SOCIAL INTEREST URGED FOR CHILD
Famed Psychologist Speaks at State Teachers College.
Describing the first three years of life as the most important, Dr. Alfred Adler, one of the world's foremost psychologists, regards it the duty of every parent to start cultivation of "social interest" on the first day of the child's life.
Dr. Adler was in Buffalo today for an address in State Teachers college.
Social interest, the quality that enables the individual to be "a help, rather than a burden," to be independent and to co-operate and contribute to society, holds within itself the solution to some of the outstanding current problems, such as crime prevention, Dr. Adler believes.
However, he finds the home unable to develop adequately the social interest of the child. It is the school's province and the school should be made the center of social progress, in his opinion.
Author of "Complex" Term.
After arriving for his address this morning, Dr. Adler was interviewed in Hotel Statler. Author of the term "inferiority complex" and many theories and schools of thought, the Viennese psychologist came to the United States ten years ago for a series of lectures. He has been here since. Now he is professor of medical psychology at the Long Island School of Medicine.
"The mother can start developing social interest on the baby's first day of life," Dr. Adler explained. "The idea is to make the child a help, not a burden. He must learn to help himself, to become independent, not to be dependent entirely on his family.
"He must learn to get along without being rocked to sleep.' He must learn that night is the time for sleep, that daytime is for waking. He must learn that his incessant crying and yelling won't do him any good."
First Years Emphasized.
The first three years are so significant in life because in them the individual is plastic. He is stabilized, adjusted, in this period, Dr. Adler pointed out.
"But the home," he continued, "cannot give an adequate social interest. The school must do that. There the teacher can see the individual objectively, can test him, and watch him. She can look at him from the point of view of his social relationships. She can develop his creative power. Until the school does this, many of society's social problems will remain unsolved."
Children who are not socially-interested are potential neurotics or delinquents, the psychologist declared. The person who cannot meet people without trembling and blushing, the person who has a difficult time in social relationships has not had his social interest developed, Dr. Adler said. In his talk at the Teachers college, he urged the prospective teachers to foster social interest in their work with children.
Fuente: «Social Interest Urged for Child. Famed Psychologist Speaks at State Teachers College», Buffalo Evening News, Buffalo (N.Y.), 30 de noviembre de 1936, primera página de la segunda sección (sin número visible), sin firma. Transcripción hecha sobre la imagen de la página en Fulton History (Buffalo NY Evening News 1936 42253), cotejada con el texto OCR de la plataforma. Se conserva el apóstrofo sobrante del impreso en «rocked to sleep.'». Otro escaneo de la misma página en Fulton History (42252) tiene cortado el margen izquierdo.