Page:Jung - The psychology of dementia praecox.djvu/144

120 The content of affirm is the same as mentioned above. The clearest meaning is in the sentence "I affirm that I am paralyzed." Here "affirm" has its exact and original sense. Mostly, however, patient uses "affirm" in a figurative sense as "I affirm the insane asylum" meaning "I affirm it as my property" or "I affirm a payment," meaning "I affirm that I have a claim on a payment." As was shown in the analysis of "main key" patient's speech is abnormally flexible and tends toward arbitrary and odd expressions. Normally changes in speech occur very slowly, here the changes take place rapidly and within the limits of the individual's life. The reason for these rapid changes seems to lie in the vagueness of her conceptions. She scarcely differentiates, and her conceptions are used and expressed now this way, now that way (compare "main key"). Judging by its content the sense of affirm is here very equivocal. Affirm contains corroborate, and verify, which at all events may be understood, although both terms go somewhat beyond the sense of affirm, but to recommend, to give one's opinion, and to take notice of, can no longer be logically connected with affirm unless it be as superficial associations. Both expressions do not in any way explain the sense of "affirmation," on the contrary they only cause it to become blurred. This is due to the fact that the presentations of the words are but indistinctly perceived and hence she does not recognize their dissimilarity.

11. Universal (stereotype: "I am the universal"): I came as the universal seventeen years ago—universal firmly includes the reposal—regulated conditions—it is also by inheritance—it includes also wealth conditions—the title of world proprietress includes in itself one thousand millions—that is really the villa, equipage—since 1886 I was riding horseback and driving—I am universal since the death of my father—in the winter month I affirm the universal—even if I had not affirmed it in the dream I would have known it—on account of being a bequeathor—at least twenty-five thousand—with what an energy!—the Swiss life annuity is one hundred and fifty thousand—according to the telephone, Mr. O. drew my life annuity—universal is something definite—you can be that through deceased—through inheritance—universal is property—the property belongs to me.

According to these associations "universal" means universal