Personality and Problems of Adjustment by Kimbell Young

Author:Kimbell Young [Young, Kimbell]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Social Science, General, Sociology
ISBN: 9781136276507
Google: HGYPEAAAQBAJ
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2018-10-24T03:42:33+00:00

The retreat of this pupil from social reality might in time have proved serious, had not an accidental discovery opened the road to a recovery of her role and status in school, both as regards her schoolwork and as regards her schoolmates and teachers.

Case of Esther N., twelve and a half years old. This girl, who was in the sixth grade, was brought to the psychological clinic by the visiting teacher, who had been asked to help the juvenile judge of the community to decide what to do about the child. Esther had been brought to the judge’s attention informally on the ground that she had admitted taking small amounts of money from her employers. It was felt that perhaps the school authorities and the juvenile judge together might work out a plan to prevent the development of more serious delinquencies.

Esther was failing in her schoolwork. She was inattentive, came to school poorly prepared, and found increasing difficulty, especially with fractions. She spent three or four afternoons a week in the motion-picture houses, sometimes remaining through two full shows. This often put her home at a late hour, where after a bit of supper she went off to bed. She had little or no spending money from home, and often went out in the afternoons or evenings to tend children for other families in order to earn small amounts of money. It was her desire to get more money for admission tickets that led her to short-change some of her employers or to lift petty sums from the houses where she worked. She had never taken anything beyond small change, although she had had on occasion the opportunity to take rather substantial sums.

Esther was one of a large family. The father, although not ill-natured, was shiftless and indifferent to the traditional role of provider. He worked spasmodically and chiefly only when the seasonal peak of employment was on. He spent most of his spare time loafing about in poolhalls. As a result, the mother had been forced to seek gainful employment outside the home. One older girl had a small job in a downtown office and contributed in part to her own keep. As a result, the children were frequently left to shift for themselves. Although Esther took over some responsibility for the care of her younger brothers and sisters, such responsibility was never planned or organized, so that she had much free time for her own amusement.

The girl got along with others very well. Her success in handling smaller children, in fact, provided employment from various families who wished her to look after their youngsters while they were out in the afternoons or evenings. She enjoyed telling stories, making doll clothes, and otherwise entertaining the children. In fact, she had a real talent in sewing.

But, as indicated, Esther was failing in school; she had begun to lose her reputation with her friendly employers because of her petty stealing; and she was not developingany adequate responsibility toward her family. The psychological examination showed that she had a dull-normal rating on the Stanford-Binet test (86 I.

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