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In this article we will discuss about:- 1. Meaning of Sentiments 2. Definitions of Sentiments 3. Characteristics 4. Sentiments and Other Dispositions 5. Types 6. Educational Value.
Meaning of Sentiments:
1. Instincts and emotions are innate tendencies. But not all our conduct is based on our innate tendencies. On the basis of inner dispositions, some additional acquired dispositions are formed as a result of interaction with the environment. The inner and acquired dispositions cohere together and are welded into an organised whole.
2. When our instincts express themselves over and over again in well- worn channels, there is repetition of similar actions in similar circumstances. This is how habits are formed.
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3. In the wake of instinctive and habitual behaviour, the experiences gathered leave behind certain engrams or after-effects. These engrams with one another and with the inner dispositions. In this way, through the cohesion of the engrams, complex behaviour or ‘complexes’ are formed.
4. Complexes at a certain level of development form into sentiments. When a complex acquires stability, it becomes a sentiment.
5. A sentiment is thus an acquired disposition, a product of development, a stable complex.
For example, a person may have intense love for sports. Sports is the central idea round which a number of his emotions and instincts revolve. His instinct of self-assertion finds fulfillment in it. His combative instinct finds its channel in the actual play. His curiosity impels to listen to cricket commentary broadcast. He gets delight and amusement while engaged in play. In short, a number of instincts and emotions find a channel of expression in sports.
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Thus the formation of a sentiment involves a number of factors. Both the affective and conative dispositions are linked with a particular object or idea, and the conative attitude towards it is enduring and strong. Another person may have a strong religious sentiment. Here the object of sentiment is an idea rather an object, an abstract thing rather than concrete one. A child may develop a deep sentiment for his school, or for play or for music, or for his object of worship at home, or for even a particular subject of study.
Definitions of Sentiments:
We may cite a few definitions given by some psychologists:
Shand:
Concentrated and organised emotion of a thing is sentiment.
McDougall:
Sentiment is a permanent conative tendency organised for some thing on the basis of experience.
Ross:
Like a complex, it is an acquired organisation of dispositions in the mental structure, the only distinction being one of degree. Sentiment is the name we give to a complex at a certain level of development. When a complex acquires a certain degree of stability, when it becomes an important part of the mind, we call it sentiment.
Morton Prince:
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Sentiment is an idea linked with an instinct.
Characteristics of a Sentiment:
1. Sentiment is an acquired disposition:
It is a disposition or a tendency to experience a particular type of conscious state, but it is not innate like an instinct or emotion. It is a product of development, an acquired course of experiences.
2. It is a permanent structure:
A sentiment is an enduring affective- conative attitude and is a permanent part of our mental structure. It makes for a greater consistency of conduct. It leads to behaviour that can be predicted once the sentiment is known. For instance, a person who has sentiment for sports, while taking a newspaper, will turn to the sports-columns. Another person loving movies will turn to the entertainment columns. Thus, a sentiment is present for all times and is a permanent state of mental organisation.
3. Sentiments are directed to particular gouts or objects:
Each sentiment is directed to some object or idea. Ram loves his country, Sham has a deep sentiment for his religion. Hindus have strong sentiment for cows. They call it mother-cow. Some Englishmen have strong sentiment for Shakespeare. They said, ‘Indian Empire or no Indian Empire, we cannot part with Shakespeare.’ A student may love his college, or after leaving it his alma mater. Thus, a sentiment is essentially a directed disposition, as it is woven round some object, person or idea.
4. Sentiment is predominantly an emotive disposition:
A variety of emotions linked up with one object or idea constitute a particular sentiment. As explained above, the instinct of self-assertion, the positive self-feeling, the emotion of anger and that of amusement can all at one place integrate into a sentiment for sports.
The mind integrates a number of instincts and emotions in one whole, creating a higher ‘unity in diversity’. In words of Ross, “as the mind rises to the level of ideational consciousness, that is to say, as it acquires the power of thinking of objects in their absence – it may form many sentiments.”
Sentiments and Other Dispositions:
1. Sentiment and Instinct:
Instincts form the basis of sentiments. Instincts are innate, but sentiments are acquired. Instincts are simple, with one definite response. Sentiments are complex involving many learned responses. Instincts are relatively unorganised, and so these may conflict with one another. Sentiment may involve many instincts, but because of the control by the intellect, the conflicts are resolved.
2. Sentiments and Emotions:
Emotions are temporary but sentiments are permanent. A number of emotions combine into one sentiment. Emotions are not attached to definite objects, but sentiments are. In emotions no judgments are involved, but in the formation of sentiments, the intellect has a definite role to play.
3. Sentiment and Habit:
A habit is a term denoting the repetition of similar actions in similar circumstances. It is well-worn channel in which an instinct expresses itself. Some habits are again formed in the service of our purposes which may be acquired and not instinctive, e.g., the habit of smoking. A habit works at the lower mechanical level. But a sentiment works at a higher level, where judgment is involved, and a number of emotions are integrated into one whole.
