USES OF BOOKS FOR PSYCHOTHERAPY WITH CHILDREN

USES OF BOOKS FOR PSYCHOTHERAPY WITH CHILDREN

CHARLES BRADLEY, M.D. and ELIZABETH S . BOSQUET, B.S. Emma Pendieton Bradiey Home, East Providence, R. I .

success of the physician who deals directly with children presenting

personal aptitude for such work. Probably in no other field can it be so aptly said that success or failure depends not so much on the treatment itself as on the personality of the physician who administers it. However, personal ability may always be amplified by the judicious use of special working methods. The nurse, the psychologist, the librarian, the teacher, and the social worker have much to contribute from their wide experience with children, and the physician may often do well to enrich himself from their resources. One of these resources which has apparently received little attention from physicians is the use of books and of reading lists.

Our experience in an institution dealing with problem children has frequently proved to us the value of selected reading material as an adjunct to psychiatric treatment. This experience leads us to discuss briefly a few uses of children’s books in psychiatric work, and to append a readily available bibliography, classified for this purpose.

SELECTION OF BOOKS Children’s book lists fall roughly into two groups, neither of which alone has

supplied our special needs. The first type of list is that compiled usually by libra- rians or educators. In these lists books are included for their literary or artistic merit, or because they are stimulating from some general moral or cultural point of view. No single list of this type is flexible enough to supply the variable needs of any particular maladjusted patient.

The second type of list includes books selected objectively on a basis of their popularity among children. Terman’s helpful volume in which lists were compiled from questionnaires filled out by school children illustrates this type. Such lists point out books which interest children, somewhat disregarding content or literary merit.

We have drawn freely from both kinds of lists, selecting literature which will primarily absorb the child’s interest, and yet stimulate him along lines which seem desirable for the individual psychiatric patient. The type of books required, and some of the uses to which they may be put are illustrated in the following paragraphs.

THERAPEUTIC USES OF LITERATURE Overcoming resis tance4ne of the more immediate services that children’s

books may render is aid in overcoming resistances of various sorts. Reading aloud during an interview may a t times be used to lead a child’s attention tem-

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THE behavior or personality disorders undoubtedly depends largely upon his own

24 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF ORTHOPSYCHIATRY

porarily away from a contact to which he is antagonistic, and subsequently to guide it back to that contact in a way acceptable to the child. An example of this occurred when a boy of twelve resented all visits to the physician because they interfered with his outdoor games. By occasionally reading aloud a short story, which for the moment interested this boy more than his game or even his problems, the physician was able to make the interviews pleasurable, and then gradually introduce psychiatric treatment.

Resistance to schooling is another common problem, and is frequently due to lack of satisfactory scholastic progress. A boy of ten, suffering from a specific reading disability, had developed the usual distaste for reading in any form. While incidentally resolving other personal difficulties, the physician, by reading aloud, was able to stimulate the child’s interest in books and his ambition to read. The teacher was in the meantime aiding the boy to overcome his specific reading disability.

Any reason for resistance to schooling may have its basis in personal reactions between teacher and pupil. An intelligent boy of twelve was sure that school was “uninteresting and a waste of time.” This viewpoint dated from several misunderstandings with a previous teacher. At first by reading aloud and later by an introduction to interesting books, for which an advancing scholastic background was required, the child‘s confidence and interest were won, and some change of attitude as to the need for schooling resulted.

In each of these instances different types of literature were used, suited to the child‘s interests, educational needs, and emotional, cultural and intellectual maturity. Had a satisfactory reading list been available a t the time, the physician’s efficiency in dealing with these problems might have been considerably increased.

Developing Interests-Books and reading have also been of value in developing specific interests for children. The need of interests and hobbies for those who are too much occupied with themselves and their problems is almost self-evident. Any sort of introduction to these new interests and hobbies through reading may be a valuable auxiliary to other treatment. This was shown in the case of a ten year old boy who had been greatly abused but otherwise neglected for years. He gave evidence of withdrawal from his surroundings which augured poorly for a normal development. A change of environment brought little improvement until the child began to develop an interest in athletics from following the sporting news in the daily journals. This was encouraged and augmented by making selected literature in these subjects available. His reading, together with later participation in the games themselves, gave most gratifying results from the point of view of interest and contact with a normal boy’s environment.

Books and reading may themselves develop into a very useful hobby. We observed an alert, eleven year old boy of extremely limited social background, who developed many minor delinquencies for lack of other social outlets. When given the opportunity, he became an omnivorous reader, not only keeping him-

USES OF BOOKS FOR PSYCHOTHERAPY WITH CHILDREN 25

self thus peacefully occupied, but developing many subsequent legitimate interests and outlets for his exuberance.

