第 65 节
作者:暖暖      更新:2021-02-24 23:00      字数:9322
  unsafe〃 attitude。 He pities the unfortunate but is not truly sympathetic; in that it rarely occurs to him that success and failure are relative; that an accident might have shipwrecked his fortunes and that his good qualities are as innate as his complexion。 For this man prides himself on his strong will and courage; whereas he merely has within him a fine engine in whose construction he had no part。 2。 The hyperkinetic; controlled; impractical person。 B。 is; in the fundamentals of energy and control; singularly like A。; but because of the nature of his interests and purposes their lives have completely diverged so that no one would ordinarily recognize the kinship in type。 B。 is and always has been a worker; enthusiastic and enduring; and he has stuck to his last with a fidelity that is remarkable。 He is very likable in the ordinary sense;pleasant to look at; cheerful; ready to joke; laugh or to help the other fellow。 Nevertheless; he has only a few friends and is a distinctly disappointed man at heart; because his interests are in the ordinary sense; impractical。 B。 early became interested in physiology。 From the very start he found in the workings of the human body a fascination that concentrated his efforts。 Poor; he worked hard enough to obtain scholarships and fellowships in one university after another until finally he became a Ph。 D。 Here was a great error from the practical standpoint; for had he become an M。 D。; he would have had a profession that offered an independent financial future。 But; in his zeal; he did not wish to take on the extended program of the physician; and he saw clearly that he might become a better scientist as a Ph。 D。 He became a teacher in one school after another; did a good deal of research work; but has not been fortunate enough to make any epoch…making discoveries。 He is one of those splendid; painstaking; energetic men found in every university who turn out good pieces of work of which only a few know anything; and from which in the course of time some genius or lucky scientist culls a few facts upon which to build up a great theory or a new doctrine。 He married one of his own students; a fine woman but unluckily not very strong; and so there fell on him many a domestic duty that a thousand extra dollars a year would have turned over to a maid。 Thus B。 is an obscure but respected member of the faculty of a small university。 He teaches well; though he dislikes it; and he is happy at the times when he works hard at some physiological problem。 He loves his family and has vowed that his son will be a business man。 He feels inferior as he contemplates his obscure existence; with its precarious financial state; its drudgery and most of all the gradual disappearance of his ideals。 He is frank to himself alone; wishes he had made money; but is apt to sneer at the world of the 〃fat and successful〃 as less than his intellectual equal。 He compares his own rewards with that of the successful man knowing less and with a narrower outlook。 Thus; through success; A。 is broadening and becoming something of an idealist。 B。 is narrowing and through failure is losing his ideals。 This is not an uncommon effect of success and failure。 Where success leads to arrogance and conceit it narrows; but where the character withstands this result the increased experience and opportunity is of great value to character。 Failure may embitter and thus narrow through envy and lost energy; but also it may strip away conceit and overestimation and thus lead to a richer insight into life。 3。 The hyperkinetic; uncontrolled or shallow。 This type; although quick and apparently energetic; is deficient in a fundamental of the personality; in the organizing energy。 This deficiency may extend into all phases of the mental life or in only a few phases。 Thus we see people whose thinking is rapid; energetic; but they cannot 〃stick〃 to one line of thought long enough to reach a goal。 Others are similarly situated in regard to purposes; they are enthusiastic; easily stirred into activity; but rarely do their purposes remain fixed long enough for success。 As a rule this class is inconstant in affections; though warm and sympathetic。 They gush but never organize their philanthropic efforts; so that they rarely do any real good。 Often the most lovable of people; they are at the same time the despair of those who know them best。 M。 is a woman who makes a fine first impression; is very pretty; with nice manners and a quick; flattering interest in every one she meets。 She is usually classed as intelligent because she is vivacious; that is; her mind follows the trend of things quickly; and she marshals whatever she knows very readily。 As one who knows her well says; 〃She shows all her goods the first time。 You really do not know how slender her stock in trade is until you see the same goods and tricks every time you meet her。〃 Needless to say her critic is a woman。 M。 is interested in something new each week。 The 〃new〃 usually fascinates her; and she becomes so extraordinarily busy that she hardly has time to eat or sleep。 She is always put on committees if the organization heads do not know her; but if they do; she is carefully slated for something of no importance。 After a short time her interest has shifted to something else。 Thus she passes from work in behalf of blind babies to raising funds for a home for indigent actors; from energy spent in philanthropy to energy spent in learning the latest dances。 Her enthusiasm never cools off; though its goal always changes。 Fortunately she is married to a rich man who views her with affection and a shrug of his shoulders。 Her children know her; now and then; she becomes extraordinarily interested in their welfare; much to their disgust and rebellion; for they have long since sized her up。 She has often been on the verge of a love affair with some man who is professionally interested in something into which she has leaped for a short time。 She raves about him; follows him; flatters and adores him; and then; before the poor fellow knows where he is at; she is out of love and off somewhere else。 This mutability of affection has undoubtedly saved her from disaster。 Were she not rich; M。 would be one of the social problems that the social workers cannot understand or handle; e。 g。; there is a type who never sticks to anything; not because he is bored quickly; or is inefficient; but because he is at the mercy of the new and irrelevant。 Without sufficient means he throws up his job and tries to get the new work he longs to do。 Sometimes he fails to get it; and then he becomes an unemployed problem。 This type of uncontrolled energy reaches its height in the manical or manic phase of the disease already described as manic depressive insanity。 The 〃manic personality;〃 which need not become insane; is characterized by high energy; vivacious emotions; rapid flow of thought and irrelevant associations。 4。 The mesokineticmedium or average in their energy (feeling and power)run the range of the vast groups we call the average。 This type is spurred on by necessity; custom and habit to steady work and steady living。 Possessed of practical wisdom; their world is narrow; their affections only called out for their kindred and immediate friends。 Their interests are largely away from their work and as a rule do not include the past or future of the race。 Usually conservative; they accept the moral standards as absolute and are quick to resent changes in custom。 They follow leaders cheerfully; are capable of intense loyalty to that cause which they believe to stand for their interests。 Yet each individual of the mass of men; though he never rises above mediocrity; presents to his intimates a grouping of qualities and peculiarities that gives him a distinct personality。 C。 is one of those individuals whose mediocre energy has stood between him and so…called success。 At present he is forty and occupies about the same position that he did at twenty。 As a boy he was fond of play but never excelled in any sport and never occupied a place of leadership。 He had the usual pugnacious code of boys; but because he was friendly and good…natured rarely got into a fight。 He liked to read and was rather above the average in intelligence; but he never tackled the difficult reading; confining himself to the 〃interesting〃 novel and easy information。 He left high school when he was sixteen and immediately on leaving he dropped all study。 He entered an office as errand boy and was recognized as faithful and industrious; but he showed no especial initiative or energy。 In the course of time he was promoted from one position to another until he became a shipper at the age of twenty。 Since this time he has remained at this post without change; except that when he got married and on a few occasions afterward; when the cost of living rose; his salary was raised。 C。 is married; and his wife often 〃nags〃 him because he does not get ahead。 She tells him that he has no energy and fight in him; that if he would he could do better。 Sometimes he takes refuge in the statement that he has no pull; that those who have been promoted over his head are favorites for some reason or another; and he rarely recognizes the superiority of his immediate superiors; though he is loy