Page:Mind (New Series) Volume 8.djvu/467

 ROUTINE PROCESS. 453 of a series would be of assistance. Such a feat would be too much for a trained psychologist, let alone for an average man not practised in introspective analysis. Hence men, as a rule, do not experiment much. They discover how trouble- some it is, and almost invariably decline the invitation. Ordinarily, then, when it occurs to any one that he might improve his method of writing, he lightly passes over the suggestion. Perhaps he pictures to himself the labour it will occasion before he achieves his purpose. Perhaps, and this is more likely, he dismisses the thought because he has dismissed similar thoughts before. Suppose, again, that a man does know what tires his hand in writing, and also what attitude is the most desirable. He has not therefore surmounted all difficulties. He must for- get the old way, and learn the new. Now we have seen how independent a routine process normally is of other routine processes, or of the general current of thought. Hence he has no mean task before him. Each time he wishes to write, and all the time he is writing, he must be thinking of the alteration he intends making. If he neglects to do this, he fails to work himself out of the old ruts. Speaking generally, so firmly fixed are the existing arrangements that often months or years pass before they are forgotten and the new method has been assimilated. Other difficulties arise. He might be preoccupied, and forget the experiment on which he had embarked. When a favourable occasion again offers, the idea of the experiment is not thought of and he unconsciously treads the old windings. Perhaps months afterwards he recollects that he had had a notion of introducing some alteration. He re- peatedly forgets his aim for hours, days, or weeks, as the case may be. Hence the hope of success recedes. This induces a lowering of interest, despair of final victory, and disgust. But grant that he has persevered and succeeded. The gain is not patent. If each fault he wished to grapple with took a long time to overcome and entailed much trouble, he could at best correct very few slips during a lifetime. Besides, he could not think of altering several faults at a time. And one more difficulty. Suppose a man makes up his mind to retire at 11 P.M. He carries out his resolution. In due time, as explained, the resolution is forgotten. Then some opportunity presents itself to stay up later, and slowly the time of retiring is changed again. Such reversion to old habits is frequent, and must be reckoned with. Though sweeping changes in adults are almost out of the question, and though innumerable organic trends can only be