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Coercion and Punishment in Long-Term Perspectives
BOOK REVIEWS
perspectives, using the constructs of coercion and punishment. It is a timely contribution to the literature as both our profession and society struggle to improve our understanding of determinants of violence. Joan McCord has edited a thought-provoking collection of longitudinal research efforts that attempt to examine the impact of coercion and punishment on development. She achieves the goal of organizing a series ofworks that scrutinize the relation of mental health, antisocial and criminal behavior, and substance abuse with manifestations of coercion and punishment. The research in the text includes the work of several prominent international authors in the field. Each piece of research is published as one of 21 chapters, which in turn are organized into five sections: I "Mental Health, Coercion and Punishment"; II "Family Socialization Practices and Antisocial Behavior"; III "Aggression and Coercion in Schools"; IV "Deviance, Crime, and Discipline"; and V "Measuring and Predicting in Studies of Coercion and Punishmen r.' In her introduction to the text, the editor orients the reader to her ideas and provides definitions of coercion and punishment. Some of these views and conclusions may pose considerable difficulty for the reader. The point is made that "the use of punishment implies a belief that the punished person could have done a different thing. Therefore, punishments are appropriate when actions are coerced." Regarding coercion it is stated, "Coercion implies forcing individuals to choose to do things that they might not otherwise do were choice more broadly allowed." Secondary premises include the ideas that coercion "need not imply either threat or resistance," that "Actions that at one time are coerced can become voluntary at another," and that "threats of punishment can lead to voluntary choice." It is suggested that "socialization necessarily requires coercion" and that "successful socialization can be viewed as subtle coercion, possibly making punishment unnecessary." These ideas invite difficult debate that may reach into basic views of development, conformity, and mental processes. However, these are not the focus of this book; neither is research that attempts to distinguish the individual who demonstrates unexpected functioning in the face of negative coercion from the individual who does not. Constitution, temperament, genetic vulnerabilities, developmental lines, psychic defense, self- and other representations, and the complexities of group psychodynamics are, in general, not the language of this collection. For those readers whose understanding of psychic development is grounded in efforts to integrate biological determinants, the richness of the internal world, and external variables, the need of this book to focus on the relationship between largely external variables and outcome may, at times, seem descriptive or overly reductionistic.
(WRAT-3), the test is supposed to evaluate parental characteristics and the nature of the parent-child relationship, leading to the all-important Parental Custody Index (PCl). The PCI is supposed to indicate which parent ought to have custody. Maybe this text can help, and maybe it can be correlated with ultimate judicial rulings, but I have a visceral aversion to tests of this sort and react to the Ackerman with doubt and disbelief. That is my bias; you might feel differently. In any event, this chapter probably will be useful to psychiatrists and will be challenging, at best, to psychologists. Another chapter offers suggestions for evaluating parents' behavior, providing the do's and don't's for making assessments. Chapter 8 focuses on allegations of physical and sexual abuse and offers little that is not already known by clinicians. It seems out of place here. However, in the final two chapters, which discuss report-writing and preparing for court, there is sound advice even for experienced professionals. The appendices include a useful glossary of legal terms, ethical guidelines for psychologists, a code of conduct for forensic psychologists, the American Psychological Association's Cuidelines for Child Custody Evaluation in Divorce Proceedings, and standards of practice of the Academy of Family Mediators. There is also a comprehensive and useful reference list. This book is recommended for child psychiatrists looking for guidance in performing custody evaluations. In general, the clinical recommendations and warnings of the author are right on the mark. Some of the chapters, as mentioned above, are less useful to psychiatrists. Overall, though, I recommend this book as a helpful guide to an extremely difficult line of work. Stephen P. Herman, M.D. Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry Yale Child Study Center New Haven, CT
Coercion and Punishment in Long-Term Perspectives.
Edited by Joan McCord. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1995, .375 pp., $59.95 (hardcover). Coercion and punishment are not ideas central to most child and adolescent psychiatrists' daily approach to the difficulties of their patients. Neither are these concepts particularly prominent in our clinical or investigatory literature. This book challenges child psychiatrists to defer assumptions that are based on more familiar conceptual models in order to reexamine their perceptions from more sociological
550
J.
