I want you to get rid of the dead hands in your life.

In relation to the terms of charities, wills, bequests, foundations, etc., we often hear used the term dead hand. It is a term which has been coined as a protest against the interests of the living being fettered by the wishes of the dead. It indicates a more or less justifiable sentiment that after a person has lived his own life as he has largely wanted to do, he has no logical right to impose restrictions on posterity.

The term dead hand makes me think of something which is even more significant, and which relates to the human personality—the dead influence.

Many people develop to adult mentality, apparent­ly go through life as self-governing units, finally pass on after a fullness of years with a more or less credit­able achievement behind them; yet they have never lived actually independent, individual existences, but go to their graves manacled and bound by dead in­fluences.

Whenever a mental reaction deviates from the normal it takes one of two general courses—the ex-troversive or the introversive.

By extroversion it is implied that the personality tends under certain influences to "fly off," to react outwardly against the world; to force, to struggle, and to be generally aggressive.

The opposite takes place in introversion: the per­sonality retires, seeks repose, and shrinks from en­vironmental menaces.

The extrovert seeks power, strives to lead, is aggres­sive, restive under authority, belligerent, and tries to force his will upon others. The introvert is submissive, retiring, shirks responsibility, and is content to follow.

Neither extroverts nor introverts are born: they are made.

If a child is trained according to ideal influences he will be neither extroversive nor introversive, but will be balanced at a centre between the two extremes. And any deviation from such a center of normality indicates that the personality has been unduly af­fected by the dead hand of wrong influences.

Cover-memories relate to experiences in the life of the child where a psychical shock has been sustained; but in the conditions which produce extroversive or introversive psychical trends no shocks are involved. The causes are persistent in their character.

In a general sense, extroversion and introversion result because the tender susceptibilities of the child have been unduly repelled from, or attracted by, the characteristics of those with whom it is brought into most intimate association—the parents or guardians. When the influence upon the child is extroversive— when it is repelled, the pathological result is known psycho-analytically as a complex. When the influence is introversive—when it is unduly attracted, the pathological result is known psychoanalytically as a fixation.

The terms complex and fixation have much broader meanings than those indicated in the foregoing in-instances, but I am using them at this time in special relation to the two particular sets of conditions in­timated.

Check Your Influences

If the psychic life of the child has been repelled by characteristics of the father, the pathological outcome is known psychoanalytically as a father-complex. If an opposite state of affairs exists, in which the psychic life of the child has been unduly influenced by the mother or nurse, the pathological outcome is known psychoanalytically as a mother-fixation.

It is possible for any of the following conditions to materialize in the development of the psychic life of the child, and out of them interminable combinations can develop:

(a) Father-complex.
(b) Father-fixation.
(c) Mother-complex.
(d) Mother-fixation.
(e) Father-complex plus Mother-fixation.
(f) Father-fixation plus Mother-complex.
(g) Father-Mother-complex.
(h) Father-Mother-fixation.

The intensity with which any of these influences, alone or combined, may affect the unfolding psychic life of the child will determine its whole future mental and temperamental outlook, and will affect its re­actions to all life's experiences. In an ideal personality there would be no complexes nor fixations; but such personalities are exceedingly rare.

People with a complex tend to manifest hastiness of temper, harshness of attitude, belligerence in disposi­tion, intolerance of all forms of restraint, self-assertive-ness, destructiveness, and imperiousness.

People with a fixation tend towards peacefulness in disposition, to deliberation of action, to be idealistic, to manifest a tendency to follow rather than to lead, and to have great respect for authority and precedent.

Between the extremes of these two governing trends an interminable combination of possibilities can de­velop; desirable qualities can neutralize undesirable ones, strengths can compensate weaknesses, construc­tive tendencies can offset those which incline towards being destructive, the idealistic and altruistic can counteract the egotistic and the brutally material, so that it is only in extremely rare instances that anyone can be considered wholly bad or wholly good. Gen­erally speaking, the personality is a compromise.

Only too often, however, those who are the strong­est and the most desirable in some temperamental qualifications are afflicted with some of the gravest weaknesses. On the other hand, in the type in which undesirable characteristics dominate, the general com­plexion of the personality generally possesses some redeeming quality which, stands out in pathetic iso­lation.

