634 THE BIOLOGICAL BASIS OF INDIVIDUALITY 



merit of sympathy and pity. Thus, rigid ritualized group-action may replace 

 our initiative and coordination of thoughts and actions as the highest 

 expression of our individuality. On the other hand, these types of organized 

 suggestion may also be helpful ; they are economic, inasmuch as they save us 

 the expense of energy in the process of analytic thinking and of creating; 

 and moreover, they provide the feeling of security and remove from us the 

 weight of responsibility. One of the most distinguishing features between 

 different individuals is the relative power of suggestion, on the one hand, 

 and of freely associating and directing thoughts, on the other. Furthermore, 

 the tendency of these thoughts and their resulting actions to make conscious 

 connections with the "I" and the extent and comprehensiveness of the "I" 

 differ very much in different individuals, the different "IV varying greatly 

 as to their content of environmental constituents, especially those of a social 

 character. The "I" concept is already present in the young child ; it may be 

 active also in our sleep, where we refer to and connect with "ourselves" 

 memories usually of recent events, of thoughts we have had or about which 

 we have read. 



The more readily we remember our thoughts and consequent actions, and 

 the more we are capable of relating them in a consistent and logical manner 

 to the whole texture of our thoughts, and especially to the "I" concept, the 

 more our thoughts and actions are modifiable. On the contrary, in so far as 

 thoughts function as suggestions in us, they are rigid and our actions and 

 attitudes are not readily modifiable. As stated, individuals manifest marked 

 differences as to the relative preponderance of modifiable and less modifiable 

 thoughts, as to their sensitiveness towards thoughts and impressions coming 

 from the social as well as the non-social environment, and as to the readiness 

 with which thoughts and impressions act as suggestions. The easily remem- 

 bered conscious thoughts are relatively labile, while the unremembered 

 thoughts, suggestions, or the processes underlying or accompanying them, 

 influence our actions and attitudes in a rigid manner because they are 

 separate and not readily brought into connection with other thoughts. 



The relations between inner and outer world have changed in our con- 

 sciousness in the course of human history. Man created pictures of an outer 

 world and of an inner world; in so doing he created not only an anthropo- 

 centric world, but also an egocentric world. He saw himself, or beings like 

 himself, everywhere in the outer world. He felt the fate of the others as his 

 own fate and their experiences called forth emotions of sympathy and pity. 

 Or he reacted to them as to competitors or enemies with emotions of dislike 

 and antagonism. He obeyed or struggled against other human beings who 

 gave him commands. The effects of suggestion predominated very much 

 over the purely logical-intellectual analysis; the emotions of fear and hope 

 were correspondingly very active. His world centered around himself. In 

 this egocentric world things have values as material goods or as psychical 

 goods. Men fight for these, for the maintenance and elevation of their indi- 

 viduality and for a certain picture concept which they have of their own 



