criminal psychology-第77章

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inning。　It　is　ever　easy　for　us　when　motive　and　crime　are　in　open　connection：　greed；　theft；　revenge；　arson；　jealousy；　murder；　etc。　In　these　cases　the　whole　business　of　examination　is　an　example　in　arithmetic；　possibly　difficult；　but　fundamental。　When；　however；　from　the　deed　to　its　last　traceable　grounds；　even　to　the　attitude　of　the　criminal；　a　connected　series　may　be　discovered　and　yet　no　explanation　is　forthcoming；　then　the　business　of　interpretation　has　reached　its　end；　we　begin　to　feel　about　in　the　dark。　If　we　find　nothing；　the　situation　is　comparatively　good；　but　it　is　exceedingly　bad　in　the　numerous　cases　in　which　we　believe　ourselves　to　have　sighted　and　pursued　the　proper　solution。

Such　a　hidden　source　or　starting…point　of　very　numerous　crimes　is　sex。　That　it　often　works　invisibly　is　due　to　the　sense　of　shame。　Therefore　it　is　more　frequent　in　women。　The　hidden　sexual　starting…　point　plays　its　part　in　the　little　insignificant　lie　of　an　unimportant　woman　witness；　as　well　as　in　the　poisoning　of　a　husband　for　the　sake　of　a　paramour　still　to　be　won。　It　sails　everywhere　under　a　　false　flag；　nobody　permits　the　passion　to　show　in　itself；　it　must　receive　another　name；　even　in　the　mind　of　the　woman　whom　it　dominates。

The　first　of　the　forms　which　the　sexual　impulse　takes　is　false　piety；　religiosity。　This　is　something　ancient。　Friedreich　points　to　the　connection　between　religious　activity　and　the　sexual　organization；　and　cites　many　stories　about　saints；　like　that　of　the　nun　Blanbekin；　of　whom　it　was　said；　‘‘eam　scire　desiderasse　cum　lacrimis；　et　moerore　maximo；　ubinam　esset　praeputium　Christi。''　The　holy　Veronica　Juliani；　in　memory　of　the　lamb　of　God；　took　a　lamb　to　bed　with　her　and　nursed　it　at　her　breast。　Similarly　suggestive　things　are　told　of　St。　Catherine　of　Genoa；　of　St。　Armela；　of　St。　Elizabeth；　of　the　Child　Jesus；　etc。　Reinhard　says　correctly　that　sweet　memories　are　frequently　nothing　more　or　less　than　outbursts　of　hidden　passion　and　attacks　of　sensual　love。　Seume　is　mistaken　in　his　assertion　that　mysticism　lies　mainly　in　weakness　of　the　nerves　and　colicit　lies　a　span　deeper。

The　use　of　this　fact　is　simple。　We　must　discover　whether　a　woman　is　morally　pure　or　sensual；　etc。　This　is　important；　not　only　in　violations　of　morality；　but　in　every　violation　of　law。　The　answers　we　receive　to　questions　on　this　matter　are　almost　without　exception　worthless　or　untrue；　because　the　object　of　the　question　is　not　open　to　view；　is　difficult　to　observe；　and　is　kept　hidden　from　even　the　nearest。　Our　purpose　is；　therefore；　best　attained　by　directing　the　question　to　religious　activity；　religiosity；　and　similar　traits。　These　are　not　only　easy　to　perceive；　but　are　openly　exhibited　because　of　their　nature。　Whoever　assumes　piety；　does　so　for　the　sake　of　other　people；　therefore　does　not　hide　it。　If　religious　extravagance　can　be　reliably　confirmed　by　witnesses；　it　will　rarely　be　a　mistake　to　assume　inclination　to　more　or　less　stifled　sexual　pleasure。

Examples　of　the　relationship　are　known　to　every　one　of　us；　but　I　want　to　cite　two　out　of　my　own　experience　as　types。　In　one　of　them　the　question　turned　on　the　fact　that　a　somewhat　old；　unmarried　woman　had　appropriated　certain　rather　large　trust　sums　and　had　presented　them　to　her　servant。　At　first　every　suspicion　of　the　influence　of　sex　was　set　aside。　Only　the　discovery　of　the　fact　that　in　her　ostentatious　piety　she　had　set　up　an　altar　in　her　house；　and　compelled　her　servant　to　pray　at　it　in　her　company；　called　attention　to　the　deep　interest　of　this　very　moral　maiden　in　her　servant。

