Evening star., 1955-07-25
Kefouver Fears Whitman
May Confuse Parents
By SENATOR KEFAUYER

Far from sweeping away an
accumulation of stuff and non-
sense" and giving US confidence
to "be parents" again. I fear
that Howard Whitman's article
in today's Star. may confuse
many parents trying to cope with
the perplexing problem of rails
ing normal children in our COM
plex society.
Like other writers before him.
Mr.. Whitman reports popular
misconceptions of scientific
theory as fact and imputes to
all child specialists beliefs which
the responsible majority of So
cial scientists in this field never
held.
The kill 'em with kindness
or ''let the child do as he pleases
plans which Mr.. Whitman de-
cries have no validity for the
qualified child behaviorist. If
they existed. it was in the thor
izing of a few extremists on the
fringe of the social sciences and
in the minds of parents who took
literally the incomplete and over
simplified reporting of compli-
Gated professional thinking by
a segment of the press.
Parents Shirk Responsibility
We parents should face up to
the fact that too many of us
have abdicated our responsibility
to our children to provide them
with proper controls and kindly
discipline. It is perhaps a re-
Election of the unsettled times
through which we are passing
that some parents will seize upon
an opportunity to blame social
scientists for the ills of our grow
ing generation when they them
selves are directly at fault.
From testimony presented be-
fore our subcommittee hearings
on juvenile delinquency by many
distinguished experts in this
field. can testify that the main
body of psychological thought
holds that control and discipline,
when exercised by loving parents,
are essential to the proper de-
velopment of a child into a pro-
ductive and emotionally mature
member of society.
The social scientists reject the
"woodshed" theory of discipline
merely for the sake OF discipline.
They advocate giving a child as
much freedom to develop as the
child is capable of absorbing in
relation to his age and tempera-
ment. But when the child COM
mits an extreme act harmful to
himself or potentially harmful
to society. the social scientists
are not opposed to physical pun
ishment-provided it is done
with calmness, without anger,
and without emotional involve
ment, by a parent who truly
loves the child, not one who is
Indifferent or hostile to- the
youngster.
Specialists Stress 2 Points
Throughout our inquiries into
problems which lead to juvenile
delinquency. we heard this ad-
vice stressed over and over again
by specialists:
/. Discipline must be admin
istered with love.
2. Discipline has to be con-
sistent to be effective.
Prof. Sheldon Glueck Of Har-
ward, the distinguished research
er in juvenile criminal behavior,
told us:
"One of the basic reasons why
punishment is not getting re-
suits is that it affects only one
piece Of the whole personality.
1t appeals only to the fear in
stinct. If you had a policeman
or Furnishing father present at
all times. you would, of course.
prevent delinquency. But unless
you build up within the person
a stronger motivation for behav-
ing himself than mere fear, as
soon as the officer or father is
away. the child will twiddle his
thumb at him and go and sin
some more.
I'm other words, that kind Of
treatment isn't necessarily bad in
itself, provided it is done properly
and under the right emotional
relationships. But at best 1t af-
fects only small piece of the
total personality. where you want
to influence behavior perman-
emily. You want the child to be
good even though there is no
policeman around"
Firm Discipline Is Good
I have always felt that parents
who resort to physical punish
ment too often can't think OF
anything else to do. Their disci-
pline is erratic. Lax one moment
and over-strict the next, they
become frustrated in the handl-
ing of their youngsters. usually
because they have failed to lay
down a set of ground rules to
be followed. The result is often
a child who is puzzled and un-
happy-and perhaps a potential
delinquent.
Discipline which isn't cruel, but
which is firm and kindly, has an
excellent effect on children who
are sure Of their parents love
They may be punished severely
but they realize that the punish
ment doesn't mean that their
parents detest or hate them. They
feel secure within the warm
framework of the family.
We should remember that
growing up is not an easy proc
ess. From infancy, the child