How to be happy though human / by W. Béran Wolfe.
299/400
- Publication/creation
- London : George Routledge, 1932.
- Physical description
- xiv, 374 pages ; 22 cm
- Contributors
- Wolfe, W. Béran 1900-1935.
- Notes
-
This edition was reprinted in 1933, 1934, 1935, 1937, 1942, 1944, 1945, 1946 and 1948.
Copy 1 Note: 1937 reprint. X158203
- Attribution and usage
-
Wellcome Collection
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The image contains the following text:
A second form of retreat lies in complete isolation from
the mature, work-a-day world, and a retreat into the
realm of fairy tales and phantasy. The world of make-
believe is a haven to the retreat neurotic. In a sense, these
retreat neurotics are perfectly justified in their retreat,
because in the large majority of cases they have been
inadequately prepared in childhood either to assume the
burdens or to reap the dividends of maturity. Occasion¬
ally these individuals get into the business world where
they become phantastic bankrupts ; and frequently they
are bruised in their relations to the opposite sex, which
they approach as if they expected their mates to be fairy
princes or fairy princesses. These neurotics often
remember how, in their childhood, they spurred their
childish imaginations in order to experience the phantastic
apotheosis they desired by “ believing hard ” in the
powers of some magical wand or wishing gift. When they
grow up they become the most ardent champions of the
power of faith to work miracles.
When this retreat from reality becomes very marked
we have the clinical picture of dementia praecox. In this
mental disease we have a complete retreat from reality,
complete non-cooperation, negativism, phantastic
hallucinations, and stereotyped, childish behaviour.
Fortunately not every retreat neurotic degenerates into a
dementia praecox case. Probably some still unknown con¬
stitutional abnormality must be present for this disease
to develop out of a retreat neurosis. But many retreat
neurotics do become so frightened of reality that they
unconsciously seek to lessen their responsibility for their
shortcomings by seeming to split themselves into two or
more personalities. This so-called splitting of the
personality gives dementia praecox its scientific name,
schizophrenia.
Split Personality : A Neurotic Fiction
No actual split of the personality can ever occur. The
unity ot the personality is the first law of modern
psychiatry. If two or more personalities could exist in