Evening star., 1927-10-30

why such a sensitive personality would
desire to escape from the cold world of
reality. it is not so easy to penetrate
to the underlying reas sons for the de-
velopment of that degree of sensitive
ness in the first place. Like the an
sWer to many another problem of
disordered emotional life, the answer
to this one is found in the home and
in the early parental influences on
the childhood of the man or woman
who is so handicapped.
Thus the boy who has had his
childhood completely dominated by,
and made subordinate to, an older
brother may likely enough develop
the conviction that he is not so good
or 50 able or so clever as other boys.
Such 4 conviction is depressing and
unpleasant to face, SO to boost his
seliesteem and to find some outlet
for his frustrated desire to WELD
power, he builds for himself world
of phantaSy which no older, dominat-
ing brothers are permitted to enter
and in which the builder can always
be the boss.
X i X
THERE is another type of man who
fails in the world of huSneSS he
cause he seeks not wisely but too we'll
to escape from reality. lie is the bluff
er. Unlike the da aydreamer, he may be,
and often he is, found occubying
executive positions Of importa nee in
big business-but generally only for q
time. Curi0usiy enough, the buffer
and the daydroamer nave much be.
sides an origin arising out of similar
childhood experiences in common.
Both hlufiinG and daydreaming rep
resent reactions TO certain undesirable
, experiences. The pSychatrist sees the
buffer and the daydreamer both try
ing to defend themselvS against un-
pleasant or unpropitious facts in life.
The two ways Of defense are quite diff
ferent, it is true, but their purpose Is
the same.
After all, the practical thing to realize
| is that the habitual buffer bluffs be-
cause he has found by experience he
can put himself across successfully
| in no other manner.
For picture of a typical buffer, the
ordinarily dry pages of WebSters Die
| tionary contain a dynamic description:
Bluff; deception produced by manner,
/ speech or representation a pretense
; of assurance covering real uncertainty
: or weakness. TO frighten or deter
! others from accomplishing a purpose
! by making a show of confidence in
one S strength or resources"
! we all know men and women for
whom this description might have
J been written to order. OutWardly we
are prone to display scorn or indigna-
| tion when a buffer has used his habit
! in accomplishing a particularly sue
cessful exploit. This is especially true
If his bluff causes him to succeed in
something that we ourselves have pre-.
viously failed in. 1nwardly, however
we cherish a bit of envy and not a
| little admiration for him.
AT heart we are all buffers to some
| extent. and il is we'll known Dsvcho-
| logic phenomenon to pretend to de-
| spise or hate those traits in others
that secretly we possess ourselves but
| lack courage or opportunity to use.
! That is why the buffer goes further in
! the business world before failure en-
| sues than does the da aydreamer.
In fact. there is a widespread belief
J that on the approach of a daydreamer
! TO the sacred portals of big business
the office boy has instructions to re-
move the "Welcome' mat with all
| possible haste, while the approach of
a buffer is more likely TO be met with
an onrush by the president and all the
| vice presidents to capture his serv.
! ices. There can be no denying that
bluffing and buffers are important
aatofs in the carrying on of modern