Evening star., 1928-11-27
KEEPING MENTALLY FIT
BY JOSEPH JASTROW.

II find both my text and its exposi-
ton in the keen analyses Of an expert
psychologist, Prof. Troland of Harvard
University. I simplify his statements.
THE popularity of the motor car
depends upon rather large group of
factors" To begin with, like many
other labor-saving devices, it avoids
fatigue, and the waiting for street cars
and dependence on schedules. You go
when you please and you travel faster.
It's cooler in Summer, more protected
in Winter. It's recreation to go for
ride, enjoy the change of scene, eX-
tend your excursions to a wider range.
The car Is social; you can take your
family and friends. AS an aid to court
ship it is established, to say nothing
of joy-riding.
But there is more personal side to
its psychology. THE owner of car
perceiveS himself to be superior to the
pedestrian: and If his car Is power
full handsome one, he experiences a
profoundly pleasant contempt for the
owners Of cheaper models, and imagines
that all eyes are on him enviously as
he whizZeS by. The man who does not
own one is depressed correspondingly.
"The ego complex is stimulated by
the effortless control of a powerful
mechanism, which leads some drivers to
irrational speeding and racing. The
normal exaltation of the ego which
accompanies a position at the wheel
of motorcar overcomes many of the
ordinary inhibitions of social inter-
course. resulting in a uniform dis
courtesy in the reactions of automobil-
lists to each other or to pedestrians.
THE average driver regards all of
his fellow-beings outside of the car
as on the same level as dogs who may
get in his way on his all-important
trip to town to see the latest musical
comedy"
That may be too hard ISLAM" on
the average driver: it applies quite too
generally. The automobile has entered
into the complex array of your possess
sions which are an extension Of your
self, like your clothes, your house or
your bank account, in which you take
pride. 1t Is an exhibit of your social
self.
The popularity of the radio is even
more interesting and covers different
range Of our lego" psychology. On
the side of convenience it parallels
the automobile. The automobile takes
you wherever you want to CO. 1t serves
your will and pleasure The radio
brings to you whatever you want to
listen to; it also serves your will and
pleasure. When you sit at the wheel
you are master of the roads, conuueror
OF space, moving on cushioned air with
wheels as wings. When you sit at YOUR
radio you are sill mightier conuueror
OF space. You make your combinations,
whisk yourself as by Aladdin's lamp
or the Magic Carpet to whatever place
OF music or hall Of oratory or field of
sport you wish. Get the wave-length
| and you are there. The sense of com
mand Is as much of the pleasure as
your actual enjoyment of what you
| hear.
Prof. Troland goes on: "If a man
constructs his own receiving set. the
supposed excellence of its performance
Is proof of superior ability In this
field Of work. There are SO many diff
terent ways in which one radio set
can excel another-in Selectivity, dis
tance-getting ability, power, quality
ease OF manipulation, etc.-that it is
usually easy to believe that ones own
set Is better than that of his neigh
Dor. The lure of DIX to dance in
Boston to the rhythm of music played
IN San Francisco, the conquest of dis
tance-also makes powerful appeal
to the ego. While this was a real
novelty, 1t provided one of the greatest
thrills which the human mind has vet
experienced"
| The two interesting problems thus
introduced are, first, the general one
OF why we do things and the nature OF
| the satisfaction which they bring
the problem of motives-and, second
the matter Of which particular salts
factions will lead in the scale of mo-
tives, and in the degree of their popu-
larity.
The hope of psychology to predict