- Email: [email protected]
Children in Collectives
553
Book Reviews
CHILDREN IN COLLECTIVES.
Edited by Peter B. Neubauer. Spring-
field , Ill.: Charles C Thomas, 1965, 383 pp. , $ 11.50.
R evi cw ed by Selma Kramer, M.D. In I ~}(i :~ a group of eminent specialists in child psychiatry, psychology, and social work attended a week-long institute in Israel for the purpose of examining and commenting on child development in kibbutzim in an interchange with educators, therapists, and leaders of the kibbutzim. Peter Neubauer has culled the significant parts of the dis cussions and has organized them into a very enjoyable and important book which is particularly timely in view of problems the world over. The book provides a basic understanding of the kibbutz life and the theories and aims of kibbutz education; these must be understood by anyone who studies this system of communal living and who hopes to make valid observations and criticisms, for many aspects of kibbutz life are not modifiable if the kibbutz system is to be contin ued . The fundamental precepts of communal living, manual labor, and equality of all individuals determine the social, econom ic, educational, and family structures. The survival of the kibbutzim is felt to be at stake when modification of any of the above systems is under discussion. Hence, it is understandable that there is throughout the book more than a suggestion of defensiveness on the pan of the kibbutz hosts and an equal amount of care in avoiding bluntness or overt criticism on the part of the guests. After a description of visits to the kibbutzim (soon called "our kibbutz" by the visitors) , there are group discussions concerning th e child ren of certain age groups, problems of family life, and the role of women in the kibbutzim, a special session concerning children in other parts of the world, ending with an appendix in which Israeli representatives discuss their special subject of interest. There are ex cellent summaries by E. James Anthony, in the chapter on early childhood and latency, and by Barbara Biber, in the chapter on adolescence. This book provides fine ba ckground for a sociological study on planned comm un ities and their vicissitudes and, as such, is very Dr. Kramer is Clinical Pr ofessor of Child Psychiatry WOlllan 's M edical College o f Penn syl van ia , m id is on the Famil y 0/ th e Ph iladelphia Psvchoanalytic Ins titute.
554
Book Reviews
important. It is apparent that some of the very fervent issues of the pioneers have chan~e(1. Complete sharing of property is no longer held as innu utalrlc: private possessions are permitted. Complete Irccdoru of all individuals is no lougcr promised, at least when the categories of the individuals arc "male" and "female"; men do the glorified hard, physical work, while women arc left with child care, cook ing, and laundry work, still the victims of hiology and the societ y t hey had hoped to escape. The pioneers' Iervcu t desire to stop the overvaluation of intellectual pursuits at the expense of manual labor continues; hut there arc rumbl ings of discontent on the part of students who desire more specialized education than is provided for the group at large. However, about !J() percent of those raised on the k ihbutziru choose to remain. I think this hook gives us insight into the st rcngf hs and weaknesses of kibbutz life, especially those that arise from the need to perpetuate the k ibbutz system. The most important reasons for the visitors' evaluation of the children was, of course, to evaluate how these strengths and weaknesses of kibbutz life were rdlected in the children. T'hroujrhout the hook, the reader is given the impression that the visitors were charmed and delighted by the rh ildrcu of the k ihhutzim-c-rhc sab ras. However, the visitors made rarcful , critical observations and certainly provided much food for thought among those who determine kibbutz policy. There was recurring concern in the discussants about the multiple mothering in the very young children, the competitiveness between mother and 1I1/'la/}('If'1 (mother suhst itutc) in child rearing, the proportion of lII('/a/}(~I('1 to young children in their care, the overly structured life of the adolescent, and communal pressures upon him. A! thou~h sta tist irs disclosed tha t the percen tage of sa b ras rcquiring psychotherapy was not much different from children in other parts of the world, it was considered noteworthy that the kibbutz children arc under close scrutiny, and referral is rather promptly marlc lor evaluation and treatment, which arc quite readily available. However, there is an acceptance of symptoms in the sabras which might he considered si~nificant of patholo~y elsewhereprolonged thumb sucking, mast.urbat ion. ctc., as well as a tendency to accept passivity and conformity hut to regard individuality as an ad verse sym ptom. '\'hile it is not possible here to quote the many interesting comments of the visitors, I should like to mention a few of :\farianne Kris's very pertinent comments. It is apparent that those who structure the methods of child rearin~ in the kibbutz have used psychoanalytic concepts rather freely and somewhat narvel y, especially in dealing with some 01 their attunpts to avoid conflict in the children. (For example, having the m ct a prl«! toilet train the children will