The　second　case　dealt　with　the　poisoning　of　an　old；　impotent　　husband　by　his　young　wife。　The　latter　was　not　suspected　by　anybody；　but　at　her　examination　drew　suspicion　to　herself　by　her　unctuous；　pious　appearance。　She　was　permitted　to　express　herself　at　length　on　religious　themes　and　showed　so　very　great　a　love　of　saints　and　religious　secrets　that　it　was　impossible　to　doubt　that　a　glowing　sensuality　must　be　concealed　underneath　this　religious　ash。　Adultery　could　not　be　proved；　she　must　have　for　one　reason　or　another　avoided　it；　and　that　her　impotent　husband　was　unsatisfactory　was　now　indubitable。　The　supposition　that　she　wanted　to　get　rid　of　him　in　order　to　marry　somebody　else　was　now　inevitable；　and　as　this　somebody　else　was　looked　for　and　discovered；　the　adduction　of　evidence　of　her　guilt　was　no　longer　difficult。

How　captious　it　is　to　prove　direct　passion　and　to　attach　reasonable　suspicion　thereto；　and　how　necessary　it　is；　first　of　all；　to　establish　what　the　concealing　material　is；　is　shown　in　a　remark　of　Kraus；＇1＇　who　asserts　that　the　wife　never　affects　to　be　passionate　with　her　husband；　her　desire　is　to　seduce　him　and　she　could　not　desire　that　if　she　were　not　passionate。　This　assertion　is　only　correct　in　general。　It　is　not；　however；　true　that　woman　has　no　reason　for　affectation；　for　there　are　enough　cases　in　which　some　woman；　rendered　with　child　by　a　poor　man；　desires　to　seduce　a　man　of　wealth　in　order　to　get　a　wealthy　father　for　her　child。　In　such　and　similar　cases；　the　woman　could　make　use　of　every　trick　of　seduction　without　needing　to　be　in　the　least　passionately　disposed。


＇1＇　A。　Kraus：　Die　Psychologie　des　Verbrechens。　Tbingen　1884。


Another　important　form　of　submerged　sexuality　is　ennui。　Nobody　can　say　what　ennui　is；　and　everybody　knows　it　most　accurately。　Nobody　would　say　that　it　is　burdensome；　and　yet　everybody　knows；　again；　that　a　large　group　of　evil　deeds　spring　from　ennui。　It　is　not　the　same　as　idleness；　I　may　be　idle　without　being　bored；　and　I　may　be　bored　although　I　am　busy。　At　best；　boredom　may　be　called　an　attitude　which　the　mind　is　thrown　into　because　of　an　unsatisfied　desire　for　different　things。　We　speak　of　a　tedious　region；　a　tedious　lecture；　and　tedious　company　only　by　way　of　metonymywe　always　mean　the　emotional　state　they　put　us　into。　The　internal　condition　is　determinative；　for　things　that　are　boresome　to　one　may　be　very　interesting　to　another。　A　collection；　a　library；　a　lecture；　are　all　tedious　and　boresome　by　transposition　of　the　emotional　state　to　the　objective　content；　and　in　this　way　the　ides　of　boredom　gets　a　wide　scope。　We；　however；　shall　speak　of　boredom　as　an　emotional　state。　We　find　it　most　frequently　among　girls；　young　women；　and　among　　undeveloped　or　feminine　men　as　a　very　significant　phenomenon。　So　found；　it　is　that　particular　dreamful；　happy；　or　unhappy　attitude　expressed　in　desire　for　something　absent；　in　quiet　reproaches　concerning　the　lack　of　the　satisfaction　of　that　desire；　with　the　continually　recurring　wish　for　filling　out　an　inner　void。　The　basis　of　all　this　is　mainly　sex。　It　can　not　be　proved　as　such　mathematically；　but　experience　shows　that　the　emotional　attitude　occurs　only　in　the　presence　of　sexual　energy；　that　it　is　lacking　when　the　desires　are　satisfied；　but　that　otherwise；　even　the　richest　and　best　substitution　can　offer　no　satisfaction。　It　is　not　daring；　therefore；　to　infer　the　erotic　starting…point。　Again　we　see　how　the　moralizing　and　training　influence　of　rigidly…required　work　suppresses　all　superfluous　states　which　themselves　make　express　demands　and　might　want　complete　satisfaction。

