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The far side of despair
Reviews o f S c h o o l Psychological Materials
85
individuals who have an interest in the area of cognition and who want to acquire a better understanding of the views of Nathan Isaacs and Jean Piaget on cognition and its implications for education. The book consists of seven chronologically arranged papers by Nathan Isaacs which were selected to be representative of his views concerning the psychology of cognition and the problems of child psychology and education practice. The choice of papers selected is indeed indicative of Isaacs' views. In addition, it is also well formulated and provocative. The papers are written in a logical, understandable style not often found in current writings. This is not to imply that one can rapidly read them. They do instead necessitate careful reading, especially by those unfamiliar with this literature. The first paper, entitled "Children's 'why' questions," was originally published in 1930 in Intellectual growth in young children, with an appendix on children's "'why" questions by Nathan lsaacs. This essay is central to Isaac's main interest, which concerns the epistemic " w h y " questions a child asks when he is requesting help to alleviate an inconsistency in his knowledge. It is a rather lengthy essay comprising about one third of the book, and it is a bit tedious to read. However, it does present the foundation arguments about cognition used throughout the book in a detailed manner, enabling the reader to proceed with little difficulty in comprehending the succint argumentative which follows. This essay is sprinkled with specimen questions that children ask of adults and the responses they get back from them. These examples greatly enhance the clarity of this paper. It is in this essay that Isaacs develops those positions which are in disagreement with Piaget, and.particularly those that are concerned with identifying the function for which language is used by the child in a questioning situation. The second essay was originally presented to the World Organization for Early Childhood Education in 1957. It is concerned with the role of the nursery and early elementary teacher in the educative process. It advocates that these teachers need a broad understanding of cognitive psychology and the effects of cognition on the growth and development of the individual. In two different essays Isaacs reflects on whether science should be taught in the elementary classroom. He advocates the humanizing of science by teaching it in its historical context. Further, he advocates that the methods of scientific inquiry must be "experienced by the child in his very bones, that he experience the inwardness of scientific inquiry." In another essay entitled "On a gap in our general psychology," Isaacs states that those in the field of psychology should rethink the entire field of cognitive psychology. He believes that the key to cognition is the "truth-falsity" distinction; that how we decide what is true and what is false is crucial in determining our behavior. The last two papers, "Piaget: some answers to teachers' questions" and "Memorandum for the Piowden Committee," were both written in the mid-1960's and are both very informative. The former gives the reader a basic understanding of the theoretical position of Piaget, while the latter incorporates the ideas of Piaget with those of Isaacs to formulate recommendations for the restructuring of elementary education to a more open environment designed to strengthen the individual's desire to learn. In this report Isaacs outlines a program for each of five stages for children ranging from age 3 to 13. This book is well worth reading, especially by those not familiar with the writings of Nathan Isaacs. It is greatly enhanced by a well-formulated introduction written by the editor, Mildren Hardeman. This introduction provides the reader with the necessary background to more fully comprehend the many educational and theoretical issues brought forth in the various papers. Robert C. Hardy University of Maryland College Park, Maryland 20742
Hampton, R. ~K. The far side of despair. Chicago: Nelson-Hall, 1975. Pp. ix + 208; $7.95 cloth. Russell K. Hampton's autobiography follows an existential literary style which has been previously developed by Dostoevski, Frankl, Ibsen, Kierkegaard, Sartre, and others.