AM. ACAD. CHILD A[)OLESC:. PSYCHIATRY, .15:<1, APRIL 19%
BOO K R EV IE W S
However, the con tribution of these resear ch effo rts sho u ld no r be lost in the theoretical and scie ntific d ebates so me assum pt ion s may sti r. So lid psychosoc ial resear ch ca n support or dem o nstrate clear relatio nships an d complexities that ma ny clinicians " know" from experience. For exam ple, Marc I.c Blanc's (chapter 17) research on the relativ e im portance of internal and external direct constraints co ncludes th at " an ani tude o f respect toward the rules o f society is the stron gest force of restraint. " " Belief in th e valid ity of conduct rules " is identified for ad olescents as the " main for ce of coercio n wh en the temptation fC:H offending is pre sent." Murray A. Straus's resea rch (chapter 4) examining the relatio nsh ip betwe en co rpora l pun ish ment of chi ld ren and adult depressio n and su icidal id eatio n sugg ests that, when other va riables are co ntro lled for, the exp er ience of "co rpo ral pun ishment by itself rem ains rela ted to dep ression and suicid al ideation ." Pepler, C raig, a nd Rob erts' (chapter 13) researc h into social skills t rain ing and aggr ession in th e peer gro up generates im po rta nt info rmatio n and qu est ion s regardi ng the effectiveness an d lim itat io ns o f one scho ol using thi s method . This book has relevan ce fi.H ma ny aspects of ch ild psychia try . Those worki ng wit h the juven ile justic e system m ay find th e readings in sect io n IV ("Deviance, C rime , and D iscipline ") and Cerald Patterso n 's look at coercio n as a basis for an ea rly age of onset Forarres t (chapter 5) particularly interest ing . C olleagues co nsulting to schools will find secti o n III (" Aggr essio n a nd Coercion in Schools" ) sim ila rly usefu l. O ne uniq ue study in th is sectio n is C ha rlebois, Berneche, Lc Blanc , Gagno n, and Larivee's explo ratio n of classroom seating and ju venile delinquen cy (chapte r 12). The study suggests that boys sea ted borh in the front and back of th e classroom arc more vulnerab le [0 "teacher neglect" and to " fewer opportun ities [0 pra ct ice self-regulation" and that " the bo ys' di srup tive behavio r was no t a sufficient exp lanation fC:H d iffe ren tial treatmen t. . . ." Those with a backgro und and interest in famil y systems theory also will find particularly no teworthy a n umber of research effo rts to exp lo re th e co m plexities of relation sh ip interactions. In an era o f he igh tened sensi tivity to sex roles, Schwartz ma n , Vcrlaa n, Peters, and Serbi n 's piece titled "Sex Roles and C oe rcio n" (chapter 2 1) is of addit ional int e rest. For th ose actively involved in train ing , alm ost any chapter in thi s te xt ca n bc lIsed
debate. So me relationships and concl usions ma y seem detach ed from the co mp lexiti es an d sub tletie s in whi ch clinicia ns find themselves im mersed daily. Howeve r, th e efforts of the se researchers and their ed ito r in teasing apart vari ables relevant to som e of th e mo st prcss ing issues and cha llenges facing o ur profes sion and soc iety arc co m mend able. The data ha ve relevance to clini cal work, co ns u ltat io n to schoo ls and co urts. and the design of prevention and early interventio n pro gra ms . Most importan tly, perhaps, many of the findin gs raise further qu estio ns for futur e research , pract ice, and poli cy; questions for whi ch we in our role as adv oc ates for ch ild re n and ado lescents shou ld be wel l-versed. Lee I. Ascherman, M .D., M. P .H . T rain ing Directo r, C h ild and Adolescent Psych iatry University of Alabam a Hos pital-Chi ldren's H ospi tal of Alabama, Birmingham
How You ng C hi ldre n Perceive Race. By Robyn M. Holmes.
Thousand Oaks, C'A : Sage Publications, 1995, 133 pp., $49.95 (ha rdcover) , $24 (sojicouer).
