The psychoanalyst chides the trait theorist. "Wonderful, you�ve described this elephant

as rotund, plump, obese, but how, my friend, did she become so huge? What motivated

her to gorge herself so?" The elephant casts a pointed glance. "Little ghosts, perhaps?

Vague cosmic forces? It is clear to anyone who cares to reflect that out fat friend is

fixated in the oral stage."

�

"A biting insight," comments the trait theorist.

�

"The what stage?" asks the elephant.

�

"The oral stage.," repeats the psychoanalyst. "Under stress she is obviously under the

control of oral impulses of the id."

�

"Id, schmid!" barks the social learning theorist. "What�s all this tuff about psychic

structures?" He addresses the trait theorist: "And what�s this garbage about a

personality structure? You can�t observe or measure psychic structures or personality

structures. You pretend to be scientific, but you�re both engaged in witch hunts for

imaginary structures in an imaginary mind.

�

"If you want to be scientific, pull out the camera and the tape measure. Let�s agree to

stick to what we can all see, hear, and feel- the elephant�s eating behaviors and the

details of the situations in which she stuffs her nose."

�

"I�m not sure I see the improvement," says the elephant.

�

"Rather than trying blindly to dig deep within the elephant, let�s pay some attention to

the circumstances under which she eats."