86
Journal of School Psychology
The existential themes depict man's condition of anguish, which begins with emptiness and yearning before self-realization and a meaningful existence is attained. Man's self-realization and destiny lie in one's own hands. Hampton reiterates these existential themes in his writing on a personal experience of depression. The anguish, despair, and feelings of resentment are communicated in a very simple and earnest manner. The empathic reader who makes the rather arduous and at times, endurance-demanding journey with Hampton can gain a sense of compassion for the suffering of others. The plot of the book evolves around his personal struggle with depression and his frustrating experiences in treatment. The writing is peppered with caustic reactions on his treatment in the hospital and his disappointment with individual and group therapy. The serious content of the writing and the bitter indictment of mental health practice is happily relieved by an engaging wit and humor. The reader can readily identify with the author's wit and candor, which assists in accelerating the tempo of a book dealing with themes of suffering, loneliness, and resentment. After numerous fluctuations between periods of recovery and relapses into despair, one has a distinct impression that his suffering is due to something different from psychogenic depression. And indeed, after all the trials and tribulations, at the very end of the book he describes the suspected condition of hypoglycemia. Perhaps Hampton's most important message for the professional reader is his brief account of the physiological condition of hypoglycemia and the attending behavioral symptoms. A hypoglycemic episode parallels many symptoms of agitated depression, including sleep and eating disturbances, weakness, dizziness, sweating, and anxiety. Since Hampton's writing does not have the power or sensitivity to endure as a literary work, the importance of his writing would appear to be professional rather than literary. He provides a contemporary reaction, even if overstated, on the present limitations of treatment methods and the pretentiousness of many professionals in the mental health field. His reactions, which are from a patient's point of view, may provide some useful insights on the limitations and impact of current treatment techniques. Perhaps an even more useful book could be written for professionals concerning the physiological and behavioral aspects of several metabolic disorders, including hypoglycemia. L. T. McCarron Indiana State University Terre Haute, Indiana 47809
Swift, M. S., & Spivak, G. Alternative teaching strategies-Helping behaviorally troubled children achieve: A guide for teachers and psychologists. Champaign, Ill.: Research Press, 1975. Pp. xx + 217, $4.95 paper. To some extent every teacher is confronted with children who display behaviors with sufficient frequency to cause serious concern, because such behaviors interfere with the academic learning and social adjustment of those children. The authors of this book have classified the nature of these problem behaviors into 10 categories: (1) Inattentiveness and withdrawal from class activity, (2)External reliance and intellectual dependence, (3) Lack of rapport with teacher, (4) Impatient and unreflective behaviors, (5) Lack of personal initiative and involvement in learning, (6) Irrelevant talk, (7) Negative feelings and actions, (8)Achievement anxiety, (9)Restless, disturbing behavior, and (10)External blaming behavior. Written in an extremely simple and intelligible language, this book is of utmost relevance to teachers. Chapters Two through Eleven are devoted to an elaborate description of specific behaviors related to each category listed above and strategies are suggested to deal with problems which may lead to academic failure. Although the terminology used is very subjective and global, it tunes teachers very comfortably into their classrooms to make an initial general assessment of various problems of different children. Based on these judgments teachers can start planning specific alternate strate-
85
individuals who have an interest in the area of cognition and who want to acquire a better understanding of the views of Nathan Isaacs and Jean Piaget on cognition and its implications for education. The book consists of seven chronologically arranged papers by Nathan Isaacs which were selected to be representative of his views concerning the psychology of cognition and the problems of child psychology and education practice. The choice of papers selected is indeed indicative of Isaacs' views. In addition, it is also well formulated and provocative. The papers are written in a logical, understandable style not often found in current writings. This is not to imply that one can rapidly read them. They do instead necessitate careful reading, especially by those unfamiliar with this literature. The first paper, entitled "Children's 'why' questions," was originally published in 1930 in Intellectual growth in young children, with an appendix on children's "'why" questions by Nathan lsaacs. This essay is central to Isaac's main interest, which concerns the epistemic " w h y " questions a child asks when he is requesting help to alleviate an inconsistency in his knowledge. It is a rather lengthy essay comprising about one third of the book, and it is a bit tedious to read. However, it does present the foundation arguments about cognition used throughout the book in a detailed manner, enabling the reader to proceed with little difficulty in comprehending the succint argumentative which follows. This essay is sprinkled with specimen questions that children ask of adults and the responses they get back from them. These examples greatly enhance the clarity of this paper. It is in this essay that Isaacs develops those positions which are in disagreement with Piaget, and.particularly those that are concerned with identifying the function for which language is used by the child in a questioning situation. The second essay was originally presented to the World Organization for Early Childhood Education in 1957. It is concerned with the role of the nursery and early elementary teacher in the educative process. It advocates that these teachers need a broad understanding of cognitive psychology and the effects of cognition on the growth and development of the individual. In two different essays Isaacs reflects on whether science should be taught in the elementary classroom. He advocates the humanizing of science by teaching it in its historical context. Further, he advocates that the methods of scientific inquiry must be "experienced by the child in his very bones, that he experience the inwardness of scientific inquiry." In another essay entitled "On a gap in our general psychology," Isaacs states that those in the field of psychology should rethink the entire field of cognitive psychology. He believes that the key to cognition is the "truth-falsity" distinction; that how we decide what is true and what is false is crucial in determining our behavior. The last two papers, "Piaget: some answers to teachers' questions" and "Memorandum for the Piowden Committee," were both written in the mid-1960's and are both very informative. The former gives the reader a basic understanding of the theoretical position of Piaget, while the latter incorporates the ideas of Piaget with those of Isaacs to formulate recommendations for the restructuring of elementary education to a more open environment designed to strengthen the individual's desire to learn. In this report Isaacs outlines a program for each of five stages for children ranging from age 3 to 13. This book is well worth reading, especially by those not familiar with the writings of Nathan Isaacs. It is greatly enhanced by a well-formulated introduction written by the editor, Mildren Hardeman. This introduction provides the reader with the necessary background to more fully comprehend the many educational and theoretical issues brought forth in the various papers. Robert C. Hardy University of Maryland College Park, Maryland 20742
Hampton, R. ~K. The far side of despair. Chicago: Nelson-Hall, 1975. Pp. ix + 208; $7.95 cloth. Russell K. Hampton's autobiography follows an existential literary style which has been previously developed by Dostoevski, Frankl, Ibsen, Kierkegaard, Sartre, and others.
