The image and appearance of the human body : studies in the constructive energies of the psyche

362 Pages·1999·17.27 MB·English

by  Schilder

The International Library ofPsychology
THE IMAGE AND
APPEARANCE OF THE
HUMAN BODY
Founded by C. K. Ogden
The International Library ofPsychology
PHYSIOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY
In 10 Volumes
I Pleasureand Instinct Allen
II Pleasureand Pain Bousfield
III TheNeural BasisofThought Camptonetal
IV Body and MatureBehaviour Feldenkrais
V EmotionsofNormal People Marstonetal
VI IntegrativePsychology Marstonetal
VII TheDevelopmentofthe SexualImpulses Money-Kyrle
VIII TheLawsofFeeling Paulhan
IX Thoughtand theBrain Pieron
X TheImageand Appearanceofthe Human
Body Schilder
THE IMAGE AND
APPEARANCE OF THE
HUMAN BODY
Studies in the Constructive
Energies of the Psyche
PAUL SCHILDER
First published in 1950
by Routledge
Reprinted in 1999, 2000
by Routledge
2 ParkSquare, Milton Park,Abingdon, Oxon, OX144RN
Transferred to digital printing 2007
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TheImageand AppearanceoftheHumanBody
ISBN0415-21081-X
PhysiologrcalPsychology: 10Volumes
ISBN0415-21131-X
TheInternationalLibraryofPsychology: 204Volumes
ISBN0415-19132-7
PDF ISBN: 978-1-1363-3821-2 (ebk)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGB
INTRODUCTION II
PART I. THEPHYSIOLOGICALBASIS OP THE BODY-IMAGE
r, Postural and tactile impressions in relation to
the body-image . . . . . 17
2. Localization on the skin and the optic part of
the body-Unage • . . • . 21
3. Furtherremarks on theapparatus whichserves
localization. . . · . · %4-
4. Imperceptionofpartsofthe body-imageand of
impairment of somatic function (anosog-
nosia). . • • . . . 29
,• Alloaesthesia, imperception, right and left;
Synaesthesia in ·the body-image • . 36
6. Some remarks about the relation ofthe body-
image to the tactile-kinaestheticperception
of movement • · · • · 39
7. Agnosiaconcerningthe body-image(autotopo-
gnosia) ; finger agnosia. · · · 40
8. Interrelation of body-images · . · 43
9. Apraxia and agnosia in their relation to the 4'
schema of the body . .. . . '0
10. Remarks on human action • ..
II. The relation of apraxia to agnosia and the
,8
representations of movement ..
12. Expressive and refiectory movements . 62
13. The phantom. • . • . . 63
14. Psychogenic body-image imperception and
I,. allochiria. Theirrelationto organicchanges 70
Muscle-tone and body-image, The persistence
7'
oftone. • • · • . ·
16. Theinfluenceofhabitualpostureonthepostural
model. . . . . • • 81
17. Theimage oftheface. Autoscopicexperiments 83
18. Howweperceivethe outersurface ofourbody 8,
19. The openings of the body. 88
20. The heavy mass of the body • . • 91
21. The vestibular influence on the perception of
the weight of the body. • • · 94
22. Pain • • • • •• 9S
2J. Development of the body-image. 104
5
6 CONTENTS
2.4. Two deceptions. The influence of the optic
sphere on the body-image • • • 106
2.~. The body-image in clouded consciousness and
the vestibular influence on the postural
model of the body 114
PARTII. THELIBIDINOUSSTRUCTUREOPTHBBODY-IMAGE
I. Narcissism and the love ofone's own body. 119
2.. Erogenic zones and body-image. 12.4
3. Neurasthenia . 12.7
4. Depersonalization 138
,. Hypochondria 141
6. Pain and Libido . . .. 14~
7- A caseofloss ofunity in the body-image 1,8
8. Hysteria. . . . . . • 168
9. Some principles concerning the libidinous
structure of the body-image . 170
10. Conversion .. 174
II. Organic disease .. . . .. 181
12. Further remarks on expansion and destruction
of the body-image .. 188
13. Libidinous development of the body-image. 194
14. Changing the body-image by clothing, and the
I'. psychology of clothes. .. 201
Gymnastics, dance and expressive movements 2.06
PART III. THE SOCIOLOGY OF THE BODY-IMAGE
I. Space and the body-image. . • • 2.13
2.. Oncuriosity and on the expression ofemotions 2.16
~. Preliminary remarks on the relation between
body-images . . . . . . 2.2.3
4. Erythrophobia(Fearofblushing) asaninstance
of social neurosis. . 2.2.7
,. Social relations of body-images . 2.34
6. Imitation and the body-image 2.43
7. On identification .. 2.49
8. Beauty and body-image . 2.~7
9. Variability of the body-image 273
CONCLUSION • 2.83
ApPENDIX I. Case histories of organic brain
lesions.. . . . · 30S
ApPENDIX II. Some remarks on the anatomy and
physiology of the nervous
system . 32.0
BIBLIOGRAPHY 331
PREFACE
The problems with which this book deals have for many years
attracted my attention. Clinical observations on brain lesions
whichprovokeddifficultiesinthedifferentiation betweenleftand
rightstartedmyinterest. These researches cameto apreliminary
conclusion in a little study on the 'Korperschema' (schema of
thebody),publishedin 1923. Itriedthere tostudythose mechan
isms ofthe central nervous system which are ofimportancefor
the buildingup ofthe spatial image which everybodyhas about
himself. It was clear to me at that time that such astudy must
bebasednotonlyon physiologyand neuropathology,butalsoon
psychology. Iwrote:"Itwouldbeerroneoustosupposethatphe
nomenology and psycho-analysis should or could be separated
frombrainpathology. It seemstomethatthetheory oforganism
could and should be incorporated in a psychological doctrine
which seeslife and personality as a unit". I therefore used the
insight psycho-analysis has given to us withits psychic mechan
isms for the elucidation of problems of brain pathology. The
study ofthe mechanisms ofthe brain in perception and action
