INDIVIDUALITY
DEFINITION OF INDIVIDUALITY.--"An individual is a single thing,
a being that is, or is regarded as, a unit. An individual is opposed
to a crowd. Individual action is opposed to associate action.
Individual interests are opposed to common or community interests."
These definitions give us some idea of the extent of individuality.
Individuality is a particular or distinctive characteristic of an
individual; "that quality or aggregate of qualities which
distinguishes one person or thing from another, idiosyncrasy." This
indicates the content.
For our purpose, we may define the study of individuality
as a consideration of the individual as a unit with special
characteristics. That it is a _unit_ signifies that it is one of
many and that it has likeness to the many. That it has _special
characteristics_ shows that it is one of many, but different from
the many. This consideration of individuality emphasizes both the
common element and the diverging characteristics.
INDIVIDUALITY AS TREATED IN THIS CHAPTER.--The recognition of
individuality is the subject of this chapter. The utilization of
this individuality in its deviation from class, is the subject of
the chapter that follows, Functionalization.
INDIVIDUALITY AS CONSIDERED BY PSYCHOLOGY.--Psychology has not
always emphasized the importance of the individual as a unit for
study. Prof. Ladd's definition of psychology, quoted and endorsed by
Prof. James, is "the description and explanation of states of
consciousness, as such."[1] "By states of consciousness," says
James, "are meant such things as sensation, desires, emotions,
cognitions, reasonings, decisions, volitions, and the like." This
puts the emphasis on such divisions of consciousness as,
"attention," "interest," and "will."
With the day of experimental psychology has come the importance
of the individual self as a subject of study,[2] and psychology has
come to be defined, as Calkins defines it, as a "science of the self
as conscious."[3]
We hear much in the talk of today of the "psychology of the
crowd," the "psychology of the mob," and the "psychology of the
type," etc., but the mind that is being measured, and from whose
measurements the laws are being deduced and formulated is, at the
present the _individual_ mind.[4]
The psychology which interested itself particularly in studying
such divisions of mental activity as attention, will, habit, etc.,
emphasizes more particularly the likenesses of minds. It is
necessary to understand thoroughly all of these likenesses before
one can be sure what the differences, or idiosyncrasies, are, and
how important they are, because, while the likenesses furnish the
background, it is the differences that are most often actually
utilized by management. These must be determined in order to compute
and set the proper individual task for the given man from standard
data of the standard, or first-class man.
In any study of the individual, the following facts must
be noted:--