Leonardo

Psychology of the Arts by Hans Kreitler; Shulamith KreitlerReview by: Arpád MezeiLeonardo, Vol. 7, No. 4 (Autumn, 1974), pp. 368-369Published by: The MIT PressStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1573078 .

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of non-Euclidean geometry, Russell's logic, Freudian and certain pre-Freudian psychology and, later, the sociology of Mannheim. Each with its penumbra of social implica- tion, its light and dark side, its liberating elan, its unholy liasons with pessimism and alienation. In the course of drawing these together we are given not only some power- ful conventional criticism but also, more remarkably, a series of polished excursions into such topics as Rieman- nian geometry, the Hilbert-Brower controversy over the foundations of mathematics, Russell's theory of types and the Einsteinian space-time view of the world. Later the scene changes to Mannheim and 'The Moral Community of Technological Idealism', which leads to a penetrating enquiry into Expressionism in relation to the Bauhaus, on the one hand, and Nazism, on the other, and the dis- concerting component common to all three.

These last sections and the rather fragmentary epilogue seem at once the most interesting and the least secure. Although Richardson wisely refrains from prophecy, one might have hoped here for a more stringent following through of modern art and science from their heroic period, through consolidation and introspection into the present era of uncertainty. For here, too, some of the parallels seem no less persuasive or significant. The rarity of truly seminal breakthroughs, internationalism and the loss of individuality in teams and movements, commercialism and fashion seem not merely to enter into both but to do so with a shared inevitability.

But, with serious criticism at the science-art interface as rare as it is, we would do well to feel thankful for the quality of what the author has chosen to offer. The book is, above all, enjoyable, the writing is spare and accurate throughout and the University of Illinois Press has done a beautiful job of design and illustration. Unlike some critics in search of a wider vision, Richardson is not only impressively at ease talking about science but also has a sure sense of relevance. His dismissive exclusion, for example, of such 'obvious' relevant points as Italian Futurism and C. P. Snow's musing on the English educa- tion system are made to seem entirely justified.

Viewing the work as a whole, I would have wished to have some further evidence for the author's preliminary contention that . .. any direct historical parallels between scientific thought and painting . .. fall between the centers of the (19th and 20th) centuries'. In a similar spirit, I have the urgent reservation that no conclusion reached through his particular 'direct' type of historico-stylistic study should be held to vitiate a deeper enquiry into unity, drawing perhaps upon the philosophy of expression or some of the more elusive currents in the history of ideas. The fact that the greatest triumphs of 20th-century art and science are contemporary to within a decade or so is perhaps misleading in its tendency to suggest that influence is at its most powerful and significant when apparently traceable to some particular upsetting discovery in the scientific world. To take a case, admittedly out of period, one could well imagine a more subtle and extended in- fluence, for example, through Cartesianism in France than through the perhaps more accessible and dramatic achieve- ments of Newton in England. Admittedly, Richardson shows himself wise to this by drawing attention to influ- ential, though shadowy figures, such as Mach in the 19th century, but he does not pursue this theme in any generality. To have done so would, of course, have led him well beyond the field of visual art.

Nevertheless, within its self-imposed limits and for all its selective, not to say episodic, treatment, Modern Art and Scientific Thought is a model of informed criticism and does great service to the establishment of a scholarly and philosophical context in which art and science can be seen to illuminate each other. It is a sobering thought that so few critics and historians seem even remotely

of non-Euclidean geometry, Russell's logic, Freudian and certain pre-Freudian psychology and, later, the sociology of Mannheim. Each with its penumbra of social implica- tion, its light and dark side, its liberating elan, its unholy liasons with pessimism and alienation. In the course of drawing these together we are given not only some power- ful conventional criticism but also, more remarkably, a series of polished excursions into such topics as Rieman- nian geometry, the Hilbert-Brower controversy over the foundations of mathematics, Russell's theory of types and the Einsteinian space-time view of the world. Later the scene changes to Mannheim and 'The Moral Community of Technological Idealism', which leads to a penetrating enquiry into Expressionism in relation to the Bauhaus, on the one hand, and Nazism, on the other, and the dis- concerting component common to all three.

