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Each secondary or tertiary image, in the absence of any immediate stimulus to account for it, may usually be traced back into a primary train of thought left unfinished during the day. This is the conception of the perseveration of the unadjusted, stated in 1891 by Delage, in giving his theory of dreams.
The fertility of the conception of the "perseveration of the unadjusted" has been emphasized in my mind by illustrations obtained by an extended study of the dreams of normal people, and notably, by the agreement of my conclusions with those of Professor Woodworth and of Dr. Morton Prince.
One must remember in this connection that the more primitive are the mental operations of any individual, the more important do signs, rather than speech, come to be a medium of communication with other people. As an example of this type we might mention Rose Sch. She showed such perseveration in many constrained positions.
He reports that he had been neurasthenic all his life with slight ever-changing symptoms. He has always been troubled by the "perseveration" of tactual images which had a strong feeling tone and which were associated with seen or heard reports of the experiences of others.
Even toward the end of her marked stupor some replies were obtained chiefly by making her write. When asked to write Manhattan State Hospital, she wrote Manhatt Hhospshosh, and for Ward’s Island, Ww. Iland. Again, instead of writing 90th Street, she wrote 90theath Street. These are plainly reactions of the path of least resistance or, in these instances, of perseveration.
Vogt derives much from a restriction of the field of consciousness. Only one idea is present at a time, hence there is no inhibition and impulsiveness occurs. Similarly, if the idea appear from without, it, too, is not inhibited, which produces the suggestibility that in turn accounts for catalepsy. Stereotypy and perseveration are other evidences of this narrowness of thought content.
In particular, it is necessary to formulate, through specific examples, a conception which shall be the pendant or complement of the theory of the perseveration of the unadjusted, and which I will call the "resolution of the unadjusted." Already, I have taken the preliminary steps in this direction by adopting the physiological conception of trial percepts and applying it to dream interpretation.
Again the retention may be good. In the foreground stands a strong tendency to perseveration. This may affect speech to the point of an apparent aphasia or produce paragraphia. Plainly organic aphasia and focal neurological symptoms are sometimes seen.
Just what it means psychically it is impossible to state without much more extended observations. We conjecture tentatively, however, that the retention of fixed positions is in part merely a phenomenon of perseveration, and in part an acceptance of what the patient takes to be a command from the examiner, and sometimes a distorted form of muscular resistiveness.
The chapter on "Mental Law" is the most interesting one for the theoretical psychologist, and discusses in a general but illuminating manner, principles of perception and of perseveration which are of interest to the psychological psychiatrist.
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