THE EVOLUTION OF INDIVIDUALITY 655 



evolution of the psychical individuality: (1) The most primitive stage is 

 represented by that of the simple reflex mechanisms, to which the simple 

 conditioned reflex is added as an important extension. The action of hormones 

 may further complicate this mechanism. (2) Superimposed upon this stage is 

 the one in which there are active more or less isolated, disconnected pictures 

 of things and events, developing in response to the needs of the moment; 

 they may become memories and may direct actions. (3) In a third stage, 

 thoughts which represent simple abstractions are produced. These may exert 

 their effects as suggestions, extending from others to ourselves ; or as auto- 

 suggestions originating within us. It is partly, or perhaps largely, by means 

 of auto-suggestions that our thought determine our present and our intended, 

 our future, actions and attitudes. (4) The highest stage is reached with the 

 functioning of extended, conscious and rational thoughts which then may 

 affect our actions and attitudes. The further development of the psychical 

 individuality coincides with the history of civilization. In the evolution from 

 the first to subsequent stages the directness of the relationship between the 

 organism and the environment decreases ; more and more there are placed 

 between the two, psychical factors ; and, concomitantly, the contact with and 

 the understanding of the environment enlarges and deepens. Thus, in the 

 interaction between our psychical individuality and the outer world, con- 

 stituents of the latter play a greatly predominating role, so that the relative 

 importance of external factors and of inner factors in the functioning of 

 the organism becomes entirely different. The essential content of what we 

 call "mind" is composed of things given us from the outside, from the non- 

 living environment, and, above all, from the living, social, human environment. 

 While the simple reflex action is largely of the same kind in all individuals 

 of the same species, with increasing psychical development and especially 

 with the development of analytic thought, the differentiation between individ- 

 ual organism is greatly increased and real psychical individualities are created. 



But while the dependence of our personality on the environment, and 

 especially on the social environment, becomes greater, at the same time con- 

 sistency of thought and the building up of a social thought-reservoir, with 

 which we enter into increasingly intimate connection, cause our individuality 

 to become more fixed, steady, independent of the environment, which, on the 

 contrary, we now begin to modify and to shape more and more in accordance 

 with our desires ; and this environment, on which we are able to act and which 

 we can alter, includes in certain respects our own organism, in the bodily 

 as well as in the psychical-social sense. 



These various circuits, which develop as steps in the evolution of individ- 

 uality, remain connected with one another in a more or less intimate manner. 

 The later circuits are superimposed upon and depend for their existence and 

 function upon the primary circuit, which is the basic one. While the latter 

 gives thus to the more complex, higher circuits the possibility of maintenance, 

 development and of further evolution, while changes occurring in the primary 

 circuit affect all the higher circuits, and while, in particular, its derangement 

 causes serious interference with the function of the higher circuits, there 



