THE EVOLUTION OF INDIVIDUALITY 657 



the furthergoing analysis of man and his life, while it may provide satisfac- 

 tion and in the end give strength and calmness, may also under certain condi- 

 tions, interfere with the normal reflex and instinctive processes ; especially if 

 it tends to reproduce events in the painful social struggle, these pictures may 

 have disturbing effects and be injurious to the thinking individual. Thinking 

 in general causes fatigue, especially consistent thinking that subordinates itself 

 to reality which it wishes to express, and it is a difficult process. It is due to 

 this fact that in general man avoids analytic, objective thinking as much as 

 possible and devotes himself rather to the processes of willing and doing, and 

 to emotional experiences, and the events in the social struggle are allowed 

 to take their course and the serious consequences of this struggle may become 

 aggravated. 



Evolution has thus led to a gradual loss of the plasticity and to an increas- 

 ing differentiation, integration, rigidity and fixity of the body, and asso- 

 ciated with this process there has developed an increasing individualization 

 by variious means. This development has taken place, (1) by a refinement of 

 the organismal differentials and the creation of the individuality differentials 

 or by making the latter manifest; (2) by an increasing differentiation and 

 integration of the organ and tissue systems, and (3) by the creation and 

 intensification of the psychical individuality with the aid of certain organ 

 systems. Associated with this increase in individualization and close integra- 

 tion, deficiencies have developed in the organization of the body which become 

 more apparent with advancing age and in the end lead to the death of the 

 individual. 



Not only the bodily organization but also the psychical individuality which 

 has developed in the course of evolution is imperfect and deficient. This is 

 composed largely of suggestions which exist as separate, mutually dis- 

 harmonious constituents of the mind, whereas the integrating true thought 

 processes, which would be able to unify these disconnected parts into one 

 consistent whole and to effect greater harmony between the individual and 

 human society, do not function adequately. 



Parallel to the evolution of the individual, the social life as well has under- 

 gone a progressive evolution. It began with the rigidity of the social organiza- 

 tion of animal groups, as represented by the relations between certain 

 unicellular organisms, by primitive colonies, by the essentially fixed and 

 determined character of insect societies and by the less firmly knit social 

 organizations among vertebrates. Within the vertebrates a further evolution 

 in the same direction has taken place ; it made its greatest advance in the 

 change from the social life of monkeys and apes to that of human beings. 

 In the latter, free imagination and thought even in the restricted way in 

 which they are active have almost completely overcome the limitations of 

 animal societies. Human society is thus no longer fixed, but it has become a 

 modifiable state determined by varied suggestions as well as by rational 

 thought and directed by the needs and desires for material and psychical 

 goods. While the simple and distinctive psychical goods used and valued by 

 human beings also may have roots in the psychical life of animal groups, they 



