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V. M. BEKHTEREV (LLOYD H. STRICKLAND, ED., EUGENIA LOCKWOOD & ALISA LOCKWOOD, TRANS.) Collective Reflexology: The Complete Edition New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers, 2001, 552 pages (ISBN 0-7658-0009-8, US$59.95, Hardcover) Reviewed by JOHN BENJAFIELD
In 1994, a translation of the first part of Bekhterev's Collective Reflexology was published. Although the original work appeared in 1921, reviewers found the new translation to be not only of historical interest but also of contemporary relevance. One reviewer went so far as to argue that Bekhterev should not only "be read by all graduate students and faculty," but that they should consider "renouncing their degrees until such time as they can document that they know at least half the psychology intuited and induced" by Bekhterev (Rumbaugh, 1996, p. 641). In 1998, a translation of Bekhterev's Suggestion and its role in social life became available. A reviewer of that work was "struck, and somewhat chastened, by the contemporary relevance of the material" (Bakhurst, 2001). Bekhterev (1857-1927) is a formidable figure, and his work continues to deserve careful study.
Now, thanks to the efforts of Lloyd Strickland and the translators, we have the complete edition of the Collective Reflexology. As far as is evident, Part 1, which takes up the first 270 pages, is identical to that which has previously been reviewed (Rumbaugh, 1996; Tolman, 1997), and readers should consult those reviews for a sense of the richness of that material. As Tolman (1997) observed, Bekhterev was a "neutral monist," believing that mind and body were not separate substances, but two aspects of the same reality. For Bekhterev, the underlying reality was "energy," and all phenomena come about due to changing patterns of energy distribution. "[A]11 the external characteristics and manifestations of an individual [are] the result of the energy he accumulates with the processes of birth, nourishment and the influence of `external factors"' (Bekhterev, 1921/2001, p. 289). The reflex is the basic mechanism by which energy is transformed, and as such is a completely general concept, allowing us to understand the process of energy transformation at all levels from the individual to the collective.
Bekhterev's view of the individual as a system of energy transformation and exchange has obvious affinities with Freud's views. Indeed, in his...