All of the ideas that we think about come from an association with ideas that we have previously thought about. Our ideas come from thoughts that we have had over the course of our lives.
James states that "In dry and prosaic minds, almost all the mental sequences flow along these lines of habitual routine repetition and suggestion" (pg. 41). In my area of math, I tend to think about formulas so that I can solve a problem. But as I do more problems, I will either use the same formula or I will use a different formula in order to complete the problem. Every now and then, I will have a conversation with other people. If that conversation involves math, I will begin to think about math problems and formulas that I have previously worked with. Overall, our minds are built on words, expressions, and experiences that we have repeated over a period of time.
James talks about the association of ideas in this talk. If all of our ideas are associated with each other, then what will happen if a good idea is associated with a bad idea from your past?
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