Citation

Hilgard ER. Am. Psychol. 1949; 4(9): 374-382.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1949, American Psychological Association)

DOI

10.1037/h0058728

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

In order to understand how human motives affect human conduct it is necessary to deal with the question of how problems arising by the so-called defense-mechanisms or mechanisms of adjustment influence us. In reviewing the mechanisms of adjustment in motivational theory the author points out the lack of systematic treatment, and the paucity of carefully formulated experimentation. The assumption is made that "all the mechanisms imply a self-reference, and that the mechanisms are not understandable unless we adopt a concept of the self." Three aspects of the concept of the self are discussed. (1) The mechanisms and the self. (2) The self present in awareness. (3) The inferred self. The establishment of laboratories for the study of psychodynamics is recommended. Psychologists who work in these laboratories will stem from heterogeneous backgrounds, yet they will be united in their scientific research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)