So I bought this 1920's psychology book being sold for about $2 at an antique store. Back then...

So I bought this 1920's psychology book being sold for about $2 at an antique store. Back then, when lobotomies were the cure to anything. Of course, I thought this to be a steal, and took it home with me. I opened it up and was pleased to find notes, and even time stamps on it from what I assume was a psychology student, and a small stack of hand written letters inside

I've been trying to see if I can find a name in it to research the previous owner. There's a lot of writing in it, but this was on the last page of the book. I'm still trying to figure out what it reads

Looks like Northrup

Very curious, post more.

We'll a lot of these are written in shorthand, and some are so old that they're chipping a lot. I'm trying to read through them and go through the family tree of Northrop, to see if there's any correlation

have em appraised or somethin. it will be worth little, as they have very little celebrity, but the story will be significant to you. or you could read the letters and research! could be fun.

Its "ketchup"

And some of these look much older than others, in wondering if it's the same person. I can post pictures of the text from the letters if you want

I will do that, thanks for the suggestion!

The hand writing is beautiful and from what I've been able to read seems interesting. I'd read it if you posted it

Sure, Ill post them then, one sec

let us know what comes of it, i'm sure a used bookstore owner would know of a fairly inexpensive appraiser nearby, so i'd call around. it can be super expensive but i think that depends on the level of research the appraiser would have to do. maybe look up names in the public record near where you bought it, it could easily be a completely forgotten man. i think that would be the most interesting and romantic, the long dead voice of a man unheard is available to you. it could hold genius for all you know. he could have died in a war or from tuberculosis, who knows. also figure out what psych book it is, could be one of the author's students.

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The actual book name is Fundementals of Social Psychology, by Emory S. Bogardus

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I think this should be the last one, except for a whole lot of underlining and sentences written directly in the book in both pencil and pen

can you please scan it user?

>Fundementals of Social Psychology, by Emory S. Bogardus

thanks user

I'll see what I can do. I'll keep you updated

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This is fuckin neato, but man I wish I could read cursive more easily

This is a cool thread, OP

Thanks. Im going to try and rewrite the letters in an easier to read format, I'll post for each side of a letter I get done

Nobody can read other people's cursive easily except teachers.
t. someone who studied at a a school where cursive was obligatory until 8th grade or something then it stuck.

Okay, I have a very rough translation. This is the crossed out part on 1:

"Society without group life is incomprehensible!
(cut off) -group life individuals are born, breathe, and have their- (cut off)
-being. Through groups, languages, beliefs, inventions, cus- (cut off. Possibly customs.) -have been transmitted from generation to generation added unto- (cut off) (responded?). They provide all social contact and stimuli."

Here is the body of it:

"Society without group life is incomprehensible! An infant at birth is a mess of impulses, reflexes, and potential responses to simple stimuli. He is absolutely helpless, and without aid could not survive long. How does he survive? How does he develop? How does he become a person? He is born into group life-- the medium in which all intersocial stimulation (assure?). Out of the social contact and stimuli provided by the group emerges his mature, personal attitudes, and social values. For him to claim that he is self made is false. He could not have survived without responding to group stimuli. "He is far more group made than self made." He has been given the advantage of languages, literature, inventions, cultures that have taken ages to make and that have been preserved and transmitted through group continuity. The social group has a variety of origins. The interaction of physical factors and human beings so well so our interaction between human beings are among our main- (cut off). Their aggregation which (symbols were placed here) )___ )____( birth rates are know- (cut off)
genetics while those which (symbols are here again) )____ )_____( immigration are- (Cut off). The ideal group is both genetic- (Cut off) predominating. Much- (cut off) primarily an- (cut off) the fears of- (cut off.)"

I would be interested in buying this should you decide to sell at the appraised price.