These last sections and the rather fragmentary epilogue seem at once the most interesting and the least secure. Although Richardson wisely refrains from prophecy, one might have hoped here for a more stringent following through of modern art and science from their heroic period, through consolidation and introspection into the present era of uncertainty. For here, too, some of the parallels seem no less persuasive or significant. The rarity of truly seminal breakthroughs, internationalism and the loss of individuality in teams and movements, commercialism and fashion seem not merely to enter into both but to do so with a shared inevitability.

But, with serious criticism at the science-art interface as rare as it is, we would do well to feel thankful for the quality of what the author has chosen to offer. The book is, above all, enjoyable, the writing is spare and accurate throughout and the University of Illinois Press has done a beautiful job of design and illustration. Unlike some critics in search of a wider vision, Richardson is not only impressively at ease talking about science but also has a sure sense of relevance. His dismissive exclusion, for example, of such 'obvious' relevant points as Italian Futurism and C. P. Snow's musing on the English educa- tion system are made to seem entirely justified.

Viewing the work as a whole, I would have wished to have some further evidence for the author's preliminary contention that . .. any direct historical parallels between scientific thought and painting . .. fall between the centers of the (19th and 20th) centuries'. In a similar spirit, I have the urgent reservation that no conclusion reached through his particular 'direct' type of historico-stylistic study should be held to vitiate a deeper enquiry into unity, drawing perhaps upon the philosophy of expression or some of the more elusive currents in the history of ideas. The fact that the greatest triumphs of 20th-century art and science are contemporary to within a decade or so is perhaps misleading in its tendency to suggest that influence is at its most powerful and significant when apparently traceable to some particular upsetting discovery in the scientific world. To take a case, admittedly out of period, one could well imagine a more subtle and extended in- fluence, for example, through Cartesianism in France than through the perhaps more accessible and dramatic achieve- ments of Newton in England. Admittedly, Richardson shows himself wise to this by drawing attention to influ- ential, though shadowy figures, such as Mach in the 19th century, but he does not pursue this theme in any generality. To have done so would, of course, have led him well beyond the field of visual art.

Nevertheless, within its self-imposed limits and for all its selective, not to say episodic, treatment, Modern Art and Scientific Thought is a model of informed criticism and does great service to the establishment of a scholarly and philosophical context in which art and science can be seen to illuminate each other. It is a sobering thought that so few critics and historians seem even remotely competent to attempt this; one can only hope that Richard- son will extend his range even further towards elucidating the intense and seemingly irresoluble polarization of the modern spirit between artistic and scientific modes of creation.

competent to attempt this; one can only hope that Richard- son will extend his range even further towards elucidating the intense and seemingly irresoluble polarization of the modern spirit between artistic and scientific modes of creation.

Psychology of the Arts. Hans Kreitler and Shulamith Kreitler. Duke University Press, Durham, NC, 1972. 514 pp., illus. Reviewed by.Arpid Mezei*

The object of the book is to synthesize what has been written by psychologists on experiencing the arts. The authors, treating some 1350 references, adopt the only possible method for covering such a vast quantity-they try to integrate the various approaches (psychoanalysis, Gestalt theory, neobehaviorism, information theory) so that a comprehensive conceptual framework is achieved where particular works can be organically fitted in and reviewed in a few words.

The author's basic point is that experiencing and enjoy- ing art are subject to general laws that are identical for all branches of art and can be, to a certain extent, con- ceptualized and verbalized at our present stage of know- ledge. Thus, the psychic concommitants of line and form can be treated in terms of Gestalt theory, and color, sound and their combinations, as well as other means of expres- sion, can be ordered, if only loosely, along the lines of Berlyne's theory, which says that a work of art elicits tension in the onlooker and then continues to act to gradually dissolve that tension.

The first part of the book contains most of the literature dealing with experimental and general empirical statements on the effects of sound, form etc. Such effects are physio- logical, perceptual and emotional and, as pointed out by the authors, possess universal validity in many respects.

