ASSOCIATION or IDEAS, a connection established among the ideas or thoughts of the mind, in conse quence of their natural relation or accidental conjunc tion, by means of which they spontaneously succeed each other in the train of thought, or are immediately suggested the one by the other. Sec LOGIC and ME TAPHYSICS.
This law of human thought is productive of very re markable effects, both upon the speculative and active part of the characters of men ; for, as ideas are thus combined not only where there is a real connection or affinity between them, but where there is no other cause of the association but mere accidental conjunction, many errors, and wrong deductions in reasoning, as well as many prejudices of sentiment, may arise from this source alone. It has often been remarked, that there is no real connection between darkness and the appre hension of ghosts and apparitions; yet so constantly are these ideas associated in the mind of the child by the ridiculous tales of the nurse, that it is almost impossible for a person who is naturally fearful ever steadily to detach them afterwards; or to avoid the terror of these imaginary beings, when he is left by himself in darkness. How difficult do we find it to detach the ideas of human figure and human organs from the exertions of rational intellect ; and what absurdities are we not subjected to on this account in our conceptions about the Deity ! The following very curious instances are mentioned by Mr Locke of the effects of merely arbitrary associa tion. A friend of his knew one perfectly cured of mad ness, by a very harsh and offensive operation. The gen tleman who was thus recovered, with great sense of gra titude and acknowledgment, owned the cure all his life after, as the greatest obligation he could have received ; but, whatever gratitude and reason suggested to him, he could never bear the sight of the operator ; that image brought back with it the idea of the agony which he suffered from his hands, which was too mighty and in tolerable for him to endure. The other instance is of " a young gentleman, who, having learnt to dance, and that to great perfection, there happened to stand an old trunk in the room where he learnt. The idea of this remarkable piece of household stuff had so mixed itself with the turns and steps of all his dances, that, though in that chamber he could dance excellently well, yet it was only whilst that trunk was there ; nor could he per form well in any other place, unless that, or some such other trunk, had its clue position in the room." (Essay
on the Human Understanding.) Nearly as whimsical as this, was the predilection which Des Cartes conceiv ed in favour of squinting, from having fixed his affec tions when a youth upon a female of distorted vision.
Je crois avoir lu quelque part, says Condillac, que Des Cartes conserva toujours du goilt pour les yeux touches, parse que la premiere personne qu'il cvoit aimee avoit ce defaut. Orig. des Connois. Hum.
In consequence of accidental association, a very irkter.
esting train of thought may be excited by the most tri vial circumstance. The following passage of captain King's continuation of Cooke's last voyage, furnishes a remarkable example of this : " Whilst we were at din ner in this miserable hut, on the banks of the river Awatska, the guests of a people with whose existence we had before been scarce acquainted, and at the extre mity of the habitable globe ; a solitary half-worn, pew ter spoon, whose shape was familiar to us, attracted our attention ; and, on examination, we found it stamped on the back with the word London. I cannot pass over this circumstance in silence, out of gratitude for the many pleasant thoughts, the anxious hopes, and tender re membrances, it excited in us. Those who have expe rienced the effects that long absence, and extreme dis tance from their native country, produce in the mind, will readily conceive the pleasure such a trifling inci dent can give." This interesting description naturally recalls to our minds the wonderful effect which the tune called the Runs des niches formerly produced on the Swiss soldiers when at a distance from their native coun try ; so a desire did it excite,to revisit their pater nal woods and wallies, that they were frequently known to desert, or, if that was prevented, to sicken and die. The best preventive of this singular disorder, called the Maladie du Pays, was found to be an interdiction of this heart-touching air, which, however, is by no means re markable for its melody.