D ian Fosscy popularized the approach of et hology in h er studies o f go rillas on the slo pes of th e Viru ng a Volcan os in Rwanda. Wi th dil igence and pati ence, Fosscy was able to enter th e world of the gorilla, gra dually find acceptance, an d study th em in th eir nat u ral habitat. In a similar way, Robyn H o lme s studies child re n in th eir natu ral hab itat , the kinde rgart en classroo m . On ent ering th e classroom , she is int rod uced as ju st an ot her student . "T h is is a new stude n t, Rob yn, wh o will be with us every Frida y. Make her feel welcome and help her lea rn the class ru les." The author was " sur prised by th e ch ild ren 's earl y accepta nce. " Once, when the aut h or was playing with a toy tha t was not to be pla yed w irh during playtime, ano th er ch ild , Eri c, stated , "Robyn . yo u' re not supposed to play wit h this . Hurry and put it back before th e teach er sees yo u ." As wit h Dia n Fossey, her appro ach is to record wh at she sees an d hears, with m inimal intera ctio n with th e su bjects being stud ied . The autho r states, " my go al is to pro vide deta iled descript ion s . .. to find patterns in the ch ild ren's thinking. . . ." The author stud ies five kindergarten classes tha t have a combi ned enrollment of 102 child ren . Twelve are Latino
d em o nstrate how psychoso c ial
child ren. Of the rcma in in g ch ild re n , approx im a tel y h a lf arc
research ca n gene rate data appl icable to cli nic al and consu ltat ive work while also raising important questions for futurc resear ch . In sum ma ry, thi s collection of research provides a useful contrib ut ion to the literatu re toward und erstand ing fu rt her the deter m in ants of psych iatric morbidity, aggression, an d crim inal beh avior. A number of prem ises in vite healt hy
Afri can-Ameri can and half arc European-American . T he aut ho r first looks at how chi ldren categorize each other. She notes that "gender supercede d race" and was the " ultima te social marker. " C h ild ren a rc ac utely aware of gender. " H ey, Patrick, those arc girls' sneakers." In a si m ilar manner, when the author go t in the boys' line, " H ey, yo u arc supposed to be in th e girls' line ." G end er is an important
to
.I . AM. ACi\l ) . C1 I I I.l J AIJOI.I :. S C. I' SYC I II ATR Y. .1'i: 1 . AI'RII. I '! %
55 1
perspectives, using the constructs of coercion and punishment. It is a timely contribution to the literature as both our profession and society struggle to improve our understanding of determinants of violence. Joan McCord has edited a thought-provoking collection of longitudinal research efforts that attempt to examine the impact of coercion and punishment on development. She achieves the goal of organizing a series ofworks that scrutinize the relation of mental health, antisocial and criminal behavior, and substance abuse with manifestations of coercion and punishment. The research in the text includes the work of several prominent international authors in the field. Each piece of research is published as one of 21 chapters, which in turn are organized into five sections: I "Mental Health, Coercion and Punishment"; II "Family Socialization Practices and Antisocial Behavior"; III "Aggression and Coercion in Schools"; IV "Deviance, Crime, and Discipline"; and V "Measuring and Predicting in Studies of Coercion and Punishmen r.' In her introduction to the text, the editor orients the reader to her ideas and provides definitions of coercion and punishment. Some of these views and conclusions may pose considerable difficulty for the reader. The point is made that "the use of punishment implies a belief that the punished person could have done a different thing. Therefore, punishments are appropriate when actions are coerced." Regarding coercion it is stated, "Coercion implies forcing individuals to choose to do things that they might not otherwise do were choice more broadly allowed." Secondary premises include the ideas that coercion "need not imply either threat or resistance," that "Actions that at one time are coerced can become voluntary at another," and that "threats of punishment can lead to voluntary choice." It is suggested that "socialization necessarily requires coercion" and that "successful socialization can be viewed as subtle coercion, possibly making punishment unnecessary." These ideas invite difficult debate that may reach into basic views of development, conformity, and mental processes. However, these are not the focus of this book; neither is research that attempts to distinguish the individual who demonstrates unexpected functioning in the face of negative coercion from the individual who does not. Constitution, temperament, genetic vulnerabilities, developmental lines, psychic defense, self- and other representations, and the complexities of group psychodynamics are, in general, not the language of this collection. For those readers whose understanding of psychic development is grounded in efforts to integrate biological determinants, the richness of the internal world, and external variables, the need of this book to focus on the relationship between largely external variables and outcome may, at times, seem descriptive or overly reductionistic.
