Page:The Scientific Monthly vol. 3.djvu/493

 PSYCHOLOGY OF WISH FULFILMENT 4^7

died who can find little attraction in the girls with whom he aaso- ciates. He is totally unaware of the cause of this apathy and would probably be the first one to scoff at the true explanation. In a similar way adults may become too much attached to children. This is often seen in the case of a woman whose husband has died leaving her with an only son. The son becomes substituted for the father, and her reactions which she looks upon as those belonging merely to a devoted mother, soon take on certain characteristics of those she would show to her husband. (The mother usually objects to the marriage of the son — on the grounds usually that the girl is not "suited to him.'') Again from a moral point of view, as we ordinarily understand the term, her actions are exemplary. When I have expressed these views I have been often indignantly asked if parents should not caress their children. Of course I answer *' yes '* ; but certainly if Freud has taught us anything, it is to give heed to our relations with our children. Overindulgence in caresses is far worse for their future happiness and poise than is overindulgence in material things.

The analysis of dreams is a field which belongs to the specially qualified physician — ^the psycho-analyst. It sometimes takes weeks, months and even years, to give genuine analysis of a dream. Special psycho-analytic methods are necessary to the unraveling of dreams, as well as special skill in handling the subject. Hence the dream will probably never mean any more to the ordinary individual than it does to-day. The crass analyses of friends and neighbors are worthless, nor should one be disturbed over a dream because someone has told him that Freud would say such and such things about it.

Dream analysis when made by experts has been of almost unbeliev- able service in treating the functional nervous diseases (neurasthenia, psychasthenia, hysteria, etc.). The dreams of such patients reveal their past in sections : the physician gradually joins these sections and can tell the patient where the trouble lies (that is, tell him the wishes around which aU his dreams revolve). Knowing the cause of his dis- tress, the patient, assisted by the physician, can form new sets of habits which do not conflict. Cures are thus effected without the use of drugs. The cures, however, smack not at all of the mysterious.

I have already expressed the wish that technical psycho-analysis may lead finally over into genuine character analysis. Many men high up in the business world, the diplomatic service, and in government posi- tions generally, often have enormous responsibilities put upon them — there are times in the lives of such men when they are put under terrific strain from the outside : such men should be relatively free from strong inward conflicts and repressions. It seems fantastic to say that such persons ought to be selected only after careful psycho-analysis, but the whole essence of the psycho-analytic movement strongly suggests such a procedure.

�� �