Page:Psychology and preaching.djvu/162

 144 PSYCHOLOGY AND PREACHING

mental world makes the new idea too disturbing to minds that have reached a certain stage of crystallization. If the disagreement is entire, it is judged as absurd and utterly unworthy of consideration. The whole mind reacts against it and judges it as untrue. There is no doubt in the atti tude of the closed mind. Its characteristic note is the assertion of unconditional adherence to the existing system of beliefs and the simultaneous rejection of the presentation which conflicts with it. Of course, no mind becomes so completely crystallized as to resist unconditionally new ideas of every description; but it not unfrequently happens that one s system of ideas pertaining to some particular field of thought becomes so fixed as to exclude, automatically, so to speak, every suggestion which would involve any change of importance. This is often noticeable in the domain of the ology or of politics. It is characteristic of the mental or ganization of those who have reached advanced age in a provincial environment.

II. Several important consequences may be deduced from the foregoing analysis of the mental functions, belief and doubt.

I. The specific character, the quale, of belief is the ac ceptance of a presentation as true. But what exactly is meant by &quot; true &quot; ? Without being led into a detailed dis cussion of this difficult question, an answer sufficient for our purpose is that the &quot; truth&quot; of a presentation means that it may be taken as a safe basis of action. This is the true mark and measure of belief. All thinking has reference ultimately to action. One s mental system is his equip ment for the direction and control of action, using the word in the general sense of conduct; and the reception of any new elements among his beliefs signifies the preparedness and purpose to act in accordance therewith when the occa sion for it arises. The function of mind is to receive im pressions, or presentations, from the environment, treasure them, correlate them and translate them into suitable acts of adjustment. That which to a mind is suitable to be trans-

�� �