<論文>変動期のパーソナリティ形成 : 『ポーランド農民』における生活史法

Abstract

Since the latter half of 1970s, many sociologists have again begun to become interested in life history material. However, the first development of the life history method began in 1920s at Chicago University. W.I. Thomas and F. Znaniecki's The Polish Peasant in Europe and America, published in 1918-1920, is the first study that critically uses life history in terms of a theoretical framework. In this paper, I shall review the method of using a life history in The Polish Peasant. The theory of social personality is the standpoint when using life history. The task of the theory is to synthesize the entire process of personal evolution from elementary causal facts. Thomas and Znaniecki regard personality as a dynamic process which consists of temperament, character and life-organization. Based on the definiteness of character and life-organization, three types of personality are constructed, namely, Philistine, Bohemian and the creative individual. The life history used in The Polish Peasant is the autobiography written by Wladek Wiszniewski, a Polish immigrant during, the early part of the 20th century. We can recognize three stages in his life. The first stage is the period of establishing the basis of his personality by way of his social instincts and family background. The second is the Bohemian period because of the desire for new experience and the lack of a definite social frame. And the third is the Philistine period because the desire for new experience gives place to the desire for security. By studying Wladek's life history in terms of the theory of social personality, the authors show the typical personal evolution of the culturally passive mass which constitutes in every civilized society the enormous majority of the population. They believe that the Philistine is not suited for life in the modern society. They want to find a way to produce a creative individual who can adapt and be compatible to new situations, pursue a diversity of interests and also maintain a consistency of activity.