What if we had four, not three, men who were not blind, but who held different

theories of the elephant’s personality?

The person with the psychoanalytic theory might walk around the elephant a few times,

scratching his beard. "What we have here," he would say finally, "is the mere surface of

the elephant, although I grant you it is a rather large surface. But you cannot hope to

understand our mammoth friend by studying those floppy ears or that threatening

trunk." The elephant snorts. "The essential elements of personality dwell deep within

that gray head, beneath that flab." The elephant taps the ground.

"You see, there are forces at work deep inside the elephant. They are so deep that the

beast is not aware of them. Yet they determine her behavior. To understand the

elephant, we shall have to find a couch, a very large couch…"- the elephant glares

impatiently- "have her lie down on it, and start her talking. It may take years, but this

is one way for us to learn about forces that reside deep within her unconscious mind."

"My what?" asks the elephant.

"Your unconscious mind."

"But I’m not aware of any unconscious mind," protests the elephant.

"Aha!" exclaims the psychoanalyst. "I rest my case."