ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with an associative collective reflex that follows a symbolic stimulus in the form of a simple threat, thus reproducing the reflex caused by real stimulation under different circumstances. It also deals essentially with the same kind of activity that is pursued by an individual person, but here the work is accomplished jointly by an entire collective, as a result of which the resources of individual experience are replaced by the experience of the entire collective. The requirements of a collective arise from its past experience of satisfying the needs that are inherent in the very essence of the organization itself, just as in an individual organism some needs in the form of the so-called instincts are determined by the nature of the organization. In collectives these include conjugal needs, economic needs, needs for movement, and so forth. In a word, a collective reflex in this respect evolves according to the model of individual associative reflexes.
