The Foundations of Personality

Excerpts:Man’s interest in character is founded on an intensely practical need. In whatsoever relationship we deal with our fellows, we base our intercourse largely on our understanding of their characters. The trader asks concerning his customer, 'Is he honest?' and the teacher asks about the pupil, 'Is he earnest?' The friend bases his friendship on his good opinion of his friend; the foe seeks to know the weak points in the hated one’s make-up; and the maiden yearning for her lover whispers to, herself, 'Is he true?' Upon our success in reading the character of others, upon our understanding of ourselves hangs a good deal of our life’s success or failure...CONTENTSINTRODUCTIONI: THE ORGANIC BASIS OF CHARACTERII: THE ENVIRONMENTAL BASIS OF CHARACTERIII: MEMORY AND HABITIV: STIMULATION, INHIBITION, ORGANIZING ENERGY, CHOICE AND CONSCIOUSNESSV: HYSTERIA, SUBCONSCIOUSNESS AND FREUDIANISMVI: EMOTION, INSTINCT, INTELLIGENCE AND WILLVII: EXCITEMENT, MONOTONY AND INTERESTVIII: THE SENTIMENTS OF LOVE, FRIENDSHIP, HATE, PITY AND DUTY, COMPENSATION AND ESCAPEIX: ENERGY RELEASE AND THE EMOTIONSX: COURAGE, RESIGNATION, SUBLIMATION, PATIENCE, THE WISH AND ANHEDONIAXI: THE EVOLUTION OF CHARACTER WITH ESPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE GROWTH OF PURPOSE AND PERSONALITYXII: THE METHODS OF PURPOSE-WORK CHARACTERSXIII: THE QUALITIES OF THE LEADER AND THE FOLLOWERXIV: SEX CHARACTERS AND DOMESTICITYXV: PLAY, RECREATION, HUMOR AND PLEASURE SEEKINGXVI: RELIGIOUS CHARACTERS: DISHARMONY IN CHARACTERXVII: SOME CHARACTER TYPES