4. Sentiment and Complex:
Both form a part of our mental structure but a sentiment differs from complex in degree (and not in kind). A complex can vanish more quickly than sentiment. A sentiment is of more permanent nature.
Types of Sentiments:
Broadly speaking, sentiments can be classified into two types – concrete and abstract, (i) Concrete sentiments have concrete objects as their goal e.g., sentiment for country, sentiment for cow, sentiment for music alma mater, sentiment for music etc.
These are again of two types:
(a) Directed to a class, or
(b) Objects.
Sentiment for alma-mater is directed to only one particular object i.e., the alma-mater.
But sentiment for cow is directed to all cows i.e., the whole class of cows and not a particular cow (ii) abstract sentiments are directed to abstract ideas e.g., sentiments for patriotism (not love of a particular country). Love for India is concrete, but love for patriotism is abstract. Sentiments for non-violence, truth, beauty or goodness are such other examples.
From the point of view of classes of objects or ideas, sentiments can have numerous types e.g.:
(i) Intellectual sentiment,
(ii) Social sentiment,
(iii) Religious sentiment,
(iv) Aesthetic sentiment,
(v) Self-regarding sentiment,
(vi) Patriotic sentiment,
(vii) Humanitarian sentiment, and
(viii) Spiritual sentiment.
The first four types of sentiments as given above, have been explained by Titchner.
Educational Value of Some Sentiments:
1. Intellectual Sentiments:
Adults form sentiments regarding certain beliefs, opinions, judgments and theories. When they say with firm conviction with a strong emotional colouring, ‘this is true’ or ‘this is false’ they harbour a sentiment.
Adolescents also begin to form sentiments for certain beliefs, e.g., sentiment for their mother tongue, a negative sentiment for a foreign language like English, sentiment for scientific living and scientific inventions etc. sentiments such as intellectual sentiments, which are fruitful for future should be encouraged.
2. Social Sentiments:
Sentiments are formed in our dealings with our fellow-men. Boys from social sentiments even from the late childhood. They understand and feel what is right and what is wrong from the social point of view. In their dealings with other students, and later on in adult life with other persons, social sentiment is of great practical importance.
3. Religious Sentiments:
Religious sentiments begin to develop in the family a child is born. He is conditioned to have reverence for his religion, to have deep love for it and to practise it at home, some religious teaching is given in some schools also. Every child, by the time he is adolescent, forms a sentiment for the religion of his parents.
This religious sentiment is very helpful for character development provided that it is not misused. History is full of events illustrating how religious sentiment has been misused to cause bloodshed, destruction and communal strikes. Some political battles and wars have been fought in the name of religion.
Such religious sentiments which engender communalism, hatred for others and in toleration are un-educational. Teachers should be on the guard to see that side by side with the development of religious sentiment, toleration for other religious beliefs is developed. The basic principles, the ethical code, the fundamental philosophy of all religions is the same – love of God and love of man. If a religious sentiment is woven round love of man and love of God, it will be educational in character.
4. Moral Sentiment:
No child is born with any moral code of conduct. All the moral principles that he is made to follow, or he follows, are products of circumstances and his contact with the adults. He learns some moral principles like truth, justice, love, good manners and courtesy to elders, from his parents and other elders.
In due course, he forms such moral sentiments. It is the duty of the parents and the teachers to foster deep moral sentiments in the child, so that his behaviour is rightly governed by an ethical code, and he develops into a disciplined and charactered young-man.
Moral sentiments are formed through the contact with elders and through watching their behaviour, rather than through listening to sermons. In words of McDougal, “in the main, it is by sympathetic contagion and by suggestion from admired personalities that the child’s moral sentiments, are shaped’. A child develops moral sentiment, passively and silently in the environment around. Hence the importance of having a healthy school environment.
The process of acquiring moral sentiment is threefold. Firstly, the child admires a particular courageous man, say Gandhiji, or Rana Partap, or Bhagat Singh. Here his attention is drawn to a concrete particular. Secondly, he loves all courageous men, and thus he proceeds to concrete general abstract. Finally he loves courage itself, and he proceeds to concrete abstract.
The teacher, in order to develop moral sentiments, must present examples of great leaders, build love for such great personalities, and finally love for their greatness. The child must be surrounded by examples of good moral qualities from great leaders as well as the teachers.
The teachers own personality, and his moral behaviour has great effect or moral development of children. Example is better than precept. For the development of moral sentiment we need to reform our curriculum. The curriculum must include such facts and events, that develop high moral qualities. History and Literature possess numerous examples of heroes and great men.
5. Aesthetic Sentiment:
Such sentiments are directed to things of beauty. Keats said, “a thing of beauty is a joy for-ever.” Beauteous objects automatically appeal to the sense, intellect and emotions. This perception of beauty starts at a very early age. A child loves bright colour, beautiful flowers, coloured illustrations in books, beautiful toys and other objects of beauty. He derives pleasure. So do adults derive pleasure with objects of beauty (say Taj Mahal).