In the second part, it is stated that a work of art affects the mind in many ways and, accordingly, in addition to emotional effects, cognitive factors should likewise be considered. Here the book offers more than what we were promised at the outset. Although it does not touch upon the psychology of artistic creativity, it is deeply concerned with 'the more in the arts'. The authors claim that im- portant works contain new knowledge that has a bearing either on reality as a whole or on specific parts of it; it is knowledge that is accessible only to artists. A work may reveal undiscovered parts of familiar reality; it may reveal the realities of 'archeology', i.e. the parts of mind that are almost inaccessible to conscious thought; it may be prophetic, i.e. it may anticipate future reality, and, finally, it may offer an alternative to an existing reality.

In spite of the author's attempts to be comprehensive, it is only to be expected that some of the relevant literature has been overlooked, e.g. Luscher's personality diagnostics based on color choice. However, Liischer's findings definitely support the Kreitlers' position concerning the more or less universal psychic meanings of color.

Their analysis of color relations, in particular in paintings (pp. 46-53), is, in my opinion, a rather important achieve- ment. Here they almost imply that colors and sounds can be used in codes like words, so that color combinations can be messages similar to sentences made of words. In theories of formalisms, alphabets consist of elements con- sidered as 'words' in the general sense. By applying specific rules of combination, strings may be formed from these elements. The strings themselves constitute theses or statements. In the case of colors, the rules of combina- tion are derived from the laws of the color-scale (contrast, transition etc.). These rules are presented by the authors in a very clear manner; the fact that color combinations constitute theses is explicitly stated in the second part of the book.

What I genuinely appreciate in this book is the fact that contemporary art is positively treated. They do not, like some of the authors on art, pick out a transitory thesis or the fraction of a thesis, to define a contemporary trend, by which both art and the science of art is likely to be worse off.

They are well aware of the fact that the science of art is not a mature science as yet. Nevertheless, the book is

Psychology of the Arts. Hans Kreitler and Shulamith Kreitler. Duke University Press, Durham, NC, 1972. 514 pp., illus. Reviewed by.Arpid Mezei*

The object of the book is to synthesize what has been written by psychologists on experiencing the arts. The authors, treating some 1350 references, adopt the only possible method for covering such a vast quantity-they try to integrate the various approaches (psychoanalysis, Gestalt theory, neobehaviorism, information theory) so that a comprehensive conceptual framework is achieved where particular works can be organically fitted in and reviewed in a few words.

The author's basic point is that experiencing and enjoy- ing art are subject to general laws that are identical for all branches of art and can be, to a certain extent, con- ceptualized and verbalized at our present stage of know- ledge. Thus, the psychic concommitants of line and form can be treated in terms of Gestalt theory, and color, sound and their combinations, as well as other means of expres- sion, can be ordered, if only loosely, along the lines of Berlyne's theory, which says that a work of art elicits tension in the onlooker and then continues to act to gradually dissolve that tension.

The first part of the book contains most of the literature dealing with experimental and general empirical statements on the effects of sound, form etc. Such effects are physio- logical, perceptual and emotional and, as pointed out by the authors, possess universal validity in many respects.

In the second part, it is stated that a work of art affects the mind in many ways and, accordingly, in addition to emotional effects, cognitive factors should likewise be considered. Here the book offers more than what we were promised at the outset. Although it does not touch upon the psychology of artistic creativity, it is deeply concerned with 'the more in the arts'. The authors claim that im- portant works contain new knowledge that has a bearing either on reality as a whole or on specific parts of it; it is knowledge that is accessible only to artists. A work may reveal undiscovered parts of familiar reality; it may reveal the realities of 'archeology', i.e. the parts of mind that are almost inaccessible to conscious thought; it may be prophetic, i.e. it may anticipate future reality, and, finally, it may offer an alternative to an existing reality.

In spite of the author's attempts to be comprehensive, it is only to be expected that some of the relevant literature has been overlooked, e.g. Luscher's personality diagnostics based on color choice. However, Liischer's findings definitely support the Kreitlers' position concerning the more or less universal psychic meanings of color.