(WRAT-3), the test is supposed to evaluate parental characteristics and the nature of the parent-child relationship, leading to the all-important Parental Custody Index (PCl). The PCI is supposed to indicate which parent ought to have custody. Maybe this text can help, and maybe it can be correlated with ultimate judicial rulings, but I have a visceral aversion to tests of this sort and react to the Ackerman with doubt and disbelief. That is my bias; you might feel differently. In any event, this chapter probably will be useful to psychiatrists and will be challenging, at best, to psychologists. Another chapter offers suggestions for evaluating parents' behavior, providing the do's and don't's for making assessments. Chapter 8 focuses on allegations of physical and sexual abuse and offers little that is not already known by clinicians. It seems out of place here. However, in the final two chapters, which discuss report-writing and preparing for court, there is sound advice even for experienced professionals. The appendices include a useful glossary of legal terms, ethical guidelines for psychologists, a code of conduct for forensic psychologists, the American Psychological Association's Cuidelines for Child Custody Evaluation in Divorce Proceedings, and standards of practice of the Academy of Family Mediators. There is also a comprehensive and useful reference list. This book is recommended for child psychiatrists looking for guidance in performing custody evaluations. In general, the clinical recommendations and warnings of the author are right on the mark. Some of the chapters, as mentioned above, are less useful to psychiatrists. Overall, though, I recommend this book as a helpful guide to an extremely difficult line of work. Stephen P. Herman, M.D. Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry Yale Child Study Center New Haven, CT
Coercion and Punishment in Long-Term Perspectives.
Edited by Joan McCord. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1995, .375 pp., $59.95 (hardcover). Coercion and punishment are not ideas central to most child and adolescent psychiatrists' daily approach to the difficulties of their patients. Neither are these concepts particularly prominent in our clinical or investigatory literature. This book challenges child psychiatrists to defer assumptions that are based on more familiar conceptual models in order to reexamine their perceptions from more sociological
550
J.
AM. ACAD. CHILD A[)OLESC:. PSYCHIATRY, .15:<1, APRIL 19%
BOO K R EV IE W S
However, the con tribution of these resear ch effo rts sho u ld no r be lost in the theoretical and scie ntific d ebates so me assum pt ion s may sti r. So lid psychosoc ial resear ch ca n support or dem o nstrate clear relatio nships an d complexities that ma ny clinicians " know" from experience. For exam ple, Marc I.c Blanc's (chapter 17) research on the relativ e im portance of internal and external direct constraints co ncludes th at " an ani tude o f respect toward the rules o f society is the stron gest force of restraint. " " Belief in th e valid ity of conduct rules " is identified for ad olescents as the " main for ce of coercio n wh en the temptation fC:H offending is pre sent." Murray A. Straus's resea rch (chapter 4) examining the relatio nsh ip betwe en co rpora l pun ish ment of chi ld ren and adult depressio n and su icidal id eatio n sugg ests that, when other va riables are co ntro lled for, the exp er ience of "co rpo ral pun ishment by itself rem ains rela ted to dep ression and suicid al ideation ." Pepler, C raig, a nd Rob erts' (chapter 13) researc h into social skills t rain ing and aggr ession in th e peer gro up generates im po rta nt info rmatio n and qu est ion s regardi ng the effectiveness an d lim itat io ns o f one scho ol using thi s method . This book has relevan ce fi.H ma ny aspects of ch ild psychia try . Those worki ng wit h the juven ile justic e system m ay find th e readings in sect io n IV ("Deviance, C rime , and D iscipline ") and Cerald Patterso n 's look at coercio n as a basis for an ea rly age of onset Forarres t (chapter 5) particularly interest ing . C olleagues co nsulting to schools will find secti o n III (" Aggr essio n a nd Coercion in Schools" ) sim ila rly usefu l. O ne uniq ue study in th is sectio n is C ha rlebois, Berneche, Lc