“OLD FOGEYS—OF ALL AGES”

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 24 July 1928, Page 9

“OLD FOGEYS—OF ALL AGES”

I W.E.A. LECTURE. The fourth of tiie series of weekly puulic lectures arranged by the W.E.A. and Victoria University College, was given at tlie Council Chambers last evening, there being a good attendance. The lecturer (M. A. hr nest Mander; began by drawing a sharp distinction between the cause of a. man’s holding certain opinions and, on the other [hand, the reasons or arguments with which he justiriies them. Nowadays, tiie term ••rationalisation” is used 'to connote the finding of arguments ■ and • reasons” to support auu justify an opinion already accepted ou non-ration-ai grounds. To a psychologist, the cause of a man’s holding an opinion is always more interesting than are the reasons with which he justifies it. After giving numerous illustrations, taken from many fields of opinion, the lecturer mentioned an interesting observation of his own in regard to the recent trouble in Samoa. He had made notes of fourteen of his own friends and acquaintances—of conversations with them at various stages in the dispute. Eleven of them, at least, had certainly adopted their opinion—five that the New Zealand Government was in the wrong—before they had any real facts at all. They started off by believing that our government must be in the wrong (or in the right); ana then, in the days and weeks that followed. they were busy gathering facts and arguments to support their preconceived opinion. But not one of the eleven changed, or even modified that opinion.

In a later portion of his lecture, Air. Mander referred to the temptation we experience, in politics and elsewhere, to suppose that our side—whichever that may be —has a mo nop ly of intehigence, knowledge, honesty, or care for the welfare of the people. One hears it, he said, from Reformers, Labourites and Liberals, fr»m Prohibitionists and their opponents, from supporters of the churches and from those who attack them. One’s own side is inspired, by lofty ideals and pure reason the other by crude sell interest and prejudice.

In the second half of his lecture Mr. Mander dealt with what is nowadays known to psychologists as “pattern thinking.” In its physiological aspect, the individual “mind’’ is believed to depend upon a highly complete system of brain-patterns; an al.most incredibly complicated network of connections and ■ cross - connections among the three million nerve-centres of the cerebral cortex. Along these complicated patterns of synopses and connecting nerve-fibres the nerve current, it seems, goes shooting backwards and forwards, in and out, this way and that, following always the pattern of the lines of lowest resistance; and the “thoughts” of that person are determined. by the particular “pattern” followed. But suppose some new idea is presented, which will not fit in with any existing thought-pattern; a new klea which is inconsistent with the. person’s established way of thinking. \Yhat will happen then? The lecturer explained, from* both the psychological and the physiological standpoint, how an “open mind” would then be able to test the new idea; and, if it was found to fit the facts, would alter- the pattern of the mind to make the new idea fit in.

But in many minds, the thought-pat-tern is so “stamped in” that it is practically' impossible to change it; and in such cases, no new idea can be accepted unless it can be fitted into any existing thought-pattern. While we are young, we are continually altering our thought-patterns, modifying our opinions, ‘‘making up our minds” afresh But as we become older our thought-patterns become more set. We lie Lome less and less able to acie-pt new ideas which would necessitate any rearrangement of our existing thought-pattern. Thus we become, in James’s term, “old fogeys.” An “old fogey” may have become such at seventeen—or seventy. “I am almost afraid to say so,” says Janies, “but I believe that, in the majority of people, old fogeyism begins at about the age of twenty-five.” After dealing further with this question, the lecturer concluded. “Then what is the purpose of the W.E.A. ? Surely one important purpose is to help us, and as many others as we influence, to ward off ior as long as possible “old fogeyism.” It was announced that liext week’s subject would be “The Psychology of v.ompany and Crowds.” i ' . •