Their analysis of color relations, in particular in paintings (pp. 46-53), is, in my opinion, a rather important achieve- ment. Here they almost imply that colors and sounds can be used in codes like words, so that color combinations can be messages similar to sentences made of words. In theories of formalisms, alphabets consist of elements con- sidered as 'words' in the general sense. By applying specific rules of combination, strings may be formed from these elements. The strings themselves constitute theses or statements. In the case of colors, the rules of combina- tion are derived from the laws of the color-scale (contrast, transition etc.). These rules are presented by the authors in a very clear manner; the fact that color combinations constitute theses is explicitly stated in the second part of the book.

What I genuinely appreciate in this book is the fact that contemporary art is positively treated. They do not, like some of the authors on art, pick out a transitory thesis or the fraction of a thesis, to define a contemporary trend, by which both art and the science of art is likely to be worse off.

They are well aware of the fact that the science of art is not a mature science as yet. Nevertheless, the book is useful and perhaps even indispensable for those who want to move ahead in this field. I do not mean that persons

*Dorozsmai u. 9/c, 1142 Budapest, Hungary.

useful and perhaps even indispensable for those who want to move ahead in this field. I do not mean that persons

*Dorozsmai u. 9/c, 1142 Budapest, Hungary.

368 368 Books Books

This content downloaded from 188.72.126.41 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 06:54:12 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

and regnant sub-selves. One would like to see artistic fantasy addressed specifically. The words 'art' and 'imagination' do not occur in the index and, although the author mentions 'creative writing' and 'literary composi- tion' and discusses creativity in general, the reader whose interest is primarily in visual art is disappointed that important aspects of what he has considered to be 'fantasy' are generally ignored. As Klinger's writing indicates, he is not unaware of the many subtleties his hypothesis at present leaves untouched, the reviewer hopes his future work will take these more into account.

Communication. A Scientific American Book. W. H. Freeman, Reading, England and San Francisco, 1972. 136 pp., illus. Paper ?1.50; cloth ?3.10. Reviewed by Gerhard Charles Rump**

The vital function of communication, which appeared in nature with the advent of the big molecules of life, is shown in this book as the primary organizing technology of high civilization. As a problem, it is envisaged from three main positions: The analysis of communication channels, the analysis of communication networks and the analysis of communication terminals.

John R. Pierce states in the first essay that communica- tion is not only the 'only essence of being human' but that it is also 'a vital property of life' (p. 3). He gives a highly- condensed survey of communication studies, touching upon such seemingly wide-apart matters as E. V. Wright's novel Gadsby (1939), which has more than 50,000 words but none contains the letter 'e', and the number of phone calls made in the U.S. between 1950 and 1970. It is no wonder that with an approach as wide as that, most of his statements are very general, including the final remark, which reads: 'The world that communication . . . built is exceedingly complex and very difficult to govern wisely.' Nevertheless it presents a lively bit of reading and is a projection of what the whole book is about.

From Gunther S. Stent we learn about cellular com- munication, which is achieved by means of highly intricate chemical messengers and the nerve impulse. Next, Edward 0. Wilson provides an introduction to the different forms of animal communication, normally termed zoosemiotics. The three main forms of sublinguistic communications are by chemical means (i.e. olfactory and gustative), by move- ment and by sound. These modes are also used by man, in addition to his unique language, which is discussed by Roman Jakobson. Language can convey an infinite number of messages by its verbal code. Speech sounds, too, are cardinally different from other audible phenomena and it is the unique properties of the verbal code that make it so highly adaptive. Ernst Hans Gombrich then takes the reader to the world of the visual image. He states that the meaning of a picture to a viewer depends very much on that viewer's past experience and knowledge. Therefore the visual image is not only a representation of 'reality' but a symbolic system itself. It is interesting to note that the plaque carried by the Pioneer spacecraft cannot be deciphered by extraterrestrians if they do not possess a priori knowledge of our symbolic systems.

