NEEDS AND AFFECTS IN THE STRUCTURE OF PERSONALITY

When on this occasion I am going to speak about the affects and needs of man, I must begin by reminding you that I touched upon this question once many years ago. The first comprehensive scientific work I wrote was called “The Fundamental Elements of the Emotions”, which was published as far back as in 1920. And now it might be reasonably assumed that in the course of these 40 years something had been brought to light in psychology which had upset the theory I then advanced. But this is not the case. In principle I still hold the same views that I put forward in 1920. However, when I stand here today, it is not merely to repeat myself. The purpose of my short address today is to supplement what I wrote in 1920. The fact is that in 1920 I confined myself to speaking about emotions and affects. I did not at all embark upon the relation between af€ects and needs. I left this question untouched for the good reason that I did not know how to give an account of or explain the relation between needs and affects. And the reason why I dare tackle the problem today is that in the course of the intervening decades research has been carried out on the part of psychology which enables us to speak much more sensibly today about urges and needs than we could 40 years ago. I shall only single out two names from among the many scientists who have occupied themselves with the psychology of needs. One is HENRY MURRAY and his book “Explorations in Personality” from 1938, and the other is TRANEKJBR RASMUSSEN and his treatise “Dynamic Psychology” from 1960. According to these investigations it appears that in his personality man possesses some fifty of the kind of structures or elements drives