Book Reviews
555
result in less hostility to the mother; or having the children sleep in thc children's horne will avoid primal scene exposurc and therefore diminish oedipal Iantasies.) Marianne Kris pointed out the differences between conscious permission and unconscious taboos conveyed by adul ts toward masturbation. She also noted that nightmares and other sleeping disturbances should not be simply considered a reaction to some daytime occurrence, but that attention should be paid to the inner dynamic processes of the child. Kris questioned a fundamental kibbutz hypothesis, "It is important for the benefit of the child's development that the relationship with the parent be at all times conflictfree," and pointed out that the working through of a conflictual situation with help of an important adult (in our society, usually the mother) results not in a disturbance of the parent-child relationship but a deepening of it; in terms of the child's ego, eventual acceptance of the adult's goal results in strengthening of the ego. There was much concern about the pressures to which the adolescents are subjected. Although there is practically no juvenilc delinqucncy in the kibbutzim, and little overt adolescent rebellion, the young mothers who are demanding more time to be with their infants are the adolescents of a few years ago. The visitors questioned the system of education and planned activities that permit the adolescents almost no free time, and also the form of education which is tailored to the communal society's needs, not to the needs of the individual. It was noted that the kibbutz ideals are generally accepted by the adolescent; to reject them would subject the individual to tremendous superego pressure and equally great gToUp disapproval. Certainly a dilemma exists: ideally the adolescent should be capable of independent thinking and decision making, yet the kibbutz wants him to accept its system. Biber suggested that adolescent rebellion, seldom overtly seen, may be expressed in the form of passivity and lack of interest. She commented on the frequently stated aim of kibbutz rearing-to avoid conflict in the sabras, saying, "Is it not in the resolution of conflict rather than in its avoidance that we achieve depth and strength of personality?" 'There is much of value that the reader can derive from the book. The role of the mother in the mother-child dyad, even where the time of the mother's availability to the child is extremely limited, comes to the fore here, The use of substitute or supplementary mothering, the importance of the group members in giving emotional support to ear.h other, the role of the fathers in the children's lives, arc all subjects that could use a great deal of additional study. There is much to be gained by us in the United States by borrowing from the kibbutz some aspects of its uut apclct and educational system. I refer to children in disadvantaged families who come to school
Book Reviews
556
at six years of age, already deprived, having been grossly understimulated or severely and pathologically overstimulated. An application of kihhutz living in the form of day care centers with trained mother substitutes might help salvage many children who cannot trust, communicate, or learn. Operation Head Start has often been accused of being too little and too late. Possibly a much earlier start of infant and toddler care could be used to supplement the inadequate care that is all that some children may receive.
THE
XXI. Edited by Ruth S. Eissler, Anna Freud, Heinz Hartmann, Marianne Kris. New York: International Universities Press, 1967,656 pp., S12.00. PSYCHOANALYTIC STUDY OF THE
CHILD, VOLUME
Reviewed by hew: Josselyn, IH.D. Each year The Psychoanalytic Study of the Child is reviewed in various journals with justified accolades for its general content. Some reviews fulfill the concept of the responsihility of the reviewer by agreeing with some articles, disagreeing with others. This reviewer, having all the volumes available with many articles underlined, and many marginal notes of agTeement, associations, or protest, would find it too confining to review this volume, or any of the preceding volumes, by such detailed consideration of each article, or to discuss selectively some and ignore others. The primary value of The Psychoanalvtic Study of the Child has its source in the critically selective activity of its Editorial Board. The articles are never poorly conceptualized, unsoundly developed, insignificant, or based upon a flight into fantasy. The reader may disagree with certain concepts presented, but to disagree validly he must set himself the task of a scholarly evaluation of that with which he disagrees and that which is his own counterformulntion. There is a tendency among many who write for psychoanalytic publirations to attempt to reconfirm what has already been accepted, or to utilize the accepted to justify a conclusion about an observed Dr. .fOSSelYII is the [ormrr Editor-ill-Chief of this [ournal Illld h as irritt.en widely in child analvsis and psychiatry.