A survey over the vast amount of different channels of communication is given by Henry Busignies. Hiroshi Inose tells about the way those channels are turned into a communication network, which, very roughly defined, is a complex of switch-lines and devices. The communica- tion terminals, such as eye and ear and their mechanical analogs, are treated by Ernest R. Kretzmer. Terminals convert the messages to a form that suits the channel used; at the other end, the message is transformed again, this time to be ready to be consumed. The complex role of communication in the community is Peter C. Gold- mark's topic and George Gerbner treats the influence of communication on the social environment, mainly as

and regnant sub-selves. One would like to see artistic fantasy addressed specifically. The words 'art' and 'imagination' do not occur in the index and, although the author mentions 'creative writing' and 'literary composi- tion' and discusses creativity in general, the reader whose interest is primarily in visual art is disappointed that important aspects of what he has considered to be 'fantasy' are generally ignored. As Klinger's writing indicates, he is not unaware of the many subtleties his hypothesis at present leaves untouched, the reviewer hopes his future work will take these more into account.

Communication. A Scientific American Book. W. H. Freeman, Reading, England and San Francisco, 1972. 136 pp., illus. Paper ?1.50; cloth ?3.10. Reviewed by Gerhard Charles Rump**

The vital function of communication, which appeared in nature with the advent of the big molecules of life, is shown in this book as the primary organizing technology of high civilization. As a problem, it is envisaged from three main positions: The analysis of communication channels, the analysis of communication networks and the analysis of communication terminals.

John R. Pierce states in the first essay that communica- tion is not only the 'only essence of being human' but that it is also 'a vital property of life' (p. 3). He gives a highly- condensed survey of communication studies, touching upon such seemingly wide-apart matters as E. V. Wright's novel Gadsby (1939), which has more than 50,000 words but none contains the letter 'e', and the number of phone calls made in the U.S. between 1950 and 1970. It is no wonder that with an approach as wide as that, most of his statements are very general, including the final remark, which reads: 'The world that communication . . . built is exceedingly complex and very difficult to govern wisely.' Nevertheless it presents a lively bit of reading and is a projection of what the whole book is about.

From Gunther S. Stent we learn about cellular com- munication, which is achieved by means of highly intricate chemical messengers and the nerve impulse. Next, Edward 0. Wilson provides an introduction to the different forms of animal communication, normally termed zoosemiotics. The three main forms of sublinguistic communications are by chemical means (i.e. olfactory and gustative), by move- ment and by sound. These modes are also used by man, in addition to his unique language, which is discussed by Roman Jakobson. Language can convey an infinite number of messages by its verbal code. Speech sounds, too, are cardinally different from other audible phenomena and it is the unique properties of the verbal code that make it so highly adaptive. Ernst Hans Gombrich then takes the reader to the world of the visual image. He states that the meaning of a picture to a viewer depends very much on that viewer's past experience and knowledge. Therefore the visual image is not only a representation of 'reality' but a symbolic system itself. It is interesting to note that the plaque carried by the Pioneer spacecraft cannot be deciphered by extraterrestrians if they do not possess a priori knowledge of our symbolic systems.

A survey over the vast amount of different channels of communication is given by Henry Busignies. Hiroshi Inose tells about the way those channels are turned into a communication network, which, very roughly defined, is a complex of switch-lines and devices. The communica- tion terminals, such as eye and ear and their mechanical analogs, are treated by Ernest R. Kretzmer. Terminals convert the messages to a form that suits the channel used; at the other end, the message is transformed again, this time to be ready to be consumed. The complex role of communication in the community is Peter C. Gold- mark's topic and George Gerbner treats the influence of communication on the social environment, mainly as

and regnant sub-selves. One would like to see artistic fantasy addressed specifically. The words 'art' and 'imagination' do not occur in the index and, although the author mentions 'creative writing' and 'literary composi- tion' and discusses creativity in general, the reader whose interest is primarily in visual art is disappointed that important aspects of what he has considered to be 'fantasy' are generally ignored. As Klinger's writing indicates, he is not unaware of the many subtleties his hypothesis at present leaves untouched, the reviewer hopes his future work will take these more into account.

Communication. A Scientific American Book. W. H. Freeman, Reading, England and San Francisco, 1972. 136 pp., illus. Paper ?1.50; cloth ?3.10. Reviewed by Gerhard Charles Rump**

The vital function of communication, which appeared in nature with the advent of the big molecules of life, is shown in this book as the primary organizing technology of high civilization. As a problem, it is envisaged from three main positions: The analysis of communication channels, the analysis of communication networks and the analysis of communication terminals.

