dementia.[1] It is well known that Wundt's conception of apperception is a most general one. It embraces not only the Binet and Masselon conception of attention, but also Janet's idea of the "fonction du réel."[2] But we shall return to this. To show the universality of the apperception idea in the sense indicated I shall quote Wundt's own words: "The condition characterized by peculiar feelings which accompanies the clearer reception of a psychic content we call attention, the single process by which any psychic content is brought to clear conception is apperception.[3] The apparent antithesis between attention and apperception is solved as follows: "Accordingly, attention and apperception are expressions for one and the same psychological fact. The first of these expressions we choose by preference for the 'subjective' side of this fact to express the accompanying feelings and sensations; by means of the second we designate mainly the 'objective' results, the alterations in the quality of the contents of consciousness."[4]
In the definition: apperception is the "single process by means of which any psychic content is brought to clear conception," much is said in few words. According to this definition apperception is will, sensation, affect, suggestion, impulsive phenomena, etc., because all these are processes by means of which "a psychic content is brought to clear conception." We do not attempt to give an unfavorable criticism on the apperceptive idea, but merely to indicate its enormous extent. It embraces every positive psychic function, especially the progressive acquisition of new associations; that is, no more and no less than all enigmas of physical activity both conscious and unconscious. Weygandt's idea, therefore, of apperceptive dementia expresses that which Masselon dimly felt. Nevertheless, in this we find only a general expression for the psychology of dementia præcox. It is too general to be of any force in the deduction of all symptoms.
- ↑ W. Weygandt: Alte Dementia Præcox. Zentr.-Bl. f. Nervenheilk. u. Psych., Jahrgang XXVII, p. 613.
- ↑ Obsessions et Psychasthénie, Vol. I, p. 433. The fonction du reél can also be expressed in other words as psychological adaptation to the environment or acting up to reality. It corresponds to the "adaptation" of Binet, which represents a special side of apperception.
- ↑ Gundriss der Psychologie, 1902, p. 249.
- ↑ Grundzüge der Physiol. Psychologie, 1903, p. 341.
