I stand corrected. It is possible that I might have missed this when it went out on the mailing list that the SIH had been using.
-Mike Palij New York University [EMAIL PROTECTED] On Fri, 08 Aug 2008 15:26:45 -0700, Annette Taylor wrote: >The always erudite Stephen Black posted on November 19, 2006: > >I've now discovered an early use of the iceberg by Hall (1898) in an academic >journal, _The American Journal of Psychology_. It occurs in a long and tedious >article reporting a survey of children's sense of self, and appears almost at >the end of the essay. > >The [corrected] reference is: >Some Aspects of the Early Sense of Self >G. Stanley Hall >American Journal of Psychology, Vol. 9, No. 3 (Apr., 1898), pp. 351-395 >doi:10.2307/1411300 > >On p. 393, he says: > >"We have sought the real ego in the intellect. It is not there...Its nucleus is >below the threshold of consciousness. The mistake of ego-theorists is akin to >that of those who thought icebergs were best studied from above the surface and >were moved by winds, when, in fact about nine-tenths of their mass is >submerged, and they follow the deeper and more constant oceanic currents". [see >attachment] > >I find it interesting that this famous observation is buried in a long and >obscure publication, and the metaphor is presented in a cursory manner which is >less than compelling. I suspect that it underwent a slow evolution, possibly >by Hall himself and by others, until it reached a more effective and vivid >form. Nevertheless, William White (1916), in his text _Mechanisms of Character >Formation: An Introduction to Psychoanalysis_ found it sufficiently >compelling. He says about this exact passage of Hall's, which he cites, that: > > "Stanley Hall has very forcibly put the matter [of the unconscious--SB] by >using the illustration of the iceberg. Only one-tenth of the iceberg is visible >above water; nine-tenths is below the surface. It may appear in a given >instance that the iceberg is being carried along by the >prevailing winds and surface currents, but if we keep our eyes open we will >sooner or later see a berg going in the face of the wind...it is moving in >response to invisible forces addressed against this submerged portion" (p. 39). > >I recall that a criticism raised in our group of the contemporary use of the >iceberg metaphor is that it is an inappropriately static image. It seems from >these examples that when it was first used by Hall and others, it had more of a >dynamic aspect to it, an attribute emphasized as much as the fact that much of >it was hidden beneath the surface. > >=========================================================== > >Mike Donnelly: where are you? > >Annette > >Annette Kujawski Taylor, Ph.D. >Professor of Psychology >University of San Diego >5998 Alcala Park >San Diego, CA 92110 >619-260-4006 >[EMAIL PROTECTED] > ---- Original message ---- >Date: Fri, 8 Aug 2008 17:09:47 -0400 >From: "Mike Palij" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: [tips] Society of Iceberg Hunters (was Source of iceberg metaphor >found? >To: "Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS)" <[email protected]> >Cc: "Mike Palij" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >One of the members of the Society of Iceberg Hunters (SIH) can >probably provide you with a copy of the last written document that >summarizes our hunting expeditions for the elusive iceberg of mind >and I don't remember whether the article you cite below was mentioned >in it but we had established that Hall had used the iceberg metaphor in >a couple of popular articles but not in his scientific writing (where >he focused on potential mental processes which are not consistent >with a metaphor based on an inert block of ice). > >I don't have all of my materials handy but I believe that the earliest >use of the iceberg metaphor by a psychologist was by Henry Goddard >in 1899 in a Quaker newsletter "Friends Intelligencer" (July 22,1899), >quoting: > >|The best and concluding words on teaching children were >|spoken by Prof. Goddard, of Maine, who has been appointed >|to fill the chiar of Pedagogy in the Normal School at West >|Chester. >| >|He said the unconscious part of our lives and influence >|had about the same relation to the conscious as the submerged >|portion of an iceberg has to that which is in sight. It was >|only as the principles of right conduct and thinking so >|impregnated our whole being that they unconsciously controlled >|our lives, and not only our own, but others, that we could >|fulfill the high calling of instructors. > >Goddard did his dissertation with Hall so it's unclear who the >real source was. However, the iceberg metaphor appears to >have been popular in the 19th century, possibly due to the >influence of Herbart who focused on the concious-unconscious >distinction which can be traced back to Leibniz; see the beginning >of the article at: >http://www.psych.utoronto.ca/~reingold/publications/Merikle_&_Reingold_1992 / > >One of the these day the SIH probably should get that manuscript >out. > >-Mike Palij >New York University >[EMAIL PROTECTED] > >On Fri, 08 Aug 2008 10:50:28 -0700, Christopher D. Green >>We TIPSters, led by the redoubtable Stephen Black, have long searched >>for the source of the iceberg metaphor of the mind that is often, and >>incorrectly, attributed to Sigmund Freud. I have just run across a >>source, authored by a famous American psychologist and first published >>in 1910 in a widely-circulated magazine, that I believe to be the (at >>least proximal) source of that metaphor. (I do not recall anyone >>spotting this source before, but please let us know if I have slighted >>you). >> >>The author was none other than G. Stanley Hall, and the source is an >>article entitle "A Children's Institute" that appeared in /Harper's >>Monthly/ (Sorry for the ellipses. I have drawn the passage from a >>quotation that appeared in a 1912 /AJP/ article by E. B. Titchener): >> >>"Formerly everyone supposed that self-observation, or looking in upon >>our own psychic processes, or the intensification of self-consciousness, >>was the oracle and muse of philosophic studies. Now, however, . . . it >>is coming to be seen that this method gives us access to but a very >>small part of the soul, as, like an iceberg, nine-tenths of which is >>submerged under water and only one-tenth is visible above the surface of >>the sea, in the same way unconscious and instinctive forces now seem to >>be dominant in human life, . . . and these can be studied only >>objectively by natural-history methods." >> >>Although Titchener quotes it as a "dissentient note" in an article in >>which he defends his method of introspection, there can be little doubt >>that Hall was referring, at least in part, to Freud, who had, just the >>year before (1909), been hosted by Hall at a 20th anniversary conference >>for Clark University (of which Hall was president), and at which Freud >>had presented the only lectures he would ever give in the US -- the >>lectures that were later published as _The Origin and Development of >>Psychoanalysis_. --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
