HOW WE INTROSPECT.--Introspection is something of an art; it has to be
learned. Some master it easily, some with more difficulty, and some, it
is to be feared, never become skilled in its use. In order to introspect
one must catch himself unawares, so to speak, in the very act of
thinking, remembering, deciding, loving, hating, and all the rest. These
fleeting phases of consciousness are ever on the wing; they never pause
in their restless flight and we must catch them as they go. This is not
so easy as it appears; for the moment we turn to look in upon the mind,
that moment consciousness changes. The thing we meant to examine is
gone, and something else has taken its place. All that is left us then
is to view the mental object while it is still fresh in the memory, or
to catch it again when it returns.
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