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The 'science of paleopsychology', which Jelliffe wishes to found, is the 'science of symbolic functioning in its paleopsychological aspect'.
Symbols, according to Jelliffe, are dynamic agents.
They are ever functioning. They produce results acting as stimuli; functioning as effectors they discharge tension and are physiological requisites. They become structuralized with different grades of complexity which are related to their functional capacity. The older the symbol, remaining in its primitive phyletic form, the greater its dynamic content and the greater the affective tensions consequent upon its utilization. The presence, then, of old symbolizations in the present working machinery is an index of specific affective tensions requiring specific symbolic functions at certain stages of their capacity.
This, one of the more lucid paragraphs from this very unclear article, will serve as a sufficient sample of what Jelliffe seems to be trying to say.
The article is illustrated with diagrams which are as empty of real meaning as is the text.