From the Unconscious to the Conscious 



subconscious activities * ought to be considered as 

 pertaining to a system founded on mental evolution. 

 Subconsciousness should appear as a natural pro- 

 duct of mental constitution. It should also be 

 shown that in proportion as the complexity of the 

 mind increases, the Subconsciousness is modified 

 so as to continue to fill the function which it holds 

 in that mind. But all evolution implies arrest, 

 weakening, decadence, and dissolution; and in 

 examining the products of the dissolution of a 

 function we often come to understand its normal 

 development better; and it is for this reason that 

 we have in this work studied the alterations of the 

 mind with so much care.' 



This theory of Dr Jastrow's, if it explains nothing, 

 at least gives a very clear idea of the state of mind of 

 contemporary psychologists. It appeals to differentia- 

 tions which are not essential differences, to impotent 

 and vain ' morbid factors,' and to a mere verbalism 

 still more impotent. Finally it is absolutely and system- 

 atically inexact. It seems from time to time to have a. 

 glimpse of a part of the truth, but is incapable of rising 

 to a free flight above the classical routine and the medley 

 of commonplaces. It sheds absolutely no light on the 

 nature, the origin, or the essence of Subconsciousness. 

 It in no way explains how the Subconsciousness, together 

 with a far-reaching cryptomnesia, can contain so many 

 marvellous and powerful faculties, so much unexpected 

 knowledge, latent, unused, unusable, and necessitating 

 a morbid disintegration of .the Self in order to be 

 apparent ! 



6. M. RIBOT'S THEORY 



There is a recent theory which may be considered 

 as the last word in the classical concept of the 



1 My italics, G. G. 

 118 



