Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-09-03
CHILDREN'S TERRORS.
How Unnecessary Fears Are Bred in
Infants Minds.
From the Medical Record.

1t must be remembered that explicit
utterance is not essential for the con-
veyance Of ideas; for in the child
vague general notion Is quite as ef-
fective for producing emotion as Is
clear-cut concept. Now, the explana-
ton Of this Is very simple; It depends
upon the fact that gesture precedes
speech as a vehicle OF thought The
infant comprehends the varying atti-
tudes and vocal tones of it's mother
long before 1t can distinguish different
words. If 1 say to a small boy that
bear will eat him up the effect upon
his emotion entirely differs whether
make the remark with portentc>>S
gravity and horror. or whether 1 say
1t with bubbling joviality. as evidently
huge joke. In the first eventualfty
the boy will rush to my side in terror
and try to be saved from the bear, and
a phobia is In course of construction;
with the latter procedure the boy will
laugh consumedly. and 1t would not
take much to make him enter the cage
and strike the bear. But even when
protection of his elders during the day,
when they are rarely absent.
At night. however, the child Is alone
and his little consciousness cannot ma
the easy support Of others BEFORE the
kaleidoscope OF his dreams pass the
various images and accompanying emo
lions of his waking life. so that II any
one Of these images has become linKed
with fear II is certain to bring with 1t
terror as 1t surges ito dream in the
night. and the child jumps up awakened
in panic, finding no one near MIN upon
whom to lean.
II should not be difficult to see that
these night terrors are the product OF
kn u.
plicit 1t should not be dimcult for those
who are forewarned to prevent morbid
fears Of this type. ! may cite the case
of a southern lady who could never enter
a dark place without feeling an moe
pathy could be invoked to explain her
dread. for none of her three daughters
had the least fear OF the dark, and In,
deed they used to be sent by their school
fellows into dark and eerie places with
ont experiencing the least trepidation.
The difference was as children they were
protected by their mother from the tales
Of the plantation negroes, VINO knew thdI
dismissal would follow transgression OF
the prohibition.
The formation Of a night terror was
uipped In the bud In the case OF my own
boy, then aged three and three-quartcrs
shall try to explain the method FOR
several weeks he had been visiting .ne
geological garden every afternoo In the
company Of a French maid OF exception
alIy forceful character and apparently
free from the superstitiousness OF the
average nurse For a long time all went
well, until one evening the boy began 10
cry in bed soon after he was left for the
night At this unusual occurrence
mounted the stairs and inquired the cause
OF the boys trouble. He said there were
lions in the house and that he did not
want 10 stay alone. as he was afraid
thew would eat him. The source OF the
idea had been that the lions had roared
more loudly than usual on that particular
AFTERNOON and he had been much i'm
pressed, standing for some time quite
motionless before the cage. though I'M
terrified.
/ soon convinced the boy that the Hons
had 10 remain IN their cages, and could
not get out. hence there were none In
the house. so that there was no occasion
for fear. OF course II was first neces-
sary to give him the feeling of security
gained by embracing me. and secondly
10 begin the conversation by talking OF
something else, have forgotten what
In this way the state OF terror was dis
missed and the feeling OF protection was
induced before we returned to the subject
OF the lions; then we made rather joke
Of the funny roaring OF the hons before
we had finished. and he finally lay down
with solemn purpose to go to sleep and
think. as I suggested, of the tramcars
and motors passing outside his open win
dow. II was all q very simple substitu-
ton but II was the prevention OF what
might have become q serious fear psy-
cnosis II iniudiciously handled.