Educationally, aesthetic sentiment should be developed from the very beginning. If a child is accustomed to beautiful things, his taste for beauty will be cultivated unconsciously. The work of the teacher is, therefore, to provide opportunities for the right exercise of this feeling. For this purpose he may put before the child, not only beautiful objects, but also activities concerning art, music, dance and drama.
Should there be any formal lessons on beauty and aesthetic? A child has an innate tendency to love what is beautiful. He understands ‘this is beautiful’, and ‘this is ugly’. A musical note is beautiful, and there is no need to analyse it intellectually. But for the cultivation of taste for beauty (or aesthetic sensibility, as it is called), some amount of discussion during lessons on poetry or drama can be fruitful. But appreciation of beauty cannot be thrust.
Aesthetic sentiment is cultivated slowly and steadily, without lecturing and sermonizing. Most important than the cognitive aspect of this sentiment is the affective and conative aspect. Let the pupils feel the thrill of beauty. Let them strive by imitating the works of art and try to be musicians, poets, artists, dramatists and essayists.
Let them decorate their rooms, their kitchen, their garden and their school. Let them pay due attention to their dress and habits of cleanliness. Doing element is essential to all appreciation.
6. Self-regarding Sentiment:
It is generally observed that sometimes during the first year of life, an infant discovers himself. But he does not distinguish between himself and his environment. It is only in the second year that he distinguishes his mother different from himself, and later on the other objects around him. Here is the beginning of a self-concept.
In the third, he gathers more experiences, and his concept about himself grows through the discovery of new qualities. His specific concept about himself is primarily relating to his body. He compares his appearance and body with that of other associates. He now knows that on the one hand there is his ‘self’, and on the other hand, his parents, siblings and other children.
So far his object of experience is not his self, but other people. But gradually he begins to think of himself not as subject but as object. The subject ‘I’ changes into object ‘Me’. He thinks how others think of himself. When other children talk about him, his body, his special traits and his activities, he begins to attribute these physical and mental traits to himself. When the parents usually talk about him as ‘mischievous’, he develops the idea about himself that he is mischievous. Intellectually he begins to associate certain traits to himself.
This is the state of auto-eroticism (as explained by Freud). During the late childhood stage, a child has developed a number of concepts and emotions about himself. He gets an image of himself. He gets a consciousness of the self, and objectively a social idea of the self.
Thus a number of emotions and complexes revolve round one object, i.e., his self. This sentiment about the self is called the self-regarding sentiment or the self-sentiment. This is in fact the highest of all the sentiments and is called the master sentiment.
The self-regarding sentiment is very useful for the formation of character and personality. Through this sentiment, the child gets an adequate idea of self. In terms of his one experience he learns to understand the attitude of others toward himself. He realises how others praise him, blame him, console him, reprove him or punish him. He accepts the traits mentioned by others about him, as a part of his self. If others call him naughty, he accepts himself as naughty and tries to behave accordingly.
It is very helpful for the child to have an idea of the self. Hence a self- regarding sentiment is a factor of the development of personality. The teacher should observe that every child can make estimate of himself, loves himself and has personal ambitions. But this sentiment should not lead too far to develop egoistic attitude, pride and haughtiness.
A highly self-centred child will lose social popularity, and will be hated by all for his selfishness. Self- sentiment must have a healthy base. It should be the synthesis of healthy emotions and coordinating factor of all.
7. Patriotic Sentiment:
The object of the patriotic sentiment is one’s own country or nation. Making it abstract, love of one’s country also can be its object. This sentiment grows as an extension of the self-regarding sentiment. The child can become conscious about his self in relation to his community around.
The development of this sentiment takes place by stage. The first step is the self-concept. The second is the concept of self in relation to home. The child will love his home and family. He will have deep affection for his parents, his brethren and other family members.
The third stage is the consciousness about the neighbours, and obligations towards them. The next stage is the sentiment for the whole community or the whole nation. The child will love his country. He will respect its traditions, its culture and civilization. At the adolescent stage he can have the spirit of self-sacrifice for the nation.
Thus the sentiment is formed by the expansion of the self, by deep love and affection for the community around, by identification of one’s own interests with those of the community, and by understanding obligations towards the nation.
The teacher should help the student to develop this sentiment by stages. For this purpose, he should develop a rich school programme which will foster this sentiment. He should read History, and glorify the deeds of great men of history who sacrificed their lives for the nation, or who poured sweat and blood. While teaching literature he can introduce biographies of great men. He can teach songs of patriotism.
The teacher of Geography can give one view of the country, and describe the glory of the rivers, mountains, plains, cities and villages of the country. He may show pictures of important places, worth seeing. The teacher can also make the pupils observe national celebrations, and have a rich programme on such days as Independence Day, Republic Day, Gandhi Jayanti etc.