Blanc , Gagno n, and Larivee's explo ratio n of classroom seating and ju venile delinquen cy (chapte r 12). The study suggests that boys sea ted borh in the front and back of th e classroom arc more vulnerab le [0 "teacher neglect" and to " fewer opportun ities [0 pra ct ice self-regulation" and that " the bo ys' di srup tive behavio r was no t a sufficient exp lanation fC:H d iffe ren tial treatmen t. . . ." Those with a backgro und and interest in famil y systems theory also will find particularly no teworthy a n umber of research effo rts to exp lo re th e co m plexities of relation sh ip interactions. In an era o f he igh tened sensi tivity to sex roles, Schwartz ma n , Vcrlaa n, Peters, and Serbi n 's piece titled "Sex Roles and C oe rcio n" (chapter 2 1) is of addit ional int e rest. For th ose actively involved in train ing , alm ost any chapter in thi s te xt ca n bc lIsed
debate. So me relationships and concl usions ma y seem detach ed from the co mp lexiti es an d sub tletie s in whi ch clinicia ns find themselves im mersed daily. Howeve r, th e efforts of the se researchers and their ed ito r in teasing apart vari ables relevant to som e of th e mo st prcss ing issues and cha llenges facing o ur profes sion and soc iety arc co m mend able. The data ha ve relevance to clini cal work, co ns u ltat io n to schoo ls and co urts. and the design of prevention and early interventio n pro gra ms . Most importan tly, perhaps, many of the findin gs raise further qu estio ns for futur e research , pract ice, and poli cy; questions for whi ch we in our role as adv oc ates for ch ild re n and ado lescents shou ld be wel l-versed. Lee I. Ascherman, M .D., M. P .H . T rain ing Directo r, C h ild and Adolescent Psych iatry University of Alabam a Hos pital-Chi ldren's H ospi tal of Alabama, Birmingham
How You ng C hi ldre n Perceive Race. By Robyn M. Holmes.
Thousand Oaks, C'A : Sage Publications, 1995, 133 pp., $49.95 (ha rdcover) , $24 (sojicouer).
D ian Fosscy popularized the approach of et hology in h er studies o f go rillas on the slo pes of th e Viru ng a Volcan os in Rwanda. Wi th dil igence and pati ence, Fosscy was able to enter th e world of the gorilla, gra dually find acceptance, an d study th em in th eir nat u ral habitat. In a similar way, Robyn H o lme s studies child re n in th eir natu ral hab itat , the kinde rgart en classroo m . On ent ering th e classroom , she is int rod uced as ju st an ot her student . "T h is is a new stude n t, Rob yn, wh o will be with us every Frida y. Make her feel welcome and help her lea rn the class ru les." The author was " sur prised by th e ch ild ren 's earl y accepta nce. " Once, when the aut h or was playing with a toy tha t was not to be pla yed w irh during playtime, ano th er ch ild , Eri c, stated , "Robyn . yo u' re not supposed to play wit h this . Hurry and put it back before th e teach er sees yo u ." As wit h Dia n Fossey, her appro ach is to record wh at she sees an d hears, with m inimal intera ctio n with th e su bjects being stud ied . The autho r states, " my go al is to pro vide deta iled descript ion s . .. to find patterns in the ch ild ren's thinking. . . ." The author stud ies five kindergarten classes tha t have a combi ned enrollment of 102 child ren . Twelve are Latino
d em o nstrate how psychoso c ial
child ren. Of the rcma in in g ch ild re n , approx im a tel y h a lf arc
research ca n gene rate data appl icable to cli nic al and consu ltat ive work while also raising important questions for futurc resear ch . In sum ma ry, thi s collection of research provides a useful contrib ut ion to the literatu re toward und erstand ing fu rt her the deter m in ants of psych iatric morbidity, aggression, an d crim inal beh avior. A number of prem ises in vite healt hy
Afri can-Ameri can and half arc European-American . T he aut ho r first looks at how chi ldren categorize each other. She notes that "gender supercede d race" and was the " ultima te social marker. " C h ild ren a rc ac utely aware of gender. " H ey, Patrick, those arc girls' sneakers." In a si m ilar manner, when the author go t in the boys' line, " H ey, yo u arc supposed to be in th e girls' line ." G end er is an important
to
.I . AM. ACi\l ) . C1 I I I.l J AIJOI.I :. S C. I' SYC I II ATR Y. .1'i: 1 . AI'RII. I '! %
55 1