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This dissertation has been microhhned exactly as received 67- 9490 MANN, m , Edward Thomas, 1941- THE SYMBOLIC PROCESS OF RECIDIVIST AND NON- RECIDIVIST CHILDREN AS ASSESSED BY THE KAHN TEST OF SYMBOL ARRANGEMENT. The University of Oklahoma, Ph.D., 1967 Psychology, clinical University Microfilms, Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA GRADUATE COLLEGE THE SYMBOLIC PROCESS OF RECIDIVIST AND NON-RECIDIVIST CHILDREN AS ASSESSED BY THE KAHN TEST OF SYMBOL ARRANGEMENT A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE FACULTY In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY BY EDWARD THOMAS MANN, III Norman, Oklahoma 1967 THE SYMBOLIC PROCESS OP RECIDIVIST AND NON-RECIDIVIST CHILDREN AS ASSESSED BY THE KAHN TEST OP SYMBOL ARRANGEMENT APPROVED BY CtLov^ iQyiJdiK^ DISSERTATION COMMITTEE ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The writer wishes to express his sincere appreciation and gratitude to those whose continual counsel and assistance were Invaluable to the development of this study. For his wise and kindly guidance, the writer Is forever Indebted to his major professor. Dr. 0. J. Ruplper, who directed the writing and research of this report. Sincere appreciation Is extended to the other members of the writer's committee who showed a profound Interest In his progress and helped substantially with It. They are: Dr. Franklin Parker, Dr. Mary Clare Petty, and Dr. P. T. Teska. The writer wishes to thank Dr. Theodore Kahn, Director of the Division of Behavioral Sciences of Southern Colorado State College, and Dr. G. S. Clack of Lackland Air Force Base, for their Interest and concern. The assistance and co-operation of the Oklahoma Division of Special Education and the pupils who participated In the study are gratefully acknowledged. Finally, gratitude and love go to my wife, whose expert handling of the mechanical details as well as patience and understanding were vital to the success of this study. Ill TABLE OP CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................... Ill LIST OF TABLES...................................... v LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.............................. vl Chapter I. INTRODUCTION .............................. 1 Fundamental Needs of Children: Psychological and Physiological.......... 1 The Effect of Hospitalization on Psychological and Physiological Growth of Children.............................. 13 II. THE DESIGN ................................ 24 Problem.................................... 24 Hypotheses................................ 25 S a m p l e .................................... 27 Procedure.................................. 28 III. PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA......... 35 Summary of Results ....................... 45 IV. SUMMARY AND DISCUSSION.................... 4? Summary.................................... 47 Discussion................................ 51 REFERENCES.......................................... 55 APPENDIX............................................ 60 Iv LIST OP TABLES Table Page 1. Distribution of Selected Sample by Mental Ability and Sex (N = 6 0 ) ..................29 2. Description of Abstractive Levels and Related Clinical Types on the Kahn Test of Symbol Arrangement ......................... 33 3. Mann-Whitney U's for Sub-hypotheses 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 .......................... 37 4. Non-recidivists - Average & Above-Average Mental A g e .................................6l 5. Non-recidivists - Below-Average Mental Age . 62 6 . Recidivists - Average & Above-Average Mental Age....................... 63 7 . Recidivists - Below-Average Mental Age .... 64 8. Mann-Whitney U Test for Non-Recidivists and Recidivists for KTSA Weighted Sum of S c o r e s ..................................... 65 9 . Mann-Whitney U Test for Average and Above- Average and Below-Average Mental Ability Groups for KTSA Weighted Sum of Scores . 66 LIST OP ILLUSTRATIONS Figure Page 1. Summary of KTSA Responses for the Nine Sub-hypotheses ............................. 44 vl THE SYMBOLIC PROCESS OF RECIDIVIST AND NON-RECIDIVIST CHILDREN AS ASSESSED BY THE KAHN TEST OF SYMBOL ARRANGEMENT CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Although much has been written about personality deviation resulting from institutionalization, disagreement existed about its specific effect. This study was undertaken to determine if length of immobilization was a significant factor in the emotional and symbolic growth of children. Thus, the following questions were considered: Does institutionalization effect symbolic growth? Is there a difference between long-term and short-term institutionalized children in relation to symbolic development? Fundamental Needs of Children: Psychological and