An Introduction to Individual Psychology
- Type:
Book Reviews & Abstracts
- Author:
Alice Raven. W. Heffer & Sons,
Ltd., Cambridge. (London Agents : Simp- kin Marshall, Ltd.). 1929. 3/6 net.
” An Introduction to Individual Psycho- logy” is an interesting contribution to popular scientific literature, in which Alice Raven aims at analysing the human mind from the dynamic standpoint, and at examining those processes of the mind by which human energy becomes tied up and rendered unavailable for the constructive purposes of life or the achieve- ment of success. While the author gives a brief presentation of some of Professor McDougall’s work on instinct, she states that the instinct of curiosity is directed towards the improvement of life as well as towards its preservation, and she finds it impossible to consider the sex instinct, the parental instinct, self-assertion and subjection, and the herd or- ganisation, without relating them and the im- provement of life.
M. M. M. Public Health. Annual Report of the Lon- don County Council. Vol. III. 1928. P. S. King & Son. 2/6 net.
Some interesting research work has been done by Dr Carleton Williams on the analysis of the mentality and antecedents of 92 cases dealt with at Police Courts. A full account of the results is given in this Report. These 92 cases ” had been reported as certifiable under the Mental Deficiency Act by the medical officers of prisons; although sometimes the report was qualified by the remark that the case approached the border-line and should be further investigated by the London County Council Medical Officer. Out of the 92 cases, 11 were deemed by the medical officers of the London County Council to be not feeble- minded, but were found to be defective, but of such violent and dangerous tendencies as to be fit only for the State Institution at Rampton …. The number of these prison cases shows an increase, in part due to the fact that all young men under 21 are subjected to a mental examination at Wandsworth Boys’ Prison and in part to the fact that the Mental Deficiency Act, 1927, modified the Clauses of the 1913 Act, which limited action to persons deficient from birth or an early age In particular this has brought in those whose mental con- dition has been affected by encephalitis leth- argica occurring after early childhood. There are 7 examples in this series. The antecedents of 81 cases as regards education are given. The large number of cases from the lowest classes of elementary schools is consistent with the fact that it is not so much the obviously men- tally deficient as the backward and unstable who become delinquents.”
The arrangement by which, in 1925, the Metropolitan Asylums’ Board provided special accommodation for children between the ages of three and sixteen years who were suffering from the after effects of encephalitis lethargica, has been continued. During 1928, 30 children were admitted (including 12 re-admissions) and 32 were discharged.
The London Association for Mental Welfare has organised 8 Occupation Centres and arrangements have been made with the L.C.C. for the medical inspection of the children under 16 attending these Centres. The figures giving the percentage of these children in need of treatment appear to show that parental care is exercised and that the children are as well looked after as normal children.
The Report gives a brief but very clear account (p. 56) of the changes in the defini- tions in the Mental Deficiency Act, 1927, the changes in the duties of local authorities and in the method of procedure in presenting a petition.
Fifteenth Annual Report of the Board of Control for the Year 1929. H.M. Sta- tionery Office. Part I, 1/9; Part II, 9/-. PART I. The passing of the Local Govern- ment Act, 1929, and the publication of the Report of the Joint Committee of the Board of Education and Board of Control on Mental Deficiency (described for brevity’s sake as the ” Wood Report “) are two important events which have taken place since the publication of the last Report of the Board, and this year’s Report naturally deals at length with the effects these are likely to have on the adminis- tration of the Mental Deficiency Acts and on the care of defectives in general. An exceed- ingly clear and concise account is given (see p. 42) of the various sections in the Local Government Act as they affect Mental Defic- lency and we would strongly urge all mental welfare workers to buy a copy of this Report for that reason alone.
On the Local Government Act in general the Board say: ‘’ The main and fundamental alter- ation is the transfer of the functions of the Poor Law Guardians to the Councils. This, coupled with the repeal of the latter half of proviso (ii) of Section 30 of the M. D. Act, 1913, brings the responsibility for the care and control of all mentally defective persons under one Local Authority, i.e., the County 01* County Borough Council Each Local Authority is now in a position to find out the number, classes and requirements of all defect- ives within its area without excluding those who have hitherto been dealt with under the Poor Law.” Up to now Guardians could main- tain defectives in Institutions but they could not obtain orders under the Mental Deficiency Act for their detention; ” in consequence, many defectives who both in their own inter- ests and in the interest of the community, should have remained in institutions, have taken their discharge or have been withdrawn by relatives. By the repeal of the latter part of proviso (ii) of Section 30, it has now become the duty of Local Authorities who can obtain the necessary orders for detention to do so in all cases where detention is necessary.” The Board particularly direct the attention of the Councils to the advisability of bringing all Provision for defectives under one Committee ?the Mental Deficiency Committee. With regard to the ” Wood Report,” the Board comments only on Part IV, the Invest- igation carried out by Dr Lewis. As there is an article in this issue of Mental Welfare by Lewis himself and a general review of the Report appeared in the last issue, we shall with- hold the summary of Dr Lewis’ Investigations given in the Board’s Report, but again we Would draw the attention of all readers to the undoubted help they would find this summary as a review of the whole problem of the ascer- tainment of defectives, of the special educa- tional facilities and institutional accommo- dation they require.
