上外版大学英语写作精选第五册(3)

ll of which must seem to be consistent with each other. Ideas which are inconsistent with the system are rejected， "not believed，" and not acted upon. Ideas which seem to be consistent with the system are accepted. At the very center of this system of ideas —— the keystone —— the base upon which all else is built， is the individual's "ego ideal，" his "self-image，" or his conception of himself. Lecky was a school teacher and had an opportunity to test his theory upon thousands of students.

    Lecky theorized that if a student had trouble learning a certain subject， it could be because （from the student's point of view） it would be inconsistent for him to learn it. Lecky believed， however， that if you could change the student's self-conception， which underlies this viewpoint， his attitude toward the subject would change accordingly. If the student could be induced to change his selfdefinition， his learning ability should also change. This proved to be the case. One student who misspelled 55 words out of a hundred and flunked so many subjects that he lost credit for a year， made a general average of 91 the next year and became one of the best spellers in school. A boy who was dropped from one college because of poor grades， entered Columbia and became a straight "A" student. A girl who had flunked Latin four times， after three talks with the school counselor， finished with a grade of 84. A boy who was told by a testing bureau that he had no aptitude for English， won honorable mention the next year for a literary prize.

    The trouble with these students was not that they were dumb， or lacking in basic aptitudes. The trouble was an inadequate self-image （"I don't have a mathematical mind"； "I'm just naturally a poor speller"）。 They "identified" with their mistakes and failures. Instead of saying "I failed that test" （factual and descriptive） they concluded "I am a failure." Instead of saying "I flunked that subject" they said "I am a failure." Instead of saying "I flunked that subject" they said "I am a flunk-out." For those who are interested in leaning more of Lecky's work， I recommend securing a copy of his book： self consistency， a Theory of Personality. The Island Press， Now York， N.Y.
   NEW WORDS

    blueprint n.  a design for a building or machine， with white lines on blue paper； a detailed plan or scheme

    vague a.  not clear or distinct

    ill-defined a.  not adequately explained； not well marked out； unclear

    recognizable a.  that can be recognized， identifiable

    conception n.  general understanding， idea； the act of forming an idea， plan， etc.

    humiliation n.  the act or process of lowering pride， dignity or self-respect； the state or feeling of being humiliated

    triumph n.&nb

责任编辑:joyyy