Habit in Its Formation and Operation
Abstract
Perhaps the most common psychological function in operation is that of habit. Not a day of our lives is spent without coming in contact with this law of nature. Not a living being, young or old escapes from becoming participants in the performing of habitual acts or habits. Habit, as understood by the uneducated is an act performed repeatedly without any apparent signs of mental connection. Personal mannerisms, physical and external acts, seem to sum up their idea of habit. But not so with many of the great educators past and present; yet Stuart Row tells us, "It is only of comparatively recent date that memory has been thought as habit: According to Lindner, Habit is a serial reproduction of associated ideas and movements which has by frequent repetition become a matter of mechanical finish". Then again, Harris, in expressing his view of habit says. "The first requirement of education is that the pupil shall acquire the habit of subordinating his likes and dislikes to the attainment of a rational object". While from Baldwin, who comes nearer to our common place opinion of habit than any other, we have "Habit is the tendency of our organism to continue more and more readily processes which are vitally beneficial. Murphy explains habit as a "Tendency of certain actions to repeat themselves, or at least by repetition to gain greater ease of action. similarly, Scully defines it to the most comprehensive sense as "A fixed tendency to think, tell or act on a particular way under particular circumstances." Lastly from curtman, we have habit defined as the formation of an outer or inner action into a propensity."
Subject Area
Psychology|Clinical psychology
Recommended Citation
Moore, Mary Agnes L, "Habit in Its Formation and Operation" (1921). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI31189832.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI31189832