Informal Schooling-The physician may often find that prescribed home reading is of value in maintaining informal academic progress where regular school work is precluded because of illness. It may not be out of place here to mention the value of reading as a means of enlarging an inadequate social and cultural background, its maturing effect by virtue of the vicarious experience which it affords, and its educational merit as a means of making correct language usage and a wider vocabulary matters of daily use. Whether or not the child has a specific problem to be solved, guided reading puts in his hands a powerful tool for self-education. This was well shown when a precocious girl of twelve years was under prolonged treatment for a personality disturbance that made any formal schooling impossible. Under guidance during treatment the child read voluminously, and when ready to resume school after her personal difficulties had been disposed of, her scholastic achievements had in many respects exceeded those of her former classmates.

Supervised Activity-For certain children the physician may wish to order reading between treatment interviews primarily as a means of keeping the child occupied. When assigned reading is employed, it may not only serve this purpose but also some of those previously outlined.

Insofar as the patient’s thoughts and feelings are temporarily in the environment of which he is reading, the physician who selects this environment is vir- tually controlling the child’s surroundings between his own interviews. This partially accomplishes the result obtained by such well recognized devices as foster home placement, hospitalization, tutoring, etc. T o make such treatment effective the reading material must be carefully selected for each patient’s needs.

However, we know of no activity more adjustable to the age, personality, and peculiar problems of any child than selected reading. This was nicely illustrated when the twelve year old daughter of cooperative but ineffectual parents was convalescing a t home after successful treatment for a neurosis. The physician with whom there was excellent rapport assigned weekly book reports during a long vacation period, thus effectively keeping the child occupied, reducing in- cidental problems, and guiding her interest in lines which were later sponta- neously followed.

One type of book which would superficially appear most acceptable for this type of therapy has proved unsatisfactory. Lye refer to the excellent works con- taining directions for such activities as carpentry, mechanical construction of models, etc. Apparently the majority of children sufficiently maladjusted to require treatment are unable to maintain an interest in such activities by merely following written instructions.

AS each patient presents an individual problem, so does the choice of his literature-both as to the uses to which it is put, and the material which it includes. Obviously material which will be of sufficient interest to absorb the


attention of children with severe problems requires especially careful selection. Often a complete understanding of the patient cannot be entirely transmitted to a teacher or tutor, and the physician must select and prescribe the reading himself. For these reasons a readily available source of children’s reading material is a valuable addition to the physician’s equipment. Fortunately in these days of widely distributed free public libraries, books themselves are obtainable to those in all walks of life, and the physician needs only knowledge of what to select. To aid him in this function we are appending the following children’s reading list, classified primarily for some of the uses to which it may be put.

BOOK LIST This is designed for practical use with children up to the age of puberty. The

categories are purposely flexible for adaptability to individual needs, for it has been our experience that children’s tastes and technical reading skill are too variable to make specific age classifications of any real value.

FAIRY STORIES

These stories are largely for younger children, and provide cultural background as well as entertainment.

Classical Fairy Tales Andersen, Hans Christian-Andersen’s Fairy Tales Carroll, Lewis-Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (Best read aloud) Collodi, Carlo-The Adventures of Pinocchio Colum, Padraic (editor)--Gulliver’s Travels Crane, Walter (editor)-Grimm’s Household Tales Hawthorne, Nathaniel-A Wonder Book Housman, Laurence (editor)-Arabian Nights Kipling, Rudyard--Jtlst So Stories (Best read aloud) Lang, Andrew-The Blue Fairy Book, and others MacDonald, George-At the Back of the North Wind, and others Mulock, Dinah Maria-The Little Lame Prince Ruskin, John-The King of The Golden River (Best read aloud)

Other Imaginative Stories Burgess, Thornton W.-Bedtime Story Books, and others Field, Rachel (editor)-American Folk and Fairy Tales Grahame, Kenneth-The Wind in the Willows (Best read aloud to younger

Harris, Joel Chandler-Uncle Remus, His Songs and Sayings (Best read aloud) Lagerlof, Selma-The Wonderful Adventures of Nils, and others Lofting, Hugh-The Story of Dr. Dolittle, and others Milne, A. A.-Christopher Robin Story Book, and others Thorne-Thomsen, Mrs. Gudrun-East 0’ the Sun and West 0’ the Moon

children)


GENERAL FICTION

This group of books, intended for older children, furnishes both vicarious experience and entertainment.

