The Psychology Book (18 page)

PHILOSOPHICAL ROOTS 55

See also:
Jean-Martin Charcot 30 ■ Alfred Binet 50–53 ■ Sigmund Freud 92–99 ■ Thigpen & Cleckley 330–31 ■

Ernest R. Hilgard 337

Significantly, Lucie 3 could recall a

behavior as “the subconscious.” But

traumatic experience, while on

Sigmund Freud thought this term

vacation at the age of seven, when

was too vague, and instead labeled

she was terrified by two men who

the source of his patients' mental

were hiding behind a curtain.

traumas as the “unconscious.” Freud

also developed Janet's ideas,

These people are

Subconscious trauma

stating that dissociation was a

persecuted by something,

Lucie's childhood trauma, Janet

universal “defense mechanism.”

and you must investigate

concluded, was the cause of her

Janet’s work was neglected for

carefully to get to the root.

dissociation. As he wrote in

decades, as the use of hypnotism to

Pierre Janet

Psychological Automatism
: “To

investigate and treat mental illness

have one’s body in the posture of

was discredited. However, since

terror is to feel the emotion of terror;

the late 20th century, it has again

and if this posture is determined by

attracted interest from psychologists

a subconscious idea, the patient

studying dissociative disorders. ■

will have the emotion alone in his

consciousness without knowing

“Lucie,” for example, would usually

why he feels this way.” As her terror

be calm, but then suddenly became

took hold, Lucie would say, “I'm

agitated, crying and looking

afraid and I don't know why.” “The

terrified for no apparent reason.

unconscious,” said Janet, “is having

She seemed to have three distinct

its dream; it sees the men behind

personalities, which Janet named

the curtains, and puts the body in a

“Lucie 1,” “Lucie 2,” and “Lucie 3,”

posture of terror.” Janet added that

and would change between them

he believed traumatic events and

unexpectedly, especially when

stress could cause dissociation in

Childhood traumas
may appear to

hypnotized. Lucie 1 had only “her

anyone with that predisposition.

be forgotten, but according to Pierre

own” memories, as did Lucie 2, but

Janet described the part of the

Janet, they can often remain in the

Lucie 3 could remember events

mind that he believed was behind

“subconscious” part of the mind, giving

relating to all three personalities.

uncharacteristic and disturbed

rise to mental problems in later life.

Pierre Janet

Pierre Janet was born into a

Influenced by Jean-Martin

cultured, middle-class family in

Charcot, Janet extended his

Paris, France. As a child he loved

studies to include “hysteria,”

the natural sciences, and began

becoming director of Charcot's

collecting and cataloging plants.

laboratory at Paris's Salpêtrière

His philosopher uncle, Paul Janet,

Hospital in 1898. He also taught

encouraged him to study both

at the Sorbonne, and was made

medicine and philosophy, and

Professor of Psychology at the

after attending the elite École

Collège de France in 1902.

Normale Supérieure in Paris,

he went on to receive a master’s

Key works

degree in philosophy from the

Sorbonne. Aged just 22, Janet was

1893
The Mental State of

appointed Professor of Philosophy

Hystericals

at the Lycée in Le Havre, where

1902
Neuroses

he launched his research into

1907
The Major Symptoms

hypnotically induced states.

of Hysteria

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