helped to a deeper understanding ofpsychological attitudes. I
havealwaysbelievedthat thereisnogapbetweentheorganicand
thefunctional. Mind and personalityare efficiententities aswell
as the organism. Psychic processes have common roots with
otherprocessesgoingon in the organism. I found outlater that
this attitude corresponds closely with the best traditions of
American psychiatry, as they appear in the work of Adolph
Meyer, William A. White, and Smith Ely Jelliffe. The same
attitude is also inherent in the doctrine of psycho-analysis.
Psychology under such an aspect is necessarily psychobiology
(Adolph-Meyer's term) and can also be termed 'Naturwissen
schaftliche Psychologie'. It seems to me also that the basic
position of the gestalt psychologists is a similar one. For the
gestalt psychologist, the gestalt is inthe outside world, and is
alsoin thephysicochemical processes,which arecorrelatedto the
psychic processes in which the gestaltprinciples appear.
7
8 THE IMAGE AND APPEARANCE OP THE HUMAN BODY
A psychology of this kind necessarilyplaces emphasis on the
action and does not consider the organism in its psychic and
somatic aspects as a theoretical entity with merely perceptive
qualities (perceptions, imaginations) and thoughts). Perception
and action, impression and expression, thus form a unit, and
insight and action become closely correlated to each other.
Human action, badly misjudged in the philosophy ofBergson,
and artificially separated by Kant into practical reasoning and
pure reasoning, isthus restoredtoitsfulldignity. Itiseasytosee
that the pragmatism of James and the instrumentalism ofJohn
Deweyexpressthe sameprinciplein aphilosophicway. I have
come, in this respect also, in myprevious formulations (e.g,in
my Idee« %11 NatlirphiJoJophie) nearer to the trend ofAmerican
philosophy than I realizedat that time. Such a biologic, organ
ismicphilosophy and psychology takesits starting-pointfrom a
naiverealisticattitudeandisnotconcernedwith doubtsaboutthe
realityoftheexternalworld. Its exponentsfeelamplyjustifiedin
taking upthisstandpointnotonlybyphilosophicspeculationand
reasoning, but also by the concrete approach to the innermost
problems ofhuman behaviour.
In Germany, philosophic thinking took another direction.
Many of the German philosophers and psychologists have felt
that there exists a psychology which is not 'Naturwissenschaft
lich', a much more important so-called 'Geisteswissenschaft
liche' psychology, which deals with the central problems of
history, ethics,and human personality in general. But I cannot
seeanyfundamental differencebetween the insightinto person
ality problems and human behaviour and the insight into the
structureofnature. The typicalentities andthe typicalsequences
have to be found in both, and science tries, in the one sphere
as well as in the other, to find the essential entities, their
structure,theirgenesis,andtheirmoreorlesstypicalconnections.
In nature, new qualities, new entities, new configurations
emerge continually. Every new chemical compound displays
qualitieswhich could not beforeseencompletelyandform anew
unit or gestalt. In the organismic world, C. Lloyd Morgan has
drawn attentionto the emergentevolution, pointingto the con
tinual creation ofunforeseen organismic entities. A creation in
PREFACE 9
this respect is a general quality of existence, and this creation
takes place continuallyin the inanimate worldas well asinthe
animate.
Thisbookattempts to achieve adeeperinsightinto the nature
ofthe creativeprocess and emphasizes the constructive psychic
effortbywhichnew entitiesarecreated. Emergentevolutionand
gestalten in the psychic sphere are not merely data which are
givento us asapresent;they have to be obtainedby struggling.
They.are not 'Gegebenheiten' but'Errungeoheiten'. Itaccords
with this point ofview that philosophy and psychology should
be considered as essentially identical,except thatphilosophyhas
the further task ofcorrelating the other data ofexperience with
the data ofpsychology.
Itfollows out ofthis generalattitudethat the authorhas tried
tosolveproblemsbythecarefulstudyoffsets,ofbrainpathology,
and psychology. His methodiscompletelyempirical,or,to usea
wordwhichhasbecomediscredited,psychologistic. But psycho
logy in oursensemeanstruthfulobservationofthe empiricaldata
ofpsychiclife,and no intuitionand reasoningcango beyondthis
limit. Psychologyalso correlates the experiences concerningthe
outside world and the body with the inner experiences. A
psychologywhich does not utilize the enormous enlargementof
the horizon which Freud and psycho-analysis has achieved,
neglects an innumerable number ofimportant experiences. This
statementdoesnotimplytheacceptanceofpsycho-analytictheory
as a whole. I do not think that Freud's basic attitude that our
desires try to lead us back to aprevious state and merely lead us
back to a state of rest is a true description ofinner and outer
experiences. I insist upon the constructive character of the
psychic forces and refuse to make the idea of regression the
centreofatheoryofhumanbehaviour. Itseemsto me, also, that
Freud has been inclined to neglect the principles of emergent
evolution, or, asI wouldpreferto say,ofconstructiveevolution,
which leads to the creation ofnew units and configurations.
It is clear that the foregoing remarks are merely aprogramme
for further research. Theauthordoes notbelieve thatthe limited
scope of this book can show more than the way in which he
thinks the solutionofthe problemcould be sought. The bookis