypnosis. Not remembering the hypnotic state as a
whole he does not remember the _origin_ of his new knowledge; that is
all.
One point to be borne in mind is that conserved ideas, whether we can
recall them or not, so long as they are conserved are a part of our
personality, as I have previously pointed out, and ideas can emerge from
the unconscious into the field of the conscious though we have
completely forgotten their origin. It requires but a single experiment
in the induction of suggested post-hypnotic phenomena to demonstrate
these principles.
3. As to those _pathological states_ where there is a splitting of
personality—hysterical crises, psycholeptic attacks, trance states,
certain types of epilepsy, etc.—complexes may similarly be formed in
them. In these conditions there is a dissociation of a large part of the
normal mental life, and that which is left is only a limited field of
consciousness. A new synthesis comes into being out of the unconscious
to represent the personal self. Though the content of consciousness is a
reproduction of, or determined by certain previous experiences, it is
also true that in these states new experiences may result in new
complexes which then take part in the personality as with hypnotic
experiences.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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