Some Aspects of the Normal Personality Experiencing Disease *

In initiating a course of lectures at this time doubtless many teachers in this country and elsewhere wonder whether or not something should be said about the war. I have pondered this question too, and I have decided not to discuss with you the war and all of the misery associated with it, but rather to leave for the future those problems connected with the war that may concern us here. One may wonder also, whether in these days of stress, it is worth while to give to the individual person the attention which we, as physicians, are expected to accord him. Let me at once assert that it is my firm conviction that the individual should receive every possible attention that may be paid to him; it is very definitely worth Mwhile, for all of us are human beings and each of us is entided to the best treatment that can be provided. After all, our group, our nation, and the world as a whole are made up of individuals. In my student days-it may be true today as well students entering upon a psychiatric clinical course did so in anticipation of witnessing some kind of a circus; they expected that some more or less jolly patients would appear in the auditorium, that they would chase the lecturer around and raise merry hell with him. Some of you are already aware that any hopes of such entertainment are not to be fulfilled in this course of lectures, and for this there are several reasons. In the first place, such patients are relatively rare, and in the second place-and this is far more important-it is not our purpose to present to you only those patients who suffer from what may be termed major disorders. As a matter of fact, we are far more interested in giving you an idea of what we may call the "personality as a whole" under all possible situations, some of which, of course, involve major mental disturbances. It is, indeed, inevitable that patients with major mental disturbances be considered, but at the moment, as has been said, our interest lies mainly in conveying to you definite concepts concerning the personality as a whole-concerning the individual. It is our aim to aid you to become increasingly aware