John R. Pierce states in the first essay that communica- tion is not only the 'only essence of being human' but that it is also 'a vital property of life' (p. 3). He gives a highly- condensed survey of communication studies, touching upon such seemingly wide-apart matters as E. V. Wright's novel Gadsby (1939), which has more than 50,000 words but none contains the letter 'e', and the number of phone calls made in the U.S. between 1950 and 1970. It is no wonder that with an approach as wide as that, most of his statements are very general, including the final remark, which reads: 'The world that communication . . . built is exceedingly complex and very difficult to govern wisely.' Nevertheless it presents a lively bit of reading and is a projection of what the whole book is about.

From Gunther S. Stent we learn about cellular com- munication, which is achieved by means of highly intricate chemical messengers and the nerve impulse. Next, Edward 0. Wilson provides an introduction to the different forms of animal communication, normally termed zoosemiotics. The three main forms of sublinguistic communications are by chemical means (i.e. olfactory and gustative), by move- ment and by sound. These modes are also used by man, in addition to his unique language, which is discussed by Roman Jakobson. Language can convey an infinite number of messages by its verbal code. Speech sounds, too, are cardinally different from other audible phenomena and it is the unique properties of the verbal code that make it so highly adaptive. Ernst Hans Gombrich then takes the reader to the world of the visual image. He states that the meaning of a picture to a viewer depends very much on that viewer's past experience and knowledge. Therefore the visual image is not only a representation of 'reality' but a symbolic system itself. It is interesting to note that the plaque carried by the Pioneer spacecraft cannot be deciphered by extraterrestrians if they do not possess a priori knowledge of our symbolic systems.

A survey over the vast amount of different channels of communication is given by Henry Busignies. Hiroshi Inose tells about the way those channels are turned into a communication network, which, very roughly defined, is a complex of switch-lines and devices. The communica- tion terminals, such as eye and ear and their mechanical analogs, are treated by Ernest R. Kretzmer. Terminals convert the messages to a form that suits the channel used; at the other end, the message is transformed again, this time to be ready to be consumed. The complex role of communication in the community is Peter C. Gold- mark's topic and George Gerbner treats the influence of communication on the social environment, mainly as

endowed with good intuition may not achieve important results without absorbing all the information offered by the Kreitlers, however, I am convinced that the book would be valuable for those concerned with these problems.

Structure and Functions of Fantasy. Eric Klinger. Wiley- Interscience, Chichester, England. 424 pp. ?6.30. Re- viewed by Ellen Dissanayake*

Today's aesthete who doubts that fantasy can be scrutinized scientifically without losing its unique, volatile and 'fantastic' properties had his reverse counterpart in the proponents of behaviouristic psychology earlier in the century who condemned as unscientific the investigation of any kind of inner experience. Paying his respects to both sets of sceptics, Klinger has dared to enter the breach between them. He profitably examines the available psychological literature on fantasy-like processes (e.g. play, dreams, daydreams and responses to some projective tests) for insights and testable propositions that apply to fantasy itself. By drawing together existing experimental data that bear on the subject and offering hypotheses of his own that appear to be derivable from, to fit in with or to extend current theory, Klinger has erected an admirable empirical scaffolding on which to build a comprehensive psychological theory of fantasy, while simultaneously avoiding the attendant reductionist pitfalls.

He posits that the human mind is never 'empty': when not performing operant problem-solving, orienting or scanning functions, it can be said to be engaged in respon- dent activity, of which fantasy is an important kind.

Regarding the structure of a verbalized fantasy sequence, an objective observer can reliably identify separate seg- ments of content, segments that themselves are hierarchic- ally organized. Although Klinger considers fantasy segments and sequences to be respondent, he rejects simple associationist or classical S-R expanations and advances the modern concept of 'response integration' (to be likened to the psycholinguistic notion of a 'meaning complex' that controls the general unfolding though not the precise elements of a speaker's utterance) that will account for the erratic properties of fantasy and its frequent novelty.

