those of submission on the one hand, and of assertion on the other.[1] These undoubtedly are powerful human tendencies belonging specifically to the social realm, and as such their expression in the folk story needs particular consideration. But beneath them both, and the most primitive of all social bonds, is what may be called the "tendency to impressionability."[2] It is by virtue of this that one man reacts readily to any expression—whether it be dominantly affective, conative, or intellectual—of another. This "impressionability" carries within itself no reference to superiority or to inferiority. It is the primary social instinct, the most deep lying of all the social tendencies which promote human organisation.
If we are to take the folk story as a genuine form of social intercourse, we should expect to find therein the constant expression of the dominant and deep-seated tendencies of human nature just mentioned. And as a matter of fact the influence of these impulses is to be seen in countless stories. Consider, for example, the Raven, Mink, and Coyote tales of the Northern Pacific. In them, greed, a tendency to amorous adventures, and self glorification on the part of the hero, play prominent parts, and we get all kinds of trickery, deceit, and successful sharp practice. The central characters of the stories are usually placed in a position of superiority, except when their cleverness over-reaches itself, and then they are temporarily subdued. But side by side with such tales, and even, in some cases, forming part of the same series or of the same story, are others in which relationships
- ↑ Cf. M'Dougall, Social Psychology, 13th edit., London, 1918, pp. 62-66; 99-100.
- ↑ What I have here called "impressionability" is practically identical with what Dr. W. H. R. Rivers has suggested should be taken to be the true meaning of "suggestibility." I agree entirely with his treatment, and would merely remark that the latter word has already acquired a definite and somewhat narrow meaning, which seems to make it unsuited for use in the manner suggested in the text.