I am going to attempt:
"Society without group like is incomprehensible! An infant at birth is a mass of impulses, reflexes, and potential responses to simple stimuli. He is absolutely helpless, and without aid could not survive long. How does he survive? How does he develop? How does he become a person? He is born into group life - the medium in which all intersocial stimulation occurs. Out of the social contacts + stimuli provided by group life emerges his nature, personal attitudes, and social values. For him to claim that he is self made is false. He could not have survived without the group, nor could he have survive without responding to group stimuli. "He is far more group made than self made." He has been given the advantages of languages, literatures, inventions, cultures that have taken ages to make and that have been preserved and transmitted through group continuity.
The social group has a variety of origins......"

I am having fun with this so I will go again : )
"First, human needs; then a temporary group, sometimes a committee, to meet those needs; finally, if the needs continue, the evolution of a permanent group or social organization. The family the play group, the neighborhood group, the n(?) group, occupational group, the employers' groups, fraternal, political + governmental, the religion, the racial, sex groups, human species group -- 14 important types of permanent groups.
The primary groups, family, play, school + neighborhood, are of supreme importance because they are fundamental in forming the social nature + ideals of the individual. "The larger grand divisions of permanent groups classified as sects, caste, classes, or states.
A common form of intersocial stimulation is the crowd.Some crowds composed of persons of diverse aims while...."

"then for often they are the key to ... of some groups.
In contrast with these social factors are the social forces which are largely psychological. Man made? Yes, wonderfully and fearfully made! Look at education with the school as its institution. Are not many of our high schools and colleges wills to grind out individuals either incapable of thought or else so fixated that only one pattern of thinking can be followed? On the one hand, there is the college whose students must uphold capitalism, and on the other had there is the college whose students must not know about evolution. A powerful means of control, when you think of the thousands of personalities moulded according to set ideas.
Not only education, but look at religion as a means of control. A person must do this, and this and this; and he must not do this and this and this according to some types of religion. Fortunately some thinking individuals have seen fit to set aside this dogma for a social religion characterized by emulative control. Concepts of goodwill, neighborliness, and not fear control behavior. Then the are laws, creations + carry - ones (?) of the past as well as present day formulations which attempt to correct anything which seems wrong to general public. Those who overstep their bounds are not only pushed back by such coercive control, but also public opinion. The kind of clothing, manner of speech, associates, furniture in one's home, district in which one lives, and so on are to a great extent ...(public opinion. It really makes one wonder if he is ever individual!

thanks for the translations, user

"Each of these control agencies operating in direct and indirect ways and appealing to feelings, desires, + attitudes, produces myriads of behavior responses. Control applied too heavily so crushes human initiative, mental ambition and social change, that stagnant behavior is evidenced in that the individual is neither for nor against (other?) individuals, he is simply for himself. Mental defectives are illustrative of non-social behavior. Feigned social behavior is one of common by-products of group control; the child learns to "work" his parents, the beggar may feign a social spirit , or the politicians quickly learn is to stimulate feelings of voters. It is assumed that all persons are capable of both social and anti-social conduct. When a child finds himself repeatedly in conflict of group control. The method dealing of him.. he revolts is all important. For if he feels he is abused, anti-social impulses soon become organized into dangerous habits. Anti-scoial behavior is rooted in counter suggestion or even flabbiness or absence of control. In other words, controls which do not prevent misunderstanding, which do not give vision and arouse responsibility are inadequate and their product is anti-social behavior.

"those likely to start panic, the exercise of censorship, the appeal to soldiership and workmanship, and appeals to reason. But the creation of morals is not as difficult as its maintenance. When it does collapse its nature is revealed in unique ways; Lack of physical health and defeat attitudes seem to wear away the morale of a person.
The morale of a group is seen to be closely related to the morals of the group. In other cases, morale seems to rest on respect....the group ) for one another, on force, on intelligence and sound principles, or on confidence in the leaders, their purposes, promises, + achievements. To create and maintain morale which is a social soundness wherein the group members interact whole heartedly should be the one aim of every group. (Rest is crossed out)"

Nyarlathotep

jesus christ, lined paper wasn't a thing back in 1920?

Can someone put this in a google doc? I would but I'm on mobile.

>group life

It most certainly was.

t. studied the primary documents of the gettysburg address in some detail a while back

That probably belonged to Heinz Ketchup, a well known German psychoanalyst.