So prominent a human activity as fantasy undoubtedly has an adaptive function. Because its content is influenced by 'current concerns' (states of involvement with im- portant and desirable unattained goals) and temporarily ruling sub-selves (an individual's 'well-organized self- states . . . which consist of associated affects, expectancies, values, self-percepts, and cognitions'), fantasy deals with information and potential behaviour relevant to the individual's ongoing life and provides a reservoir from which to draw appropriate responses to human experience.

Klinger's analysis takes cognizance of (and occasionally issue with) such important theorists as Freud, Skinner, Berlyne, Piaget, Jung and the psycholinguists, among others. Impressively grounded throughout in experimental verification from many sources, the theory is clearly presented, with frequent recapitulations. Particularly useful is the historical overview and critical examination of each pertinent theoretical concept.

Unfortunately for the artist interested in exploring his own fantasy, the book's strict empirical grounding, which relies heavily on verbalised accounts ('thinking out loud') neglects more complex kinds of 'artistic' fantasy for ordinary reportable fantasy about such 'current con- cerns' as achievement, affiliation, power, fear and avoid- ance, and hostility. Leaving aside the observation that these are largely Western concerns (and therefore the fantasy of other peoples might be provocatively different in kind and degree), it can be argued that the artist qua artist also engages in a kind of fantasy that is not repre-

endowed with good intuition may not achieve important results without absorbing all the information offered by the Kreitlers, however, I am convinced that the book would be valuable for those concerned with these problems.

Structure and Functions of Fantasy. Eric Klinger. Wiley- Interscience, Chichester, England. 424 pp. ?6.30. Re- viewed by Ellen Dissanayake*

Today's aesthete who doubts that fantasy can be scrutinized scientifically without losing its unique, volatile and 'fantastic' properties had his reverse counterpart in the proponents of behaviouristic psychology earlier in the century who condemned as unscientific the investigation of any kind of inner experience. Paying his respects to both sets of sceptics, Klinger has dared to enter the breach between them. He profitably examines the available psychological literature on fantasy-like processes (e.g. play, dreams, daydreams and responses to some projective tests) for insights and testable propositions that apply to fantasy itself. By drawing together existing experimental data that bear on the subject and offering hypotheses of his own that appear to be derivable from, to fit in with or to extend current theory, Klinger has erected an admirable empirical scaffolding on which to build a comprehensive psychological theory of fantasy, while simultaneously avoiding the attendant reductionist pitfalls.

He posits that the human mind is never 'empty': when not performing operant problem-solving, orienting or scanning functions, it can be said to be engaged in respon- dent activity, of which fantasy is an important kind.

Regarding the structure of a verbalized fantasy sequence, an objective observer can reliably identify separate seg- ments of content, segments that themselves are hierarchic- ally organized. Although Klinger considers fantasy segments and sequences to be respondent, he rejects simple associationist or classical S-R expanations and advances the modern concept of 'response integration' (to be likened to the psycholinguistic notion of a 'meaning complex' that controls the general unfolding though not the precise elements of a speaker's utterance) that will account for the erratic properties of fantasy and its frequent novelty.

So prominent a human activity as fantasy undoubtedly has an adaptive function. Because its content is influenced by 'current concerns' (states of involvement with im- portant and desirable unattained goals) and temporarily ruling sub-selves (an individual's 'well-organized self- states . . . which consist of associated affects, expectancies, values, self-percepts, and cognitions'), fantasy deals with information and potential behaviour relevant to the individual's ongoing life and provides a reservoir from which to draw appropriate responses to human experience.

Klinger's analysis takes cognizance of (and occasionally issue with) such important theorists as Freud, Skinner, Berlyne, Piaget, Jung and the psycholinguists, among others. Impressively grounded throughout in experimental verification from many sources, the theory is clearly presented, with frequent recapitulations. Particularly useful is the historical overview and critical examination of each pertinent theoretical concept.

