Psychology / by William James.

  • James, William, 1842-1910.
Date:
1892
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Psychology / by William James. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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

    467/500 (page 451)
    that this is so, .or every reader must have felt some fiery passion's grasp. What constitutes the difficulty for a man hiboring under an unwise passion of acting as if the pas- sion were wise ? Certainly there is no physical difficulty. It is as easy physically to avoid a fight as to begin one, to pocket one's money as to squander it on one's cupidities, to walk away from as towards q, coquette's door. The dif- ficulty is mental: it is that of getting the idea of the wise action to stay before our mind at alL When any strong emotional state whatever is upon us, the tendency is for no images but such as are congruous with it to come up. If others by chance offer themselves, they are instantly smoth- ered and crowded out. If we be joyous, we cannot keep thinking of those uncertainties and risks of failure which abound upon our path; if lugubrious, we cannot think of new triumphs, 1,ravels, loves, and joys; nor if vengeful, of our oppressor's com.munity of nature with ourselves. The cooling advice which we get from others when the fever- fit is on UP is the most jarring and exasperating thing in life. Reply we cannot, so we get angry; for by a sort of self-preserving instinct which our passion has, it feels that tnese chill objects, if they once but gain a lodgment, will work and work until they have frozen the very vital spark from out of all our mood and brought our airy castles in ruin to the ground. Such is the inevitable effect of rea- sonable ideas over others—if they can once get a quiet hear- ing; and passion's cue accordingly is always and every- where to prevent their still small voice from being heard at all. Let me not think of that! Don't speak to me of that! This is the sudden cry of all those who in a passion perceive some sobering considerations about to check them in mid-career. There is something so icy in this cold-water bath, something which seems so hostile to sations from bis muscular passivity. The action of his will, in sus- taining the expectation, is identical with that required for a painful muscular effort. What is hard for both in facing an idea as real.