The basic trends of the personality are not heredi­tary. The influences which generate or tend to develop such basic trends may persist from parent to child, but that is another consideration altogether.

In addition to the influences of complexes and fixa­tions on the basic trends of the temperament and general mentality, further complications develop ac­cording to the extent to which the complex or fixa­tion has been induced by the father or mother, or both.

All of life's yearnings and tendencies in the individual will be wholly determined by whether the com­plex or fixation involves a relation to the father or to the mother.

From the cursory sketch that has been given it will be seen that any such term as strength of character can be extremely misleading. A so-called strength can, in reality, be a very serious weakness.

To be able to govern is an enviable quality; but to ignore the help of counsel is dangerous. To be restive under injustice is admirable; but all revolts should be regulated by deliberation. Respect for authority con­stitutes a fundamental of social organization; but to be blindly influenced by precedent spells stagnation.

It is possible to be a mental adult in some respects, and yet to be psychically infantile in others; and, sadly enough, most adult attainments are, at their best, patchy.

Of course, it is not possible for a person to dig up all the foundations of his personality, and then to rebuild according to a new and better design. But it certainly is possible to dig down, here and there, to inspect the general character of the foundations, and to strength­en, to modify, and generally to readjust various inci­dental features of those foundations.

It is fairly easy for everyone to ascertain the ex­istence of simple complexes and simple fixations, to determine their general character and influence, and to a very substantial extent to disintegrate them. By the term simple complex or simple fixation is meant a complex or fixation so pronounced in character, so unmodified by compensating influences, as to con­stitute a glaring weakness in the personality.

The most common form of simple complex is in relation to the father, and the most common fixation is in connection with the mother. This is because of the more consistently stern and dominating characteristics of the male parent, and of the correspondingly differ­ent mental disposition of the mother.

Of course these conditions can be reversed, so that it is the mother who is stern and dominating, while the father can reflect the opposite characteristics.

The Father-Complex

In its simplest aspects the result of a father-com­plex is a desire and tendency to revolt; to be restless. This is an involuntary reaction to certain ill-judged repressive influences on the part of the father. There has been no shock to the child's psychic life to cause any involuntary revulsion; but there has been a steady pressure of repressive influences.

This undesirable and unnatural steady pressure produces a tendency to struggle—to try to secure a wider freedom of movement. But there is usually a failure in these efforts because the persistently ap­plied parental pressure has been too strong. The re­sult is that there becomes developed in the psychic life of the child a persistent tendency to struggle and to revolt. Throughout life, in rights and in wrongs, sometimes with justice and sometimes with unrea­soning passion, the person afflicted with a pronounced and unmodified complex is forever resisting, revolt­ing, fighting.

At his best, under such influences, such a person is always restless, a common instance of which is to be seen in the person who is always on the move. Flitting here and there, yet never satisfied, his whole urge is forever reaching out:  in a sadly literal sense he is always trying to break the psychical bonds which en­meshed him during his formative stage.

The Mother-Fixation

In the case of a mother-fixation an opposite set of conditions comes into play. We all know that the only way to develop and to strengthen a physiological func­tion or mental quality is by use. In the case of a mother-fixation, therefore, the psychic life of the child can be said to have been nursed into helplessness. Too much confinement, solicitation, and precautionary measures have deadened the child's own initiative, with the result that there is an over-tendency to lean, to seek repose, and to avoid conditions where effort is necessary. Such a personality always craves for peace at any price.

In extreme instances of this type, the person is al­ways inclined to work inwardly; to fall back on him­self. There is an ever-present inclination to become pensive, unnaturally quiet, and unduly reflective. The person instead of healthily applying himself to over­coming the difficulties of life, tends to gravitate in­wardly, and is thereby always seeking within his own inner confines the peace, the succour, and the sym­pathy which were unduly lavished upon him during his formative stage.

