Evening star., 1935-05-14
MAN OF OVER 40
HELD RELATIVELY
SAFEFROM CRIME
Psychiatrist Reports Sharp
Drop in CriminaIity at
Middle Age.
TOY GUNS DEFENDED AS
BOYS SAFETY VALVE
Permit Child to Escape Strict
World When Bad Conduct Is
Punished, Doctor Contends.
BY THOMAS Il. HENRY.


measles and whooping cough after
adolescence. 1t is most prevalent at
"a. drops slowly in incidence for the
next IS years and then drops very
sharply during middle age.
Statistics bearing out these con-
clusions were presented before the
American Psychiatric Association
meeting here by DR.. Paul L. Schroeder
of Chicago. They we're based on
studies of criminals in the Illinois
Penitentiary. OF nearly 500 prison.
ers, 88 per cent we're under 40.
AS the next step in his study DR..
Schroeder took equal numbers Of
criminal sunder and over 40 and ana
lyzed the offenses for which they had
been convicted. In the older group
there was practically no robbery. The
gangster disappeared. Burglary was
almost non-existent. That bugbear
of criminologists, the recidivist, whose
record is one of repeated crimes in
terspersed with prison terms, was
missing
More Murderers.
But there were twice as many mur-
derers in the over-40 group and there
were four times as many sex crimes
There was a striking increase in the
number without previous prison rec
ords. The number Of mental defec-
tives rose. The only crime which
seemed to be progressive with age was
fraud. This, DR.. Schroeder con-
cluded, was the result Of the continu
alton Of an earlier age pattern.
Why murder and sex crimes should
increase so strikingly with age. while
crime in general tends to disappear,
has not been explained The fact that
the number of criminals over 40 is so
large as it is, DR.. Schroeder explained,
may be due to the large number Of
foreign born among them, represent
ing men who have failed after a
struggle to adapt themselves to the
new environment.
There is" he said, fairly definite
evidence that factors within the in
dividual, perhaps constitutional in
character. determine not only the dis
tinctive character of the criminal after
10, but the cessation of criminal ac-
tivities at about this age"
Timidity Routed.
Strange stories of children who
work out their own subconscious prob
lens by fantasy we're presented by
DR.. John Levy Of New York. One Of
these was that of the shy, timid boy
whose hatred of Adolf Hitler
changed him into an aggressive lad
whose fondneSs for rough house" was
notable.
The child hated a domineering
father and was desperately in fear of
him. This fear advanced to such q
pathological extent that he was taken
to a psychiatrist. But already, the
doctor found, the boy had found his
own way out of his difficulties, and all
that was necessary was to watch him
to see that he did not go too far.
He lived In an environment where
the German dictator naturally was
disliked. Hitler's picture reminded
him Of his father. There was moth
ing he could do to express his hatred
OF the father, for fear of the parents
vengeance. Der Fuehrer" was a long
ways of and couldn't harm him. He
identified the two.
Then in play fantasies he proceeded
to deal with Hitler Just as he would
have liked to deal with his father.
He avenged the people the dictator
was supposed to have injured. He
played all sorts Of contemptuous tricks
on the Nazi leader, roughhoused him
physically, etc. And even as he did
so his own personality changed and
became normal for a boy of his age.
The pSychiatrist merely tacitly en-
couraged the Identification.
Toy Guns Defended.
This fantasy life, DR.. Lew said,
was common in children and seemed
to be natural emotional defense re-
action. The little boy who fourishes
toy pistols and identifies himself with
Dillinger or Baby Face Nelson, he
said, need not cause his parents any
great worry because he Is getting out
Of his system in this way a good deal
Of his natural cruelty. When it is
expended on imaginary policemen
there Is less chance that it will be
expended on real policemen when the
child grows up. On the other hand,
he said, 1t is well to keep q close
watch on this fantasy life to make
sure that it does not go beyond
bounds.
All children apparently live in two
worlds, said DR.. Paul Schilder of New
York in commenting on this paper,
and, contrary to the general opinion,
they make sharp distinction between
them. The real world is that in which
their disapproved behavior is pun
ished. The fantasy world Is that
where they can do anything they
wish and remain unpunished.
The average child, he said, prob
ably lives in continual fear Of pun
ishment and demands some avenue
of escape. Anything that offers such
an escape is of great importance in
the emotional and personality devel-
opment.
Play Reveals Traits.
The educational philosophy Of
learning by doing" Is being carried
to extreme lengths at the New York
training school for delinquent girls,
according to report presented by
DR.. Jacob L. Moreno and Helen Jen-
nings. Situations which might be
met by the girls in everyday occupa-
tions are acted out and afterward
analyzed for defects. The girls are
urged to enter the situation as though
it were real and to display their
natural reactions of fear. anger and
Joy. During the performance care
full records are made Immediately
afterward an analysis of the perform
ance is opened, in och both instruc-
tor and pupils parnzbate.
BY this method, the two reported,