Dr. Adler, Noted Psychiatrist, Tells Need of Child Clinics
By ANNE RICH
"At three or four years of age, a child has established his conception of life—and the child, in this sense, is father of the man."
So explained Dr. Alfred Adler, noted Viennese psychiatrist, in an address before the directors and medical staff of Mount Zion Hospital. He spoke at a recent luncheon tendered in his honor.
Manifesting a keen interest in the hospital's work, Dr. Adler visited the Mount Zion Child Guidance Clinic, and discussed a number of unusual problem children with Dr. Ernst Wolff, clinic director, and staff members.
Diagnoses Case
Case histories were presented by Dr. Donald Macfarlane, clinic psychiatrist, who told of X, a boy, unco-operative, dishonest at times, and a bully among his fellows. Dr. Adler emphasized that this boy believes himself to be living in a hostile world, waging his own private war against everyone so that he acts as a normal person would act in an enemy country. The child has thus established a mistaken style of life. He must be led to understand his misconceptions, and then, through what Adler calls the art of therapy, he must be brought to change his acts. Therapy must succeed in acts.
Social Activity Need Told
Most misconceptions have their origin in lack of social interest and activity. In this case, as well as with all neurotics, the individual creates a division between himself and the world. He is thus unprepared for social activity. Children who set themselves apart and pampered children are both nourished on a "getting attitude." Pampering is not altogether a matter of economic background. It may develop in the poorer districts where grandmothers, or one of the numerous onlookers, stuff a rattle in the baby's mouth whenever he cries; the child then builds "an attitude of getting," and is unprepared to confront situations where that attitude is not possible. He carries over the "idea of expecting," trying to meet life with a one-sided technique.
Dr. Adler would like to see Child Guidance clinics established in connection with every school. From a therapeutic standpoint, the psychiatrist is not enough. The child must contact daily some person of understanding such as the parent or foster parent and the teacher.
Work is Imperative
Work of this kind is important not only in redirecting youngsters well on the way to becoming criminals, but in preventing those children, who, through lack of proper training, have selected anti-social goals, and are thus potential neurotics.
Dr. Adler, professor of medical psychology at Long Island Medical College, comes from years of experience in Vienna. In San Francisco, the Child Guidance Clinic, with Dr. Wolff director; Dr. Macfarlane, psychiatrist; Dr. Samuel Langer and Hyman Kaplan, board members; Beatrice Lantz, Homewood Terrace psychologist and after care worker; Lois Kohn, Eureka Benevolent psychologist; Dr. Berliner, Mount Zion psychiatrist, is pioneering in a field which is of importance not only to the Jewish community but to society at large.
Fuente: «Dr. Adler, Noted Psychiatrist, Tells Need of Child Clinics», por Anne Rich, Emanu-El and the Jewish Journal (hoy J. The Jewish News of Northern California), San Francisco, 21 de agosto de 1936, p. 13. Transcripción hecha sobre la imagen de la página y el recorte del artículo en la California Digital Newspaper Collection (JW19360821.2.80), cotejada con el OCR de la plataforma. Fecha del almuerzo no indicada («a recent luncheon»). Las palabras partidas a final de línea se unen. Se omite el anuncio que sigue al artículo.