The Difficult Child and the Problem of Discipline
- Author:
Valentine. Methuen. 4s.
It is to be hoped that Professor Valentine’s little book will be read by the great number of Parents who have been ” put off” the modern ‘dea of using the ” sweet reasonableness ” of Psychological methods in the upbringing of their children by the extravagant statements of extremists and of the ill-informed. How much harm can be done by the latter is illustrated by an example in the first two pages of the book.
The fallacies involved in the too general aPplication of the more extreme doctrines of certain schools of psychological thought are laid bare and a middle course between these and the Opposite extreme is indicated for the guidance of Parents to whom the various references to the Writer’s own children will make an appeal. The evidence of several psychologists who have carried out extensive investigations in this country and in America is most carefully weighed and the value of their findings to the parent given due weight.
It is a pity that the title of the book should &ve the idea that it is limited in its scope to the difficult child, since its main object is to give guidance in the prevention of difficulties in normal children. As the writer himself remarks, a Considerable number of children might develop mto problem children given the wrong environ- ment, though a bad environment by no means necessarily produces a difficult child.
The exposition of the question of discipline is exceedingly clear and the average parent will easily disccrn how necessary to the development ?f the child is the framework of a disciplined life ^-distinguished carefully from a repressed life. The havoc wrought by lack of co-operation between parents in this matter of vital importance Is stressed, as is also the value of a good parent- teacher relationship.
The whole book should be carefully studied by every reader of this journal, especially perhaps *be sane presentation of the thorny question of c?rporal punishment. It is refreshing to have ^?ch a great authority on education as Professor valentine expressing his appreciation of the nursery school and the child guidance clinic.
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