Unfortunately for the artist interested in exploring his own fantasy, the book's strict empirical grounding, which relies heavily on verbalised accounts ('thinking out loud') neglects more complex kinds of 'artistic' fantasy for ordinary reportable fantasy about such 'current con- cerns' as achievement, affiliation, power, fear and avoid- ance, and hostility. Leaving aside the observation that these are largely Western concerns (and therefore the fantasy of other peoples might be provocatively different in kind and degree), it can be argued that the artist qua artist also engages in a kind of fantasy that is not repre-

endowed with good intuition may not achieve important results without absorbing all the information offered by the Kreitlers, however, I am convinced that the book would be valuable for those concerned with these problems.

Structure and Functions of Fantasy. Eric Klinger. Wiley- Interscience, Chichester, England. 424 pp. ?6.30. Re- viewed by Ellen Dissanayake*

Today's aesthete who doubts that fantasy can be scrutinized scientifically without losing its unique, volatile and 'fantastic' properties had his reverse counterpart in the proponents of behaviouristic psychology earlier in the century who condemned as unscientific the investigation of any kind of inner experience. Paying his respects to both sets of sceptics, Klinger has dared to enter the breach between them. He profitably examines the available psychological literature on fantasy-like processes (e.g. play, dreams, daydreams and responses to some projective tests) for insights and testable propositions that apply to fantasy itself. By drawing together existing experimental data that bear on the subject and offering hypotheses of his own that appear to be derivable from, to fit in with or to extend current theory, Klinger has erected an admirable empirical scaffolding on which to build a comprehensive psychological theory of fantasy, while simultaneously avoiding the attendant reductionist pitfalls.

He posits that the human mind is never 'empty': when not performing operant problem-solving, orienting or scanning functions, it can be said to be engaged in respon- dent activity, of which fantasy is an important kind.

Regarding the structure of a verbalized fantasy sequence, an objective observer can reliably identify separate seg- ments of content, segments that themselves are hierarchic- ally organized. Although Klinger considers fantasy segments and sequences to be respondent, he rejects simple associationist or classical S-R expanations and advances the modern concept of 'response integration' (to be likened to the psycholinguistic notion of a 'meaning complex' that controls the general unfolding though not the precise elements of a speaker's utterance) that will account for the erratic properties of fantasy and its frequent novelty.

So prominent a human activity as fantasy undoubtedly has an adaptive function. Because its content is influenced by 'current concerns' (states of involvement with im- portant and desirable unattained goals) and temporarily ruling sub-selves (an individual's 'well-organized self- states . . . which consist of associated affects, expectancies, values, self-percepts, and cognitions'), fantasy deals with information and potential behaviour relevant to the individual's ongoing life and provides a reservoir from which to draw appropriate responses to human experience.

Klinger's analysis takes cognizance of (and occasionally issue with) such important theorists as Freud, Skinner, Berlyne, Piaget, Jung and the psycholinguists, among others. Impressively grounded throughout in experimental verification from many sources, the theory is clearly presented, with frequent recapitulations. Particularly useful is the historical overview and critical examination of each pertinent theoretical concept.

Unfortunately for the artist interested in exploring his own fantasy, the book's strict empirical grounding, which relies heavily on verbalised accounts ('thinking out loud') neglects more complex kinds of 'artistic' fantasy for ordinary reportable fantasy about such 'current con- cerns' as achievement, affiliation, power, fear and avoid- ance, and hostility. Leaving aside the observation that these are largely Western concerns (and therefore the fantasy of other peoples might be provocatively different in kind and degree), it can be argued that the artist qua artist also engages in a kind of fantasy that is not repre- sented in Klinger's analysis and may not be adequately treatable under his hypotheses of 'current focal concerns'

*51/5 Bahirawakanda, Kandy, Sri Lanka.

sented in Klinger's analysis and may not be adequately treatable under his hypotheses of 'current focal concerns'

*51/5 Bahirawakanda, Kandy, Sri Lanka.

sented in Klinger's analysis and may not be adequately treatable under his hypotheses of 'current focal concerns'

*51/5 Bahirawakanda, Kandy, Sri Lanka.

reflected by television.

**Hustadtring 139, D463 Bochum-Querenburg, Fed. Rep. Ger.

reflected by television.

**Hustadtring 139, D463 Bochum-Querenburg, Fed. Rep. Ger.

reflected by television.

**Hustadtring 139, D463 Bochum-Querenburg, Fed. Rep. Ger.

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