Devereux] MOHAVE ETHNOPSYCHIATRY AND SUICIDE 513 



104) . This woman's half sister, O :otc, an attractive though crippled 

 woman, who had a confusional episode after an accidental miscarriage, 

 also drank to excess when she left her first husband, and ceased to 

 drink only when she found a good second husband (Case 129; cf. Case 

 24). 



2. MAUDLIN SENTIMENTALITY 



Tliis mood, defined here as a form of mawkish affectivity which 

 contrasts with the individual's usual affective behavior, appears to be 

 lacking among the Mohave. Thus, Hama: Utce:, in describing the 

 affectionate behavior of her somewhat intoxicated husband, specifi- 

 cally remarked that he was "as nice and sweet as he always is" (Case 

 136) . This remark is significant, since Hama : Utce : likes to affect a 

 certain gruffness of manner and definitely dislikes mawldshness. 



The above comments emphasize an outstanding characteristic of the 

 Mohave drinking pattern. The intoxicated person acts as he always 

 does, and is what he always is — only more so. The change is quantita- 

 tive, rather than qualitative. In Mohave society at least, intoxication 

 merely exaggerates the individual's most obvious character traits, 

 without suppressing his minor characteristics. The drunken Mohave 

 either becomes "bigger than life size" or passes out. This continuity 

 of behavior and affect, throughout the transition from sobriety to 

 intoxication, is probably due partly to the slight intensity of some 

 Mohave repressions, which is connected with the general patchiness 

 and nonpervasiveness of their superego (Roheim, 1933), and partly 

 to the high degree of continuity in cultural conditioning which is 

 characteristic of many primitive societies (Benedict, 1938). 



Some observers of human character believe that mawkish people 

 have no genuine and deep feelings and merely develop reaction for- 

 mations against their intense unconscious sadomasochistic impulses. 

 Since the Mohave are capable of giving and receiving love (Devereux, 

 1939 b), and express their feelings rather freely (Kroeber, 1925 a; 

 1925 b), they do not have to get drunk in order to be affectionate. 



The Mohave is not prone to indulge in wanton outbursts of sadism. 

 Mohave courage, which is second to none, is of the steadfast (pt. 7, pp. 

 426-431) rather than of the spectacularly foolhardy (bravado) 

 variety. It lacks the dramatic, rhetorical, larmoyant and distinctly 

 sadomasochistic background of Plains Indian valor (Lowie, 1935; 

 Devereux, 1951 a), which is an almost classical instance of a type of 

 moral masochism brilliantly characterized by Berliner (1947). In 

 Veblenian terms (Veblen, 1899), Mohave gallantry seems almost like 

 drudgery when contrasted with Crow Indian exploits, for example. 

 Hence, the Mohave does not feel that he has to purchase courage and 

 social approval through self-inflicted suffering, in an essentially hostile 

 universe. 