Book Reviews
CHILDREN IN COLLECTIVES.
Edited by Peter B. Neubauer. Spring-
field , Ill.: Charles C Thomas, 1965, 383 pp. , $ 11.50.
R evi cw ed by Selma Kramer, M.D. In I ~}(i :~ a group of eminent specialists in child psychiatry, psychology, and social work attended a week-long institute in Israel for the purpose of examining and commenting on child development in kibbutzim in an interchange with educators, therapists, and leaders of the kibbutzim. Peter Neubauer has culled the significant parts of the dis cussions and has organized them into a very enjoyable and important book which is particularly timely in view of problems the world over. The book provides a basic understanding of the kibbutz life and the theories and aims of kibbutz education; these must be understood by anyone who studies this system of communal living and who hopes to make valid observations and criticisms, for many aspects of kibbutz life are not modifiable if the kibbutz system is to be contin ued . The fundamental precepts of communal living, manual labor, and equality of all individuals determine the social, econom ic, educational, and family structures. The survival of the kibbutzim is felt to be at stake when modification of any of the above systems is under discussion. Hence, it is understandable that there is throughout the book more than a suggestion of defensiveness on the pan of the kibbutz hosts and an equal amount of care in avoiding bluntness or overt criticism on the part of the guests. After a description of visits to the kibbutzim (soon called "our kibbutz" by the visitors) , there are group discussions concerning th e child ren of certain age groups, problems of family life, and the role of women in the kibbutzim, a special session concerning children in other parts of the world, ending with an appendix in which Israeli representatives discuss their special subject of interest. There are ex cellent summaries by E. James Anthony, in the chapter on early childhood and latency, and by Barbara Biber, in the chapter on adolescence. This book provides fine ba ckground for a sociological study on planned comm un ities and their vicissitudes and, as such, is very Dr. Kramer is Clinical Pr ofessor of Child Psychiatry WOlllan 's M edical College o f Penn syl van ia , m id is on the Famil y 0/ th e Ph iladelphia Psvchoanalytic Ins titute.
554
Book Reviews
important. It is apparent that some of the very fervent issues of the pioneers have chan~e(1. Complete sharing of property is no longer held as innu utalrlc: private possessions are permitted. Complete Irccdoru of all individuals is no lougcr promised, at least when the categories of the individuals arc "male" and "female"; men do the glorified hard, physical work, while women arc left with child care, cook ing, and laundry work, still the victims of hiology and the societ y t hey had hoped to escape. The pioneers' Iervcu t desire to stop the overvaluation of intellectual pursuits at the expense of manual labor continues; hut there arc rumbl ings of discontent on the part of students who desire more specialized education than is provided for the group at large. However, about !J() percent of those raised on the k ihbutziru choose to remain. I think this hook gives us insight into the st rcngf hs and weaknesses of kibbutz life, especially those that arise from the need to perpetuate the k ibbutz system. The most important reasons for the visitors' evaluation of the children was, of course, to evaluate how these strengths and weaknesses of kibbutz life were rdlected in the children. T'hroujrhout the hook, the reader is given the impression that the visitors were charmed and delighted by the rh ildrcu of the k ihhutzim-c-rhc sab ras. However, the visitors made rarcful , critical observations and certainly provided much food for thought among those who determine kibbutz policy. There was recurring concern in the discussants about the multiple mothering in the very young children, the competitiveness between mother and 1I1/'la/}('If'1 (mother suhst itutc) in child rearing, the proportion of lII('/a/}(~I('1 to young children in their care, the overly structured life of the adolescent, and communal pressures upon him. A! thou~h sta tist irs disclosed tha t the percen tage of sa b ras rcquiring psychotherapy was not much different from children in other parts of the world, it was considered noteworthy that the kibbutz children arc under close scrutiny, and referral is rather promptly marlc lor evaluation and treatment, which arc quite readily available. However, there is an acceptance of symptoms in the sabras which might he considered si~nificant of patholo~y elsewhereprolonged thumb sucking, mast.urbat ion. ctc., as well as a tendency to accept passivity and conformity hut to regard individuality as an ad verse sym ptom. '\'hile it is not possible here to quote the many interesting comments of the visitors, I should like to mention a few of :\farianne Kris's very pertinent comments. It is apparent that those who structure the methods of child rearin~ in the kibbutz have used psychoanalytic concepts rather freely and somewhat narvel y, especially in dealing with some 01 their attunpts to avoid conflict in the children. (For example, having the m ct a prl«! toilet train the children will
