Volume 1

Analytic psychology.

  • George Frederick Stout
Date:
1896
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Analytic psychology. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Leeds Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Leeds Library.

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    narrow limits, it would, by altering the phenomena to be observed, prove a very serious source of error in observation. Mr. Shand has referred to a group of instances which strik- ingly illustrates this point.1 The psychologist often finds it necessary to observe faint sensations and images, as such, being interested in them merely as mental experiences, and disregarding their significance as representations of physical objects. Any appreciable change in their intensity is there- fore to him a mere falsification. Whenever the intensity itself is the object examined, it would obviously destroy the possi- bility of observation, if this intensity became greater the more it was scrutinised. Under such conditions we should, as Stumpf says, be unable to observe a low tone, but only one of maximum loudness, or, at any rate, one which constantly in- creases as it is observed ; whereas, in point of fact, we can follow a diminuendo with increasing attention. Such increase of intensity as is produced by attentive concentration occurs mainly in the case of initially faint sensations, and even with these it is veiy slight. Something perhaps depends on the point of view of the observer. If intensification will assist in- stead of hindering him, he will endeavour by appropriate move- ments of fixation, and by the recall of appropriate images, to make the sensory presentation more vivid. If, on the other hand, intensification is a hindrance to him instead of a help, he will endeavour to prevent it. As regards mental images, there is more difficulty in coming to a decision, because they are so much more evanescent than impressional experiences. But when the presence of the image in consciousness is pro- longed, it seems very difficult to increase the concentration of attention without increasing the vividness of the imagery. This is especially so when we deliberately try to mentally picture an object. Hence the extreme difficulty of intro- spective observation of mental imagery. 1 Mind, N.S., No. 12.
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