Some progress has been made during the year to meet the shortage of accommodation for mental defectives referred to in the last Annual Report. Five new Institutions were opened during the year, the most important being the Colonies established by the Hamp- shire County Council and by the West Riding Council. With the introduction of the Local Government Bill, Local Authorities naturally felt some uncertainty as to the future, but it is hoped that now it has become law it will re- lease a considerable amount of accommodation which could be adapted for the reception of older and less active defectives. During the year under review 625 new beds in Institutions have been provided by Local Authorities. Although this falls short of urgent require- ments, it is nearly double that provided during the preceding year and a large number of Local Authorities are now taking steps in the face of many difficulties to fulfil their statutory obliga- tions. The variation in the accommodation provided by individual Local Authorities can be seen from the figures given on page 62. In 35 areas the proportion of cases in institutions in January, 1929, was 0.50 or more per thousand of population, the highest being Oxford with 1.24 per thousand. On the other hand, 39 Local Authorities had a ratio of 0.25 only or under, per 1,000 of the population, some of the lowest being Carlisle, 0.09; Merthyr Tydfil, 0.06; Great Yarmouth, 0.05; and Swansea, 0.01. A similar variation is noticeable also in the figures for ascertain- ment, which vary from 5.62 per thousand (in the case of Cardigan), to 0.24 per thousand in South Shields. We give here a few figures taken from page 65 which show this variation clearly. Rutland, 4.82 per thousand; Devon, 4.38; Oxford, 3.80; Leeds, 2.09; Dewsbury, 2.02; Swansea, 0.48; Tynemouth, 0.39; Hunt- ingdon, 0.32; South Shields, 0.24.
The duty imposed upon Local Authorities under Section 30 (cc) of the Mental Deficiency Act, 1927, has given, as might have been ex- pected, an impetus to the provision of Occupa- tion Centres and to the organisation of Home Training. Fourteen Authorities propose to start among them 21 Occupation Centres and 5 new Industrial Centres; seven have put for- ward schemes for Home Training; four have schemes still under consideration. The total number of Centres now established is 121. The Board urges Voluntary Associations and Local Authorities ” to keep clearly before them the aims of training to be provided for low grade defectives and, too, that the Centres are staffed with Supervisors who have practical knowledge and have been given opportunities for learning how to carry out these aims.” It is impossible, with the space at our disposal, to deal with all the aspects of the work men- tioned in this Report?Guardianship, Dis- charge and Licence, the work of the C.A.M.W., etc.
So much publicity has been given in the Press to the comments of the Board on the question of the marriage of defectives and sterilization that we quote here the main part of the Board’s remarks (pp. 62-64).
The growing demand in the Press and elsewhere for the sterilization of mental defectives compels us to return to a subject which we have already dis- cussed in previous Reports, although we are still of opinion that sufficient data are not yet available on which to base any definite recommendations. Such statistics as have been collected have been in the main compiled with the object of establishing a proposition the validity of which has been assumed on merely d. priori grounds. That there is a case for further scientific research we readily admit; but, until reliable data are available, we are not prepared to make any recommendations in regard to these proposals. It is, however, important to remove cer- tain misapprehensions as to the possible financial savings which would result. It cannot be too em- phatically stated that sterilization will not obviate the need for colony or other institutional treatment for large numbers of mental defectives. So far as the low grade cases, idiots and imbeciles, are con- cerned, the need for institutional treatment is too obvious to need any argument. But in the case of the feeble-minded, who form approximately three- quarters of the whole number of mental defectives, it is not sufficiently understood that the great major- ity require care, supervision and control, because they are incapable of managing themselves. As the Wood Committee have pointed out, the criterion of mental defect is social adaptability. The majority of defectives cannot support themselves, many can- not resist criminal impulses, and others, though not actively dangerous, are a menace to the community, because they have no idea of truth or social obliga- tion… Anti-social tendencies and habits of this kind are riot to be cured or even lessened by sterilization.
As the provision of institutional beds is far below even the most conservative estimate of present needs, we hope that no Local Authority will relax their efforts because of any fallacious promise of what sterilization might achieve… Roughly speak- ing, out of 300,000 mental defectives in England and Wales, one-third will require institutional provision and two-thirds some form of community care, that is, care outside an institution. It is in the case of the latter that the risk of procreation arises, and the case for sterilization, if such a case exists at all, is strongest. It can hardly be denied that the 200,000 defectives who must remain in the community are wholly unfitted for parenthood… . But it does not seem to us necessarily to follow that the probability of parenthood, so obviously undesirable in such cases, can only be obviated by sterilization. We believe that much could be done by perfecting the pro- tection afforded by supervision and guardianship. . ? In our view it would be a valuable safeguard if the marriage of defectives, whether under order or under supervision, could be prohibited by law. It is astonishing that on grounds of so-called morality well-meaning persons are found to countenance and even to encourage the marriage of defectives who are not only obviously unfit to undertake the responsib- ility of parenthood, but are incapable of assuming the responsibilities of the relationship into which they propose to enter. A definite prohibition of the marriage of defectives would prevent unions which are socially disastrous and would make it much easier to secure the protection of young defectives under supervision or guardianship or on licence by bringing home to the public conscience the anti- social character of any overtures towards persons definitely stamped as incapable of valid marriage.
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