Book Reviews
555
result in less hostility to the mother; or having the children sleep in thc children's horne will avoid primal scene exposurc and therefore diminish oedipal Iantasies.) Marianne Kris pointed out the differences between conscious permission and unconscious taboos conveyed by adul ts toward masturbation. She also noted that nightmares and other sleeping disturbances should not be simply considered a reaction to some daytime occurrence, but that attention should be paid to the inner dynamic processes of the child. Kris questioned a fundamental kibbutz hypothesis, "It is important for the benefit of the child's development that the relationship with the parent be at all times conflictfree," and pointed out that the working through of a conflictual situation with help of an important adult (in our society, usually the mother) results not in a disturbance of the parent-child relationship but a deepening of it; in terms of the child's ego, eventual acceptance of the adult's goal results in strengthening of the ego. There was much concern about the pressures to which the adolescents are subjected. Although there is practically no juvenilc delinqucncy in the kibbutzim, and little overt adolescent rebellion, the young mothers who are demanding more time to be with their infants are the adolescents of a few years ago. The visitors questioned the system of education and planned activities that permit the adolescents almost no free time, and also the form of education which is tailored to the communal society's needs, not to the needs of the individual. It was noted that the kibbutz ideals are generally accepted by the adolescent; to reject them would subject the individual to tremendous superego pressure and equally great gToUp disapproval. Certainly a dilemma exists: ideally the adolescent should be capable of independent thinking and decision making, yet the kibbutz wants him to accept its system. Biber suggested that adolescent rebellion, seldom overtly seen, may be expressed in the form of passivity and lack of interest. She commented on the frequently stated aim of kibbutz rearing-to avoid conflict in the sabras, saying, "Is it not in the resolution of conflict rather than in its avoidance that we achieve depth and strength of personality?" 'There is much of value that the reader can derive from the book. The role of the mother in the mother-child dyad, even where the time of the mother's availability to the child is extremely limited, comes to the fore here, The use of substitute or supplementary mothering, the importance of the group members in giving emotional support to ear.h other, the role of the fathers in the children's lives, arc all subjects that could use a great deal of additional study. There is much to be gained by us in the United States by borrowing from the kibbutz some aspects of its uut apclct and educational system. I refer to children in disadvantaged families who come to school
Book Reviews
556
at six years of age, already deprived, having been grossly understimulated or severely and pathologically overstimulated. An application of kihhutz living in the form of day care centers with trained mother substitutes might help salvage many children who cannot trust, communicate, or learn. Operation Head Start has often been accused of being too little and too late. Possibly a much earlier start of infant and toddler care could be used to supplement the inadequate care that is all that some children may receive.
THE
XXI. Edited by Ruth S. Eissler, Anna Freud, Heinz Hartmann, Marianne Kris. New York: International Universities Press, 1967,656 pp., S12.00. PSYCHOANALYTIC STUDY OF THE
CHILD, VOLUME
Reviewed by hew: Josselyn, IH.D. Each year The Psychoanalytic Study of the Child is reviewed in various journals with justified accolades for its general content. Some reviews fulfill the concept of the responsihility of the reviewer by agreeing with some articles, disagreeing with others. This reviewer, having all the volumes available with many articles underlined, and many marginal notes of agTeement, associations, or protest, would find it too confining to review this volume, or any of the preceding volumes, by such detailed consideration of each article, or to discuss selectively some and ignore others. The primary value of The Psychoanalvtic Study of the Child has its source in the critically selective activity of its Editorial Board. The articles are never poorly conceptualized, unsoundly developed, insignificant, or based upon a flight into fantasy. The reader may disagree with certain concepts presented, but to disagree validly he must set himself the task of a scholarly evaluation of that with which he disagrees and that which is his own counterformulntion. There is a tendency among many who write for psychoanalytic publirations to attempt to reconfirm what has already been accepted, or to utilize the accepted to justify a conclusion about an observed Dr. .fOSSelYII is the [ormrr Editor-ill-Chief of this [ournal Illld h as irritt.en widely in child analvsis and psychiatry.