real when it is in accord with that of some other rational beings. Then it becomes objective[1] and the link with life is reached.
I am convinced that not a few will raise the objection that in the first place the psychological process of adaptation does not proceed by the method of first creating a world-philosophy; secondly, that it is in itself a sign of unhealthy mental disposition even to make the attempt to adapt oneself by way of a “world-philosophy.”
Undoubtedly there are innumerable persons who are capable of adaptation without creating any preliminary philosophy. If they ever arrive at any general theory of the world it is always subsequently. But, on the other hand, there are just as many who are only able to adapt themselves by way of a preliminary intellectual formulation. To all they do not understand they are unable to adapt themselves. Generally it comes about that they do adapt themselves just in so far as they can grasp the situation intellectually. To these latter seem to belong all those patients to whom we have been giving our consideration.
Medical experience has taught us that there are two large groups of functional nervous disorders. The one embraces all those forms of disease which are designated hysterical, the other all those forms which the French school has designated psychasthenic. Although the line of demarcation is rather uncertain, one can mark off two psychological types which are obviously different; their psychology is diametrically opposed. I have called these—the Introverted and Extraverted types. The hysteric belongs to the type of Extraversion, the psychasthenic to the type of Introversion, as does dementia praecox, in so far as we know it to-day. This terminology, Introversion and Extraversion, is bound up with my way of regarding mental phenomena as forms of energy. I postulate a hypothetical fundamental striving which I designate libido.[2] In the classical use of the word, libido never
- ↑ Here “objective” understanding is not identical with causal understanding.
- ↑ This energy may also be designated as hormé. Hormé is a Greek word όρμη—force, attack, press, impetuosity, violence, urgency, zeal. It is related to Bergson’s “élan vital.” The concept hormé is an energic expression for psychological values.
