2013 Reprint of 1950 Edition. Full facsimile of the original
edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. American
writer Faber Birren devoted his life to color and it's effects on
human life. After writing around 25 texts on the topic, it would be
safe to say his work is considered highly among color experts and
psychologists around the world. Birren's work has a strong focus on
linking how humans perceive colors to how it makes them react. He
writes, "Good smelling colors are pink, lilac, orchid, cool green,
aqua blue." Birren explores the work of several physicians,
scientists and doctors, mainly the German psychoanalyst and
physician Felix Deutsch, whose findings throw important light not
only on medical practice with references to color but on the whole
psychology of color. Birren states that if a person prefers warmer
colors such as hues of red and oranges, they are likely to me more
aware of their social environment. He labels these as "warm color
dominant subjects." On the other hand, those preferring cooler
colous such as blues and greens, are categorized generally as "cold
color dominant subjects" and are recognized as finding it
challenging to adapt themselves to new environments and
situations." By splitting people into separate categories, based on
their color preferences, Birren finds himself able to establish a
greater understanding of their personalities and characteristics.
One experiment Birren explores in his text, courtesy of Kurt
Goldstein, involves a subject standing before a black wall with his
eyes shut and arms outstretched to touch the wall in front. When
the subject is influenced by a warm color such as the color red,
his arms deviate away from each other, whereas when under the
influence of a cooler colour such as green or blue, even though the
reaction is a subtle one, the subject will move his arms closer
together. I find this experiment, simple as it is, to be
fascinating in highlighting the strong effects colors have on our
minds and bodies. As well as distinguishing the differences in
peoples' character through his use of color psychology, Birren also
touches on the effects colors can have on the mentally ill. This
section was the most interesting and involved a series of complex
experiments such as discovering which neurological disorders were
linked to which colors. Courtesy of the work by Hans Huber, it was
proven that patients suffering manic tendencies preferred the color
red, a symbol of blood and anger. Hysterical patients were more
sensitive to green, "perhaps as an escape," the color linked to
paranoid subjects was found to be brown and schizophrenics are
sensitive to yellow. Birren states that persons troubled with
"nervous (neurotic) and mental (psychotic) disturbances are greatly
affected by color and are responsive to it." Therefore color
becomes much more significant to them, and affects them in a
completely different way than those without such neurological
disturbances. Chapter 12 "Neurotics and Psychotics" is the most
compelling in the text as it relates to my dissertation topic.
After struggling to find texts specific to my research subject,
this text and its contents came as a welcomed discovery and I will
be referring to Birren's work throughout my further research.
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