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第72节

criminal psychology-第72节

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ve his replies honestly。 If; however; psychologically there are real reasons for variation in the time in which an answer is given; reasons which do not depend on its correctness; we must seek out this correctness。 Suppose that we have before us a case in which the name awakens more quickly and reliably the idea of the person to whom it belongs than conversely。 This occurs to any one of us; and often we can not remember the name of even a close friend for a greater or shorter period。 But we very rarely find that we do not think of the appearance of the individual whose name we hear mentioned。 But it would be wrong to relate this phenomenon to certain qualities which contradict it only apparently。 E。 g。; when I examine old statutes which I myself have worked with and review the names of the series; I recall that I had something to do with this Jones; Smith; Black; or White; and I recall what the business was; but I do not recall their appearance。 The reason is; first of all; the fact that during the trial I did not care about the names which served as a means of distinguishing one from the other; and they might; for that purpose; have been _a_; _b_; _c_; etc。 Hence; the faces and names were not as definitely associated as they ordinarily are。 Moreover; _*this_ failure to recall is a substitution for each other of the many tanti quanti that we take up in our daily routine。 When we have  had especial business with any particular individual we do remember his face when his name is mentioned。


'1' Volkmar: Psychologie。 Cthen 1875。


If; then; a witness does not quickly recall the name of something he is thinking of; but identifies it immediately when the name is given him; you have a natural psychological event which itself has no bearing on the truth or falsity of his testimony。

The same relation is naturally to be found in all cases of parallel phenomena; i。 e。; names; symbols; definitions; etc。 It applies; also; to the problem of the alteration in the rapidity of psychical processes with the time of the day。 According to Bechterew and Higier there is an increase in psychical capacity from morning to noon; then a dropping until five o'clock in the afternoon; then an increase until nine o'clock in the evening; and finally a sinking until twelve o'clock midnight。 There is; of course; no doubt that these investigators have correctly collected their material; that their results shall possess general validity is; however; not so certain。 The facts are such that much depends; not only on the individual character; but also on the instant of examination。 One hears various assertions of individuals at times when they are most quick to apprehend and at their best; and hence it is hardly possible to draw a general rule from such phenomena。 One may be wide awake in the morning; another in the forenoon; a third at night; and at each time other people may be at their worst。 In a similar fashion; the psychic disposition varies not only during the day; but from day to day。 So far as my observations go the only thing uncontradicted is the fact that the period between noon and five o'clock in the afternoon is not a favorable one。 I do not believe; however; that it would be correct to say that the few hours after the noon dinner are the worst in the day; for people who eat their dinners at about four or five o'clock assure me that from one to five in the afternoon; they cannot work so well。 These facts may have a value for us in so far as we can succeed in avoiding the trial of important cases which require especial consideration during the time mentioned。


Section 48。 (c) The Subconscious。

It is my opinion that the importance of unconscious operations'1a' in legal procedure is undervalued。 We could establish much that is significant concerning an individual whose unconscious doings we knew。 For; as a rule; we perform unconsciously things that  are deeply habitual; therefore; first of all what everybody does walk; greet your neighbor; dodge; eat; etc。; secondly; we perform unconsciously things to which we have become accustomed in accordance with our especial characters。'1' When; during my work; I rise; get a glass of water; drink it; and set the glass aside again; without having the slightest suspicion of having done so; I must agree that this was possible only in my well…known residence and environment; and that it was possible to nobody else; not so familiar。 The coachman; perhaps; puts the horses into the stable; rubs them down; etc。; and thinks of something else while doing so。 He has performed unconsciously what another could not。 It might happen that I roll a cigarette while I am working; and put it aside; after awhile I roll a second and a third; and sometimes I have four cigarettes side by side。 I needed to smoke; had prepared a cigarette; and simply because I had to use my hands in writing; etc。; I laid the cigarette aside。 In consequence; the need to smoke was not satisfied and the process was repeated。 This indicates what complicated things may be unconsciously performed if only the conditions are well…known; but it also indicates what the limits of unconscious action are: e。 g。; I had not forgotten what would satisfy my need to smoke; nor where my cigarette paper was; nor how to make a cigarette; but I had forgotten that I had made a cigarette without having smoked it。 The activities first named have been repeated thousands of times; while the last had only just been performed and therefore had not become mechanical。'2'


'1a' Th。 Lipps: Der Begriff des Unbewnssten in der Psychologie。 Mnchen 1896。

'1' Cf。 Symposium on the Subconscious。 Journal of Abnormal Psychology。

'2' Cf。 H。 Gross's Archiv; II; 140。


Lipps calls attention to another instance: ‘‘It may be that I am capable of retaining every word of a speech and of observing at the same time the expression which accompanies the speech。 I might be equally able to trace a noise which occurs on the street and still to pay sufficient attention to the speech。 On the other hand; I should lose the thread of the speech if I were required at the same time to think of the play of feature and the noise。 Expressed in general terms; idea A may possibly get on with idea B and even idea C; but B and C together make A impossible。 This clearly indicates that B and C in themselves have opposed A and inhibited it in some degree; but that only the summation of their inhibition could serve really to exclude A。'' This is certainly correct and may perhaps be more frequently made use of when it is necessary to judge how much an individual would have done at one and the  same time; and how much he would have done unconsciously。 An approximation of the possibilities can always be made。

Such complicated processes go down to the simplest operations。 Aubert indicates; for example; that in riding a horse at gallop you jump and only later observe whether you have jumped to the right or the left。 And the physician Forster told Aubert that his patients often did not know how to look toward right or left。 At the same time; everybody remembers how when he is doing it unconsciously; and it may often be observed that people have to make the sign of the cross; or the gesture of eating in order to discover what is right and what left; although they are unconsciously quite certain of these directions。 Still broader activities are bound up with this unconscious psychosis; activities for us of importance when the accused later give us different and better explanations than at the beginning; and when they have not had the opportunity to study the case out and make additional discoveries; or to think it over in the mean time。 They then say honestly that the new; really probable exposition has suddenly occurred to them。 As a rule we do not believe such statements; and we are wrong; for even when this sudden vision appears improbable and not easily realizable; the witnesses have explained it in this way only because they do not know the psychological process; which; as a matter of fact; consisted of subconscious thinking。

The brain does not merely receive impressions unconsciously; it registers them without the co…operation of consciousness; works them over unconsciously; awakens the latent residue without the help of consciousness; and reacts like an organ endowed with organic life toward the inner stimuli which it receives from other parts of the body。 That this also influences the activity of the imagination; Goethe has indicated in his statement to Schiller: ‘‘Impressions must work silently in me for a very long time before they show them selves willing to be used poetically。''

In other respects everybody knows something about this unconscious intellectual activity。 Frequently we plague ourselves with the attempt to bring order into the flow of ideasand we fail。 Then the next time; without our having thought of the matter in the interval; we find everything smooth and clear。 It is on this fact that the various popular maxims rest; e。 g。; to think a thing over; or to sleep on it; etc。 The unconscious activity of thought has a great share in what has been thought out。

A very distinctive rle belongs to the coincidence of conscious  attention with unconscious。

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