86
Journal of School Psychology
The existential themes depict man's condition of anguish, which begins with emptiness and yearning before self-realization and a meaningful existence is attained. Man's self-realization and destiny lie in one's own hands. Hampton reiterates these existential themes in his writing on a personal experience of depression. The anguish, despair, and feelings of resentment are communicated in a very simple and earnest manner. The empathic reader who makes the rather arduous and at times, endurance-demanding journey with Hampton can gain a sense of compassion for the suffering of others. The plot of the book evolves around his personal struggle with depression and his frustrating experiences in treatment. The writing is peppered with caustic reactions on his treatment in the hospital and his disappointment with individual and group therapy. The serious content of the writing and the bitter indictment of mental health practice is happily relieved by an engaging wit and humor. The reader can readily identify with the author's wit and candor, which assists in accelerating the tempo of a book dealing with themes of suffering, loneliness, and resentment. After numerous fluctuations between periods of recovery and relapses into despair, one has a distinct impression that his suffering is due to something different from psychogenic depression. And indeed, after all the trials and tribulations, at the very end of the book he describes the suspected condition of hypoglycemia. Perhaps Hampton's most important message for the professional reader is his brief account of the physiological condition of hypoglycemia and the attending behavioral symptoms. A hypoglycemic episode parallels many symptoms of agitated depression, including sleep and eating disturbances, weakness, dizziness, sweating, and anxiety. Since Hampton's writing does not have the power or sensitivity to endure as a literary work, the importance of his writing would appear to be professional rather than literary. He provides a contemporary reaction, even if overstated, on the present limitations of treatment methods and the pretentiousness of many professionals in the mental health field. His reactions, which are from a patient's point of view, may provide some useful insights on the limitations and impact of current treatment techniques. Perhaps an even more useful book could be written for professionals concerning the physiological and behavioral aspects of several metabolic disorders, including hypoglycemia. L. T. McCarron Indiana State University Terre Haute, Indiana 47809
Swift, M. S., & Spivak, G. Alternative teaching strategies-Helping behaviorally troubled children achieve: A guide for teachers and psychologists. Champaign, Ill.: Research Press, 1975. Pp. xx + 217, $4.95 paper. To some extent every teacher is confronted with children who display behaviors with sufficient frequency to cause serious concern, because such behaviors interfere with the academic learning and social adjustment of those children. The authors of this book have classified the nature of these problem behaviors into 10 categories: (1) Inattentiveness and withdrawal from class activity, (2)External reliance and intellectual dependence, (3) Lack of rapport with teacher, (4) Impatient and unreflective behaviors, (5) Lack of personal initiative and involvement in learning, (6) Irrelevant talk, (7) Negative feelings and actions, (8)Achievement anxiety, (9)Restless, disturbing behavior, and (10)External blaming behavior. Written in an extremely simple and intelligible language, this book is of utmost relevance to teachers. Chapters Two through Eleven are devoted to an elaborate description of specific behaviors related to each category listed above and strategies are suggested to deal with problems which may lead to academic failure. Although the terminology used is very subjective and global, it tunes teachers very comfortably into their classrooms to make an initial general assessment of various problems of different children. Based on these judgments teachers can start planning specific alternate strate-