Psychology And Primitive Culture

PSYCHOLOGY AND PRIMITIVE CULTURE BY F. C. BARTLETT, M. A. Fellow of St Johns College, Reader in Experimental Psychology, and Director of the Psychological Laboratory in the University of Cambridge CAMBRIDGE AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS 1923 PREFACE r OR the psychologist the unity of primitive and modern society is as important as their differences. In primitive society the groups are smaller, more localised, and less diversified and individual initiative is probably less prominent. The underlying psychological mechanisms, however, remain much the same at all stages of social development. Since these mechanisms stand out more clearly in the early stages, and are there, on the whole, less intricately intermingled, the psychological study of primitive culture forms the best introduction to the psychology of contemporary social life. This is the position which is adopted and maintained in the present book. The book falls naturally into three parts. First the principles which the psychologist should use in his attempt to understand the behaviour of man in society are set forth secondly these principles are applied to the psychological treatment of certain outstanding problems of primitive culture and in the third place it is shown how the use of the principles must be modified as the psychologist passes from the study of the social life of remote times, or peoples, to that of modern civilised society. Throughout I have tried to keep closely in touch with concrete problems, and, except in the chapter on the formation of folk tales, I have chosen to consider questions which have so far been dealt with by the viii PREFACE ethnologist, rather than by the psychologist. Thus I have discussed thepsychology of the contact of peoples of how elements of culture are borrowed, and so transferred from one group to another and of the psychological mechanisms of the diffusion of culture within a group, and its consequent elaboration or simpli fication. All of these I have tried to put in terms of the psychological tendencies which they express. In modern life precisely the same tendencies are at work. I have shown, for example, how they help to produce the broken contracts which are a noteworthy feature of much modern political and econonic bargaining. What is peculiar to contemporary society, I have urged, is not the tendencies, but their arrangement. The book is based on some lectures which I delivered in 1922 at the Bedford College for Women in the University of London. It was mainly on the advice of the late Dr W. H. R. Rivers that I undertook these lectures. He died before the book was completed, but I many times discussed its subject-matter with him, and owe more to him for his friendship and interest than I can ever adequately express. To Dr C. S. Myers I am as deeply indebted. He has helped, criticised, and en couraged me throughout. He read the book in type and improved it in many ways. A similar kindness in reading the typescript was shown me by Dr Paul Radin, to whom I am particularly indebted for help in regard to the discussion on borrowing. It will be obvious that I have profited greatly from the writings of various American anthropologists. In PREFACE ix particular the ethnological and anthropological publica tions of the Smithsonian Institution appear to me to be mines from which the psychologist may quarry a great quantity of treasure. I desire to thank the SmithsonianInstitution for permission to reproduce the drawings which appear on p. 233, and to make numerous quota tions from various publications. And most of all I wish here to acknowledge gratefully the constant help which has been given to me by my wife. F. C. BARTLETT. CAMBRIDGE, April, 1923 CONTENTS OHAP. PAGE I. THE APPROACH TO THE PROBLEM . 1 II. THE FUNDAMENTAL FORMS OF MANS SOCIAL REACTIONS 28 II. PSYCHOLOGY AND THE FOLK STORY . . 57 IV. THE CONFLICT OF TENDENCIES AND THEIR MUTUAL REINFORCEMENT .... 105 V. THE PSYCHOLOGICAL STUDY OF THE CON TACT OF PEOPLES 133 VI...