Efforts at adjustment will throughout life consti­tute his urge. Having in the one case been unduly confined, this urge will take the form of an ever-rest­less struggle outwardly; and in the other instances his capacity for making personal efforts to attain its in­fantile ends having been restrained, he ever afterwards seeks to find similar satisfaction for his psychical wants by introversive efforts.

It will thus be seen that the extreme effects of unmodified complexes or fixations are disastrous.

In a broad sense, the person with a father-complex goes through life forever fighting the father-influence; while the person with a mother-fixation goes to the end of life's journey always shrinking from responsi­bility, always feeling, feeling for the mother-support.

Such are the dead hands of complexes and fixations.

The persons afflicted with complexes and fixations never attain to real psychical independence, but live and die—infants.

Mental Excavation

The pronounced effects of complexes and fixations are fairly open to identification, and it is comparative­ly easy for anyone to understand the broad basic char­acteristics of one's own personality. But if it is hoped to accomplish any serious modification of these condi­tions something more than mere intellectual recogni­tion is necessary. Some serious mental excavation must be undertaken. It is necessary to dig down into the unconscious so that certain conditions can be actu­ally seen.

As a mental attitude, temperamental disposition or psychical tendency, is a product of specific individual influences. The memories of such specific individual influences must be revived and disintegrated if any such attitude, disposition, or tendency is to become adjusted.

In order to modify the influence of a complex or fixation, at least some of the memories relating to the conditions under which they were actually created must be recovered by the consciousness. Simply to recognize the effects of a complex or fixation by reason of certain obvious conscious characteristics will not help much; for all the intellectual efforts which are brought to bear towards adjusting such character­istics are applied to what are, after all, merely symp­toms. To remove the causes of such symptoms the actual underlying motivating factors must be exposed. We cannot hope to put our enemies to flight by mere­ly making a noise; there has to be a fight, and at close quarters at that.

The most common experience is that of a father-complex and a mother-fixation. Yet, of course, you must not infer anything, but must actually determine the existing conditions. Naturally, all the specific memories relating to actual incidents connected with the formation of the complex or fixation are buried in the obscurity of forgetfulness. Nevertheless, here and there will be outcroppings of such memories; although the true nature of such outcroppings will not be recognized. These outcroppings are your cover-mem­ories.

Now, cover-memories relate to specific incidents, but they have also a far deeper significance. A deep analysis will invariably reveal that they are also linked up with actual instances connected with the production of complexes and fixations.

When an analysis of the cover-memories has been carried to a sufficient point, the self-analyst will in­variably find his associations leading down to mem­ories where a parent-influence lurks. If it is the case of a father-complex, the roots of the cover-memories will always be found trailing down to sets of infantile ex­periences where the father-image is continually break­ing cover—becoming exposed. And if the case is one of mother- or nurse-fixation, it will be the mother-image, or nurse-image, that is being continually un­veiled.

In following the fixation or complex down to spe­cific memories of the parental or guardian image, the self-analyst will be able to read a new meaning into the story of the infantile experiences which become revealed. He will be able to see the true significance of the memories that his free associations bring him up against. He will be able to see, in fact, actual memories of experiences which were instrumental in effecting serious basic changes in the general character of his personality.

Correcting Parent-Influences

When you start to uncover parent-influences in the analysis you will be able to apply the necessary cor­rective measures from two angles of attack. In the first place, by reason of having surveyed and correctly appraised your general conscious attitudes you will be able to apprehend their symptomatic significances. You will be able to trace the father-mother-influences in your conscious deportment.

Consequently, there are direct intellectual calcu­lations brought into action in the adjusting efforts. On the other hand, as the free associations along the roots of the cover-memories bring you up against specific parent-memories, the underlying causes of your un­natural conscious acts are uncovered and brought under intellectual control.

As the buried father-mother-memories are released the personality starts to achieve real individual free­dom. The dire effects of former unnatural restraints and undesirable influences become cancelled, and the personality begins to experience a free scope of action. The dead hands of the past are gradually re­leased.

Look upon every form of infantile memories as out-croppings of experiences in which the vital interests of your ego have figured; for their roots trail away down to the very innermost core of your psychic life.

And when these roots are traced to their sources, the foundations of basic characteristics of your per­sonality becomes exposed.

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