ABSTRACT
The older psychology looked upon the human soul as a distinct, homogeneous element, superposed upon the body and separable from it; whilst personality was regarded as something strictly determinate and incapable of any great variation. Stability of personality is thus seen to depend solely upon permanence of environment, for as soon as a change takes place in the latter. The equilibria of the elements which form an individual's mental life are overthrown, with the result that new equilibria are established and he gains a new personality. The conscious implies free reflection and objective discussion. The unconscious originates in the necessities, desires, and aspirations of the race, group, or environment by which our personality is surrounded. The unconscious is often of ancestral origin, but it may also result from momentary feelings and passions and from such other sources as custom, fashion, and the social group to which we belong.