Animal Stories

Atkinson, Eleanor-Greyfriars Bobby James, Will-Smoky Kipling, Rudyard-The Jungle Books London, Jack-The Call of the Wild Ollivant, Alfred-Bob, Son of Battle I

Ouida (De la RamCe, Louise)--A Dog of Flanders Salten, Felix-Barnbi Seton, Ernest Thompson-The Biography of a Grizzly-Wild Animals I Have

Sewell, Anna-Black Beauty Terhune, Albert Payson-Lad, A Dog, and others

Books About BOYS Aldrich, Thomas Bailey-The Story of a Bad Boy Barbour, Ralph Henry-Lovell Leads Of, and others Bennett, John-Master Skylark Heyliger, William-High Benton, and others Kipling, Rudyard-Kim Tarkington, Booth-Penrod, and others Twain, Mark-The Adventures of Tom Sawyer-Huckleberry Finn

Known

Stories About Girls

There appear t o have been fewer stories of lasting merit written for girls than for boys. Our observation, confirmed by others in the field, has been that most girls read boys’ stories with equal interest.

Alcott, Louisa May-Little Women, and others Field, Rachel-Hitty : Her First Hundred Years, and others Jewett, Sara Orne-Betty Leicester Montgomery, Lucy M.-Anne of Green Gables, and others Wiggin, Kate Douglas-Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, and others

ADVENTURE STORIES

For older children, these tales of action are not only entertaining, but provide inspiration and vicarious experience also.

Hero Stories and Adventures of Early Times

Baldwin, James-The Story of Roland-The Story of Siegfried Colum, Padraic-The Adventures of Odysseus


Daniel, Hawthorne-The Gauntlet of Dunmore, and others French, Harry-The Lance of Kanana Lanier, Sidney-The Boys’ King Arthur Pyle, Howard-The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood

Sea Stories Defoe, Daniel-Robinson Crusoe Hawes, Charles B.-The Great quest, and others Hopkins, William John-She Blows and Sparm at That Kipling, Rudyard-Captains Courageous Masefield, John- Jim Davis, Stevenson, Robert Louis-Treasure Island Verne, Jules-Mysterious Island, and others Wyss, Johann David-Swiss Family Robinson

Travel and Exploration Beebe, Charles William-Exploring With Beebe Byrd, Richard E.-Skyward, and others Follett, Helen-Magic Portholes and Stars to Steer By Putnam, David Binney-David Goes to Greenland, and others Thomas, Lowell-Boys’ Life of Colonel Lawrence-Count Luckner, The Sea Devil

Western Stories We include this list to satisfy the demand for western stories without recourse

to more mediocre fiction. Crump, Irving-The Boy’s Book of Cowboys Hilles, Helen Train-Cowboy Holiday James, Will-Big Enough-Uncle Bill, and others Santee, Ross-Cowboy Yeager, Dorr-Bob Flame, Ranger

OTHER LANDS A N D TIMES

In general these books are for older children. They may serve educational purposes and broaden horizons as well as provide entertainment.

Stories of Foreign Countries Dodge, Mary Mapes-Hans Brinker (Holland) Haskell, Helen E.-Kutrinka, and others (Russia) Lewis, Elizabeth F.-Ho-Ming, Girl of New China-Young Fu of the Upper

Moon, Grace-Chi-Wbe and Loki (American Indians) Ouida (De la Ramie, Louise)-The Niirnberg Stove (Germany) Perkins, Lucy Fitch-The Twin Series (For younger children) Spyri, Johanna-Heidi, and others (Switzerland)

Yangtze (China)


Historical Narratives

In spite of occasional inaccuracies, the better historical fiction appears to have a real educational value in providing a background for understanding history.

Dumas, Alexander-The Three Musketeers Meigs, Cornelia-As The Crow Flies-Master Simon’s Garden Pyle, Howard-Men of Iron-Otto of The Siluer Hand Skinner, Constance-Debby Barnes, Trader-Silent Scot Stevenson, Robert Louis-Kidnapped-The Black Arrow Twain, Mark-The Prince and The Pauper

Informal History and Geography

For educational purposes, these informally written accounts appear to make a more lasting impression on children than text books.

Adams, Randolph-Gateway t o American History Hartman, Gertrude-The World We Live In-These United States Hillyer, Virgil M.-Child’s Geography of the World-Child’s History of the World Mitchell, Lucy Sprague-North America Van Loon, Hendrkk-The Story of Mankind Wells, H. G.-Short History of Mankind

BIOGRAPHY

Biographies serve as an excellent means of inspiring older children and also provide stimulating vicarious experience.

