THE NEWER PYSCHOLOGY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19260, 26 August 1924, Page 4

THE NEWER PYSCHOLOGY.

AN ELUCIDATION OF PSYCHOANALYSIS. Professor Adams's evening lecture on “Fducation and the Newer Psychology ’ drew a ■very large attendance to tbo Hums Hall in the evening. Tho Rev. Dr Cameron (Chancellor of the University) presided, and was accompanied on tho platform hy a score or more of ladies and gentlemen prominent in educational and other professional circles. Dr Cameron expressed his great pleasure at presiding. Ii was a great matter for ns hero at the ends of the earth tiiat we had such a visitor as Professor Adams corning to see ns. We were, inclined to have false notions on certain matters, though New Zealand did lead the world in several respects.— (Laughter.) Down in tho south of Now Zealand wc did not need to learn much about education because wo were tho educational centre not only of New Zealand but of the surrounding countries.—(Laughter.) Still, it was a great- thing to have such a man as Professor Adams to bring before us something of the movements and tendencies in education in the world to-day. It would bo a splendid thing if some of our loading citizens would found a lectureship by means of which some of the leading men in various spheres of life might bo brought from other parts of the world to lecture to us here. Professor Aoums remarked that talking about newer psychology naturally implied an older psychology, and that would bo more familiar to most of them. The old psychology was a cultural study, which had for its subject the mature man. Tho newer psychology began by changing that attitude. Ho illustrated what psychology meant by reference to Shakespeare and to J. M. Barrio, and distinguished the differing fields of psychology and of art. Shakespeare was far from being a psychologist, though he dealt with tho subject matter of psychology. Neither was J. M. Barrie a psychologist., though he approached nearer to it in his art than did Shakespeare because ho was of introspective typo. The first now psychology emerging from the old psychology was genetic psychology, beginning with the baby at birth and following on through all the stages of life. Above all, a student of education must know bow the child developed. The second difference from the old psychology was that the new considered the crowd or the mass and so had collective psychology. People in the mass acted differently from the manner in which they acted as individuals. There had come into our language a word that had unpleasant associations and that he would do all in his power to drop save that it might be wholesome to remember sometimes what it stood foi —“Mafeking.” Stockbrokers did on the Stock Exchange together at chat time things which if (hey had dong individually •in their own offices them would have been taken away to the place prepared for them. —(Laughter.) The lecturer went on to explain and illustrate the difference between a chemical compound and a mechanical mixture. Tho crowd was not merely a mixture of the elements making it up, but it was something either higher or lower. It was something fresh and new in the realm of psychology. The explanations offered wore various. Some said that the difference arose because the element of responsibility was lacking in the crowd. That wits Irne wUhiu narrow limits. Others said it was explained by imitation, and that was partially true. He believed the working of crowd psychology could bo explained by tho law of affinity and the law of arrest. All the common elements in the crowd roused and strengthened one another and blotted out tho individual peculiarities* He fully illustrated tho action of the collective mind in tho crowd. The newer psychology included also a third development about which a great deal was said just now — psych o-analysis. It was a very dangerous subject, but one that could not he entirely neglected. The word psycho-analysis was often used in an ambiguous and confusing wav. Sometimes it was used to describe a philosophy of the unconscious. Consciousness could not he satisfactorily defined by anyone in the world, and yet the most illiterate understood what it meant. Consciousness must he taken for granted. Psychology was sometime| defined as the science of behaviour. A\e could behave intelligently in relation to unconsciousness although we could not define it. There were writers on tho unconscious who were really helpful. Herbert had enunciated a now theory of (he conscious which really implied (he unconscious, and ho worked it out in a fresh and original way. Tho Freudians themselves scorned unaware lhat there was one such as Herbart who had so largely anticipated their great master. Probably Freud iiad never read Herbart, and ho certainly worked out his own theories very powerfully for himself. The speaker therefore, did not blame Freud for not acknowledging his debt. Ho explained and illustrated what is meant hv ideas being “ above” or “below” the threshold of consciousness, and s-aid lhat Herbart had introduced a certain amount of confusion by trying to distinguish between tho sub-conscious and (ho unconscious, whereas, as a matter of fact, there was no distinction between them. An idea was either in consciousness or not in consciousness. The Freduiaiig used two figures that ho had found very helpful. An icobcrg with, nine-tenths of its mass below the surface might sometimes bo seen moving slowly in the teeth of tho wind. So the whole state of mind might be conditioned by tho unconscious mass rather than by what was in consciousness. The other figure was that of the Titan within us. Tho Titans were giants bound clown beneath rooks and mountains and somelimes they turned in their agonies and caused earthquakes and upheavals. So it was said (here was n wild boast within ns that sometimes made its power felt. Only it was a mistake to suppose lhat all these impulses wore evil. Sometimes they were good. In view of all these facts, what sort of insides, had we got?--(!.aughter.) If we followed the phyoho-analysts we would believe that it was a cesspool. Sometimes under an anaesthetic tbo patient would make use of all sorts of bad and loathsome language, but the wise doctor know better than to draw any inference from this against, the patient’s character. It simply meant that at some lime or ananothof these words had passed through the patient’s consciousness/’ We repressed bad ideas again and again until they were at length suppressed and could only be called to the surface again under exceptional circumstances. The second aspect of psycho-analysis was (o use it as a process and find out what was going on in other people’s minds. Generally speaking. we had no business to inquire into that, but sometimes if the mind became unhealthy it might be necessary to inquire, what went on below the threshold of consciousness. He described in detail what would happen to you if you went with a ‘’complex” lo consult a Harley street specialist in psycho-analysis.. The specialist would persuade the patient to talk and go on talking about anything ho chose, and rue specialist would carefully note in his mind the points at. which tho patient slopped. The lecturer’s remark that he understood that Duhedin audiences liked long lectures was warmly applauded, and Professor Adams took (ho hint to continue. Hr described the other iisycho-analytic.il method of investigation try which the examiner suggested words and the patients answered the first word that was suggested to him bv that word. This was used to test criminals in Franco, and he advised them if (hey were ever in France and murdered anyone not lo submit to this lest,—(Laughter.) A list of 100 words was submitted to the suspect, two-thirds of which were perfectly harmless and innocent, the remainder having direct connection with tho crime. The suspect, if he knew of the crime, took longer to respond to the guilly words. Some criminals, knowing the test, gave themselves away hv responding too quickly to tho guilty words. Yet Others more cunningly astute still who responded in about the average time gave themselves away hv Inking longer to respond to tho word after tho guilty word. Let them avoid as far as they could all these psycho-analytic tests in the ordinary work of the school. The more the teacher knew of these and (he less he applied them the boiler. Lot (hern find out all thev could about the trouble from which the hoy was suffering and then pass him on to someone who was really expert. - (Loud applause.) Professor U. Lawson expressed his extreme pleasure in moving a vote of thanks to the lecturer. He wished first of all to thank him for his honks, winch had been an inspiration to teachers (hrnmrhout the F,moire for many years past. Not nnlv had he thrown new light on new processes of thought and of education, hut also upon the old. Tie stood ns (he wise Nestor of British education, but he was also in Ihe forefront of the nmst progressive thought. As a newcomer the speaker had been delighted to find the quick edmail iornl conscience in Dunedin, but an educational conscience needed also direction such as Professor Adams could give it. He had been very pleased to hoar Professor Adams’s warning against bringing the morbid aspects of psycho-analysis into (lie classroom. He thanked Professor Adams again for the splendid elucidation of tho .subject lie had given them. The meeting closed with ihe singing of a verso of tho National Anthem.