All we
can say is that "I" cannot be rightly employed until consciousness has
risen to self-consciousness.
VIII
And when it has so risen, its unity and coherence are by no means
secure. I have already pointed out how often it is lost in moments
when the conscious element becomes particularly intense. But in morbid
conditions too it sometimes undergoes a disruption still more
peculiar. Just as disintegration may attack any other organic unit, so
may it appear in the personal life. The records of hypnotism and other
related phenomena show cases where self-consciousness appears to be
distributed among several selves. These curious experiences have
received more attention in recent years than ever before. They do not,
however, belong to my field, and to consider them at any length would
only divert attention from my proper topic. But they deserve mention
in passing in order to make plain how wayward is self-consciousness,--
how far from an assured possession of its unity.
This unity seems temporarily suspended on occasion of swoon or nervous
shock. An interesting case of its loss occurred in my own experience.
Many years ago I was fond of horseback riding; and having a horse that
was unusually easy in the saddle, I persisted in riding him long after
my groom had warned me of danger.
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