Collected Short Biographies

Couch, Sir Arthur Quiller-The Roll Call of Honor De Kruif, Paul-Microbe Hunters (Advanced) Ferris, Helen-Girls Who Did Hagedorn, Hermann-The Book of Courage (Best read aloud) Hylander, Clarence J.-American Inventors-American Scientists

Full Length Biographies

Several famous biographies have been omitted from this list because the aver- age child will read them in the public schools.

Earhart, Amelia-Fun of It Green, Fitzhugh-Bob Bartlett, Master Mariner, and others Lindbergh, Charles A.-We Meadowcroft, W. H.-The Boy’s Life of Edison Meigs, Cornelia-Invincible Louisa White, Steward Edward-Daniel Boone, Wilderness Scout


SPECIFIC INTERESTS OF CHILDREN

These books may serve educational purposes and introduce the older child to new interests.

Handicraft Hobbies It has been our experience that the majority of behavior problems need individ-

ual instruction for handiwork, especially since most books on such subjects are highly technical. For those children who are genuinely interested and persistent, a varied bibliography is available in Anne Carroll Moore’s pamphlet, The Choice of a Hobby. Bufano, Reme-Be A Puppet Showman Butler, Ellis Parker-Young Stamp Collector’s Own Book Hamilton, Edwin T.-Handicraft For Girls-Popular Crafts f o r Boys Keelor, Katharine-Working With Electricity Lynch, Maude Dutton-I’m Busy (For younger children) Lyons, Luella-Something To Do (For younger children)

Nature and Scouting Blanchan, Neltje-Birds Worth Knowing Burgess, Thornton W.-Burgess Seashore Book and companion volumes on birds,

Du Puy, William Atherton-Wonders of the Animal World-Wonders of the

Henderson, Daniel-Children of the Tide Powers, Margaret-The World of Insects Stephenson, Mary Bowen-The World of Animals Boy Scout Handbook Girl Scout Handbook

flowers, and animals (For younger children)

Plant World

Sports These volumes, without any pretension to literary merit, satisfy a genuine

demand on the part of boys to whom the authors’ names imply real authority. McGraw, John-My Thirty Years in Baseball Rice, Grantland-The Boy’s Book of Sports Rice, Grantland and Powel, Harford, (editors)-Omnibus of Sport Ruth, George-Babe Ruth’s Own Book of Baseball Warner, G. S.--“Pop” Warner’s Book For Boys Weissmuller, Johnny-Swimming The American Crawl

Science Beale, Harriett Blaine-The Beginnings of Chemistry Fontany, Elena-Other Worlds Than This George, Carrie Louise-How The World Is Ruled


Petersham, Maud and Miska-The Story Book ofthe Earth’s Treasures, and others Pollak, Janet-This Physical World Stephenson, Mary Bowen-The World of Invisible Life Whyte, Adam Gowans-The Wonder World We Live I n

REFERENCE BOOKS

These particular books may be of special value to the physician who wishes to have material available for those children with persistence enough to read unadulterated factual details about subjects which interest them.

Book of Knowledge (valuable to the physician because of the fund of material it provides for reading aloud. I t is not in encyclopedic form)

Outline of Science-J. Arthur Thomson (four volumes) Spaulding Athletic Library

Encyclopedias

Compton’s Pictured Encyclopedia World Book

We wish to acknowledge the valuable advice and suggestions given us by Miss Mary Lucas of the Providence Public Library, Miss Harriett Briggs of the Wat- chemoket Public Library, Miss Grace Leonard of the Providence Athenaeum, and Miss Alice Jordan of the Boston Public Library.

BIBLIOGRAPHY I . GARDNER, EMELYN E. and RAMSEY, ELOISE. A Handbook of Children’s Literature.

2. MAHONEY, BEATRICE E. and WHITNEY, ELINOR. Realms of Gold in Children’s

3. MOORE, ANNE CARROLL. Crossroads to Childhood. New York, Doran, 1926. 4. MOORE, ANNE CARROLL. The Choice of A Hobby. Chicago, F. E. Compton and Co.,

5. MOORE, ANNE CARROLL. The Three Owls. New York, Macmillan, 1925. 6. OLCOTT, FRANCES JENKINS. The Children’s Reading. Boston, Houghton Mifflin Co.,

7. TERMAN, LEWIS M. and LIMA, MARGARET. Children’s Reading. New York, Apple-

New York, Scott Foresman and Co., 1927.

Books. New York, Doubleday, Doran, 1929.

‘934.

1927.

ton, 1925.

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USES OF BOOKS FOR PSYCHOTHERAPY WITH CHILDREN