Temperature through the skin, Rest and sleep

The human organism tends to maintain a constant body temperature at around 98.6° F. Regardless of weather or season the skin keeps the bodily temperature very nearly constant. Even a variation from normal of a few degrees is a sign of sickness, and a deviation of as much as eight degrees from the usual standard is evidence of very serious illness indeed.

The combustion processes of the body produce or liberate a great amount of heat. The metabolic functions of the body require only a small part of it. The remainder is given off, chiefly through the skin. With variations in the temperature surrounding the body, in the amount of clothing, and in internal bodily conditions (as in fever), marked changes occur in the rate of temperature release through the skin. An excessive rate of release or a subnormal rate is a powerful stimulus to activity. Many writers have emphasized the rôle of temperature and humidity upon man's mental and bodily efficiency and cultural development. They have shown that to torrid and arctic regions have not developed a high state of civilization and culture, and that science, literature, and other forms of art have been developed chiefly in the more favorable temperature of the temperate zones.

Unfavorable temperature liberation through the skin as one of the tissue needs giving rise to fundamental drives to overt behavior, resembling in this respect the great drives from hunger, thirst, and elimination. He also points out the place of this drive in seeking and developing shelter and clothing, and suggests that "the gregarious form of life among some animals at least is undoubtedly an outgrowth of unfavorable skin conditions," and that "their original 'sociability' is a huddling together of individuals who have been restlessly moving about until the warmth of each other's bodies furnished enough heat to allow the organism's to come to, rest -- as is easily observed in the nestling together of very young animals."

Rest and sleep

When the striped or skeletal muscles are fatigued the individual seeks rest, and when they are rested he again seeks activity. Activity and rest thus alternate with each other in a rhythm analogous to that of hunger and eating. Rest is a normal need of the organism and may be required by other factors than muscular fatigue alone. The hygiene value of rest and sleep is well known. The alternation of activity and rest is best seen in the case of the heart. The brief rest period after each beat occupies approximately one-third of the time, so that the heart muscle has abundant rest, which enables it to do its work for all the years of life.

That maturation plays a part in rest and sleep is shown by the decreasing amount of sleep needed as the child passes through the stages of infancy, early, middle, and late childhood, adolescence, and maturity. Problems of social control relate to training the child to sleep at times that meet his own needs and fit in with the convenience of the other members of the household. To regard sleep as a pleasure, and not to use it as a punishment seems highly desirable.

Sex

One of the most powerful drives is that of sex. During infancy and childhood the drive is manifested largely in connection with stimulating the erogenous zones and autoeroticism. The child's natural curiosity about sex is stimulated by many conditions and events in the environment. Inhibitions and taboos often repel the child's innocent and perfectly natural questions on sex matters as something nasty, unclean, or "bad," and prevent him from receiving adequate training. Accordingly, we reasonably may expect difficulties in the individual's control of this powerful fundamental drive along socially approved lines.