PSYCHOLOGY AND SOCIOLOGY.*
Tim bibliography of the New Psychology has increased so enormously and rapidly of late that writers on this subject are continually repeating themselves and each other; but every now and then there appears a work of outstanding originality and importance. Such a work is Conditions of Nervous Anxiety and their Treatment,' by Dr. Stekel, of Vienna. The author is already known in England through the translation of three little works of minor importance addressed to the layman. The book under review is written primarily for medical practitioners, and is the first of a series of ten volumes which together comprise a work called Disturbances of the Impulses and Emotions. Trans- lations of the other nine volumes are promised us shortly by the publishers. Dr. Stekel is the first writer to provide a really comprehensive survey of this most important branch of psychopathology. The treatment of .Anxiety-States on strictly Freudian lines has always been very difficult, and the results frequently disappointing ; the more directed irrational fears, technically known as phobias, have usually proved especially intractable. However, with the wider conception of the psychogenesis of anxiety-states given us by Stekel, psychoanalysis should be able to claim a far larger proportion of radical and rapid cures. The main points at which Stekel and his great master, Freud, find themselves at variance are as follows. Freud divides the anxiety-states roughly into two classes—the Anxiety Neuroses, which are true Neuroses, and the Anxiety Hysterias, which are Psychoneuroses. The anxiety neuroses proper have one invariable etiology, namely, incom- pletely satisfied sexual (physical) gratification ; the mechan- ism which effects the anxiety symptoms is a transforma- tion of the unattached libido into anxiety—desire and fear merely being the obverse of one another. As soon as the patient's sexual life is suitably adjusted the libido is able to expend itself naturally and the anxiety symptoms disappear. This theory implies a transformation of somatic excitation into an affect through a mysterious kind of psychophysical metabolism, upon the nature of which Freud himself is unable to throw light. Stekel rejects this hypothesis by denying the existence of true neuroses. All anxiety-states are in his • (1) Conditions of Nervous Anxiety and Their Treatment. By W. Stekel. London. Began Paul. [25s. net.]—(2) Crime: its Cause and Treatment. By Clarence Darrow. London : Harrap. [10e, 6d. net.]—(8) Society and its Problems. By Grove 5, Dow, London Harrap. 1108. Bd. net.]
opinion caused by psychic conflict, and resolve as soon as the conflict is brought into full consciousness where it can be exposed to the influence of the intellect. In other words, anxiety neurosis and anxiety hysteria are psychogenically identical. Both Freud and Stekel are agreed that anxiety hysteria is the outcome of repressed conflict ; but whereas Freud insists that in every case the roots of the repression are to be sought for and found in infantile experiences or fixations, Stekel assigns greater importance to current conflict and recent repression. Stekel supports his arguments and outlines his treatment by quoting an immense number of clinical cases, the collection and arrangement of which cannot be too highly praised.
Much as one may applaud and admire the brilliant psychological work of Freud and his followers, orthodox and unorthodox, one cannot but be djsmayed by their philosophy. Strict Determinism is the only philosophy which they appear to be able to reconcile with their system of psychology, although it should not be difficult to adapt almost any philo- sophical system to meet all the findings of the New Psychology. Never was there such poor physic for a world sick unto death as the Determinism which so unnecessarily mars the work of the New Psychologists. This philosophy appears on every page of Crime: its Cause and Treatment=, by Clarence Darrow, an American lawyer. Before briefly considering this little book, we must protest against the slovenly translation of Dr. Stekel's work. The book contains sentences which are absolutely meaningless, spelling mistakes which indicate hasty proof- reading, and "howlers" which show that the translator must be insufficiently acquainted with English medical and technical terms. To conclude our remarks on this book—a work of this sort is incomplete without an index ; and surely twenty-five shillings is, even in these days of expensive production, a heavy price for an unillustrated book of 435 pages.
The exigencies of space permit of only the scantiest treatment of Mr. Darrow's book, already mentioned, and Society and Its Problems,' by Professor Grove S. Dow. Crime: Its Cause and Treatment is the work of an arch- Determinist. It can be very briefly summed up as follows :- Crime is the fruit of bad heredity and environment : Man has touched the limits of his development : Free-Will is a lie, a snare and a delusion; ergo, there is no such thing as moral responsibility. With such dismal premises it is not surprising that the author offers no real solution of the problems which he raises and leaves the reader very depressed. However, it is right and wholesome for us all to realize that we are potential criminals ; and if we can add " But for the Grace of God " to Mr. Darrow's " But for a decent Environment and Heredity—there go I," hopelessness kindles into hope. Also the conviction that, moral and ethical considerations apart, hanging is the worst possible use to which to put a man and incarceration the next worst, is one that should be branded on the minds of all those endowed with a Social Conscience. Scientific works are of two main kinds—Theses and Text- books. It is possible to write a thesis on anything, but it is only possible to write a text-book on a science which is strictly a science. Sociology is not a science ; it is a conve- nient label for a hundred and one kindred sciences of which Psychology, Economics and Ethics are the chief. Professor Dow has attempted the impossible, and his text-book is a series of short disconnected articles of sociological interest, which are too sketchy and dogmatic to be of any real value. However, the clear and simple language of the book may well encourage the reader to make use of the little biblio- graphy given at the end of each chapter to pursue further the study of any of the sociological sciences touched upon by Professor Grove S. Dow.
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