Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-05-07
MENTAL ANALYSIS
HELD CRIME CURB
Causes and Cure Are Dis
Cussed at World Hygienic
Conference.
CONTINUED From First Page.)

lack OF unitarian motive, Stereotyped
form of behavior, and either remorse
or tendencies Of the criminal to injure
himself. t
It often develops, he said, that the
culprit lis an intelligent, often talented
man, pleasant and universally beloved,
who, as If driven by an evil spirit, some
times commits acts quite contrary to
his character. Here scientific knowl-
edge must bow to the intuitive wisdom
Of the folk. Behind the myth OF the
evil spirit lies true observation. The
demon Is the powerful, compulsively
conquering unconscious"
Punishment and threat is of no value
in such cases, he said, because they
At into the conflict which causes the
crime. The crime sometimes is &C
tually committed in order that the
criminal may be punished. 1t gives
him the feeling Of having paid his debt
TO society.
1.-THE punishment that Is endured"
he said, lis the very thing to break
down the moral repreSsionS OF these
men, lessen their sense Of guilt, and
encourage them to new offenses. Here
Is the explanation Of the obstinate tend
ency of this type to relapse.
Change of environment also Is OF no
avail. improvement Of the outward
conditions of life increases the feeling
of guilt, strengthens the need Of punish
Of these people committing new crimes
Just after an improvement In their cir
cumstances.
Neglects Childish Demands.
"The increasing organization of society
forces man to an adult life in O higher
degree than he can live, and neglects
his childish demands. There Is an In
creasing control of the principle of
utility and decreasing of the principle
of pleasure Our mechanical economic
form of civilization shows this to an
extent never before reached. The re-
suit Is q damming up Of the playful,
irrational pleasure seeking formerly as
ISOLATED with human occupations and
social activities. This increases the con-
ditions for neurosiS and for crime"
Apparently hopeless criminals and
ne'erdowells sometimes show tendency
to reform when about 80 years old, said
Prof. Karl Birnbaum OF Berlin.
In these cases, he said, the difficulty
comes from IAN episode pathologically
disturbance Of development
such as Is common to most persons at
adolescence but which In the psyche
pathic personality lasts longer and is
much more severe" When approaching
middle age there comes "a socializa-
ton after an apparently hopeless So
cial deterioration due to inner causes.
Normal personalities have made the
adjustment long before this"
From so to rs per cent Of beggars,
tramps and thieves show serious mental
abnormalities, said DE-. Birnbaum. There
also appears, he said, decided rela-
between broken families, So
cial degradation and crime and mental
much so that these may
even be considered tstigmata Of psyche
pathic tendencies.
Money CONSEQUENCES Explained.
A persons attitude toward money
often is determined in the unconscious,
said Grace Marcus Of the New York
Charity Organization Society.
For some, she said, 1t represents
compensation for emotional poverty and
inferiorities. For others 1t means a
magic release from all responsibility
Some consider 1t evil and its possession
q curse.
This attitude, Miss Marcus said, must
be considered by charity organizations.
1.-THE attachment to money Of such ex-
aggerated emotion values" she said.
Operates to distort its use in reality.
Money will not be employed for practi-
cal needs but to satisfy unconscious
desires in ways antagonistic to the well
fare Of society. 80 -.
"The connection between economic
dependency and emotional dependency
Is usually such as to render futile a
treatment of one that does not en-
brace treatment Of the other"
Psychoanalysis should be employed to
understand and guide children, said
DIR. Bernard Glueck of New York. Re-
cent experiments have shown, he said,
that such common behavior Of chill
dren as thumb sucking has its back
ground in the unconscious conflicts OF
the child.
1.-THE child" he said, els obliged to
adjust itself to the requirements of an
environment created and maintained
out of the dispositions and preferences
of adults. Its growing inclination to
adjust itself to these requirements Is
opposed by innate forces that are pri-
marily selfish and pleasure seeking.
Misunderstanding that in reality are
the direct provocatives of maladjust-
ment are unavoidable unless the in
nateness and naturalness of these ten
denotes are recognized and intelligently
dealt with"
Urges Psychiatry Study.
It Is conservatively estimated that 70
per cent Of physicians daily work Is
with patients whose sickness Is func-
tional rather than organic, but whom
he continues to treat with prescriptions
because he does not know how to deal
with mental conditions even when he
recognizes them, said DR.. Edward A.
Strecker Of Philadelphia.
The physical symptoms, he said, may
be headache, vomiting, f1uttering heart
or intestinal pains, and II treatment Is
directed at these surface symptoms
practically no progress will be made.
Such patients, DR.. Strecker said, are
passed around from specialist to spe-
cialist. He insisted that this might be
overcome by greater emphasis on psy-
chiatry in medical education.
The mental hygiene movement Is
bringing about far-reaching change
in mans philosophy of living, DR.. Will
liam A. White, superintendent OF st.
Elizabeth's Hospital and president of
the congress, said last night at the
inaugural session at Constitution Hall.
ut would seem that the future OF
the evolution of man." he said, will be
ton of his mind and from what we
know of the mind and from our studies
of the brain, the capacity for develop
ment of mans mind is to all intents
and purposes infinite. 1t Is fair to as
sumo that at some future date man
may acquire as much knowledge Of
himself and control over himself as
he has knowledge and control OF his
environment at present. / believe this
century will prove the greatest OF all
centuries in accomplishment.
Medicine mas long enough main
tanned as ideals, freedom from disease
and the putting of of death. Now
the art of living must replace the
avoidance of death as prime ob1ec-
tive, and II 1t ever does succeed In re-
placing 1t in any marked degree, 1t will
be found that It has succeeded better