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PASTORAL PSYCHOLOGY
theory that we are endowed with two simultaneously
functioning ‘personalities’ or ego-syntheses. Attempts have even been
made to show not only that there are subconscious mental
acts but that the unconscious is endowed with capacities
greatly exceeding those characteristic of our conscious mental
life, being capable of engaging in many occult activities and
enjoying spiritual experiences of which our conscious selves
never become aware.
On the other hand, some thinkers deny the existence of the
subconscious altogether, believing that the principles of
coherence needed to explain all mental phenomena are to be found
on the physical level in the brain and nervous system.
Some psychologists see in the concept of the subconscious a
useful co-ordinating device to be accepted for purely practical
reasons. Professor Gadelius! of Sweden considers that the
concept is merely a working hypothesis to aid an understanding
of psychological phenomena. We can conveniently think of the
subconscious as an annex to the workshop of consciousness.
Another author weighs the reasons for and against using the
concept of the unconscious as a working hypothesis and reaches
the conclusion that to employ it for that purpose is less risky
than to throw the concept overboard altogether.
The Psychic Present and the Psychic Potentiality
It may be thought that the question of the unconscious is of
very little importance in relation to the care of souls. This is not
so. While the Christian care of souls must not allow itself to be
confused with the many schools of occultism and
pseudomysticism that would ascribe to the unconscious almost
unlimited powers, it must be willing to learn from deep psychology.
In pursuance of its duty to give help and guidance, it cannot
afford to ignore the concealed relations in the world of
personalities.
For our purpose it will perhaps be worth while to pursue a
train of thought which leads us away from the many
discussions that rage round the problem, still unsolved, of the
unconscious mental life, by taking advantage of two very useful
terms, the psychic present and the psychic potentiality.
1 Tro och helbragdagirelse, Stockholm, 1934.
52
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