This paper is an attempt to study the family and personal history of a schizoid individual, J. M—, who developed schizophrenia (dementia paranoides) at the age of 22.

The title of this thesis is, to some extent, self-explanatory. It is not an attempt to establish a new set of concepts, but rather an endeavour to combine in a grouping, which has not been sufficiently recognized, a set of existent formulations.

Psychiatrists and psycho-pathologists, on the whole, have never been subject to the error of thinking that a man is a unit whose reaction to a given stimulus does not vary. Their work in the clinic and hospital would quickly force them to give up any such supposition. They naturally look for the conditions under which fluctuations occur and would probably be interested to hear that there are rhythmic changes in man's emotion apparently characteristic of the individual himself. Whether such cycles can be traced to specific factors and principles may be a difficult task to determine. The mere fact of its existence may be of value in making the economist and manager of work mindful of individual factors, as well as of the many impersonal factors in the important question of emotional attitude toward work.

Richard Jeffreys, in one of his fascinating books, tells us he has often met with those who spend half their lives wishing for to-morrow and the other half wishing for yesterday. I thank God I do not come under this category. I love to look back at many of my “Yesterdays,” although, as with most of us, some of these have been overshadowed by dark clouds, but, by an inherited determination and an inborn optimism, I have, I am thankful to say, been able “to push dem clouds away” and once more the sun has shone brightly. As to my “To-days,” I do my best to get every ounce of happiness out of them, and as I believe in the philosophic teaching that happiness is infective, so my life is made the brighter by the hope that, being cheerful myself, I may be able to brighten the lives of some I have to associate with or work for. As to my “Tomorrows,” I am afraid I have never given much thought to these, being content to leave them in the hands of what I hope is a kind Providence, and I trust I have little to fear.

The social aspects of psychiatric work are assuming more importance, and it is being recognized that the work of an out-patient department for psychiatric cases is greatly facilitated and enhanced by the co-operation of social service workers, who have made a study of the economic and environmental conditions of the family.