But　everything　has　its　limits；　and　frequently　the　gentle；　still　power　of　sweet　ennui　is　stronger　than　the　pressure　and　compulsion　of　work。　When　this　power　is　present；　it　never　results　in　good；　rarely　in　anything　indifferent；　and　frequently　forbidden　fruit　ripens　slowly　in　its　shadow。　Nobody　will　assert　that　ennui　is　the　cause　of　illicit　relations；　of　seduction；　of　adultery　and　all　the　many　sins　that　depend　on　itfrom　petty　misappropriations　for　the　sake　of　the　beloved；　to　the　murder　of　the　unloved　husband。　But　ennui　is　for　the　criminal　psychologist　a　sign　that　the　woman　was　unsatisfied　with　what　she　had　and　wanted　something　else。　From　wishing　to　willing；　from　willing　to　asking；　is　not　such　a　great　distance。　But　if　we　ask　the　repentant　sinner　when　she　began　to　think　of　her　criminal　action　we　always　learn　that　she　suffered　from　incurable　ennui；　in　which　wicked　thoughts　came　and　still　more　wicked　plans　were　hatched。　Any　experienced　criminal　psychologist　will　tell　you；　when　you　ask　him；　whether　he　has　been　much　subject　to　mistakes　in　trying　to　explain　women's　crimes　from　the　starting…point　of　their　ennui。　The　neighborhood　knows　of　the　periods　of　this　ennui；　and　the　sinner　thinks　that　they　are　almost　discovered　if　she　is　asked　about　them。　Cherchez　la　femme；　cherchez　l'amour；　cherchez　l'ennui；　and　hundreds　of　times　you　find　the　solution。

Conceit；　too；　may　be　caused　by　hidden　sexuality。　We　need　only　to　use　the　word　denotatively；　for　when　we　speak　of　the　conceit　of　a　scholar；　an　official；　or　a　soldier；　we　mean　properly　the　desire　for　fame；　the　activity　of　getting　oneself　praised　and　recognized。　Conceit　proper　is　only　womanish　or　a　property　of　feminine　men；　and　just　as；　according　to　Darwin；　the　coloration　of　birds；　insects；　and　even　　plants　serves　only　the　purposes　of　sexual　selection　and　has；　therefore；　sexual　grounds；　so　also　the　conceit　of　woman　has　only　sexual　purpose。　She　is　conceited　for　men　alone　even　though　through　the　medium　of　other　women。　As　Lotze　wrote　in　his　‘‘Mikrokosmus；''　‘‘Everything　that　calls　attention　to　her　person　without　doing　her　any　harm　is　instinctively　used　by　women　as　a　means　in　sexual　conflict。''　There　is　much　truth　in　the　terms　‘‘means''　and　‘‘sexual　conflict。''　The　man　takes　the　battle　up　directly；　and　if　we　deal　with　this　subject　without　frills　we　may　not　deny　that　animals　behave　just　as　men　do。　The　males　battle　directly　with　each　other　for　the　sake　of　the　females；　who　are　compelled　to　study　how　to　arouse　this　struggle　for　their　person；　and　thus　hit　upon　the　use　of　conceit　in　sexual　conflict。　That　women　are　conceited　does　not　much　matter　to　us　criminal　psychologists；　we　know　it　and　do　not　need　to　be　told。　But　the　forms　in　which　their　conceit　expresses　itself　are　important；　its　consequences　and　its　relation　to　other　conditions　are　important。

To　make　use　of　feminine　conceit　in　the　court…room　is　not　an　art　but　an　unpermissible　trick　which　might　lead　too　far。　Whoever　wants　to　succeed　with　women；　as　Madame　de　Rieux　says；　‘‘must　bring　their　self…love　into　play。''　And　St。　Prospre：　‘‘Women　are　to　be　sought　not　through　their　sensestheir　weakness　is　in　their　heart　and　conceit。''　These　properties　are；　however；　so　powerful　that　they　may　easily　lead　to　deception。　If　the　judge　does　not　understand　how　to　follow　this　prescription　it　does　no　good；　but　if　he　does　understand　it　he　has　a　weapon　with　which　woman　may　be　driven　too　far；　and　then　wounded　pride；　anger；　and　even　suggestion　work　in　far　too　vigorous　a　manner。　For　example；　a　woman　wants　to　defend　her　lover　before　the　judge。　Now；　if　the　latter　succeeds　by　the　demonstration　of　natural　true　facts　in　wounding　her　conceit；　in　convincing　her　that　she　is　betrayed；　harmed；　or　forgotten　by　her　protected　lover；　or　if　she　is　merely　made　to　believe　this；　she　goes；　in　most　cases；　farther　than　she　can　excuse；　and　accuses　and　harms　him　as　much　as　possible；　tries；　if　she　is　able；　to　destroy　himwhether　rightly　or　wrongly　she　does　not　care。　She　has　lost　her　lover　and　nobody　else　shall　have　him。　‘‘Feminine　conceit；''　says　Lombroso；　‘‘explains　itself　especially　in　the　fact　that　the　most　important　thing　in