760 ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY 



normal and therefore normal psychology. We enter upon more 

 debatable ground when we try to determine the exact nature of 

 these processes and give greater precision to our knowledge. Are 

 the anesthesias, amnesias, and other forms of dissociation, for in- 

 stance, to be classified, as held by Dr. Janet, as " failure of personal 

 perception," that is, simply as special types of normal absent- 

 mindedness, or must some physiological principle be invoked. 

 This is a question of interpretation of the observed facts, and it 

 seems to me is one which we are not in a position as yet to answer 

 definitely, although, as I shall later point out, we can frame a rea- 

 sonable hypothesis. 



II. Do Subconscious States habitually exist normally, or are they 

 always either Artifacts or Abnormal Phenomena f 



I have already referred to the doubling of the mind and the 

 formation of subconscious states that may result from this dis- 

 sociation, even to the formation of a second personality. Now, 

 if abnormal dissociation is only an exaggeration, or perversion of 

 normal dissociation, the question arises, To what extent is there 

 a division of the healthy mind of such a character as to give it 

 multiplicity? Are the well-known abnormal dissociations and auto- 

 matisms, i. e. the manifestations of abnormal subconscious processes, 

 merely perverted types of similar processes which go on in every 

 healthy mind? This is one of the most pressing problems for ab- 

 normal psychology to settle, for the idea that there is a subconscious 

 mental life of elaborate activity which habitually plays a large part 

 in all our mental processes has received such wide acceptance that 

 it shows evidence of dominating psychological thought, and has 

 even furnished a groundwork for a new philosophy. As a problem in 

 dissociation and automatism, I propose, therefore, to inquire to what 

 degree this hypothesis is justified by actually demonstrated data 

 in our possession to-day. 



The problem may be thus stated: Do subconscious states habit- 

 ually exist normally, or are they always either artifacts or abnor- 

 mal phenomena? If they form a part of the normal mind, what 

 is the extent of the subconscious field? There is a very wide tend- 

 ency at the present day to account for a large variety of phenom- 

 ena, including both normal and abnormal experiences, by what 

 used to be called " unconscious cerebration " but which now is spoken 

 of as "subconscious thought " or the " secondary consciousness." 



Now at the outset, in approaching this problem, we should have 

 a clear idea of what is meant by subconscious ideas and their re- 

 lation to the personal consciousness. It is difficult to state the 

 theory of a secondary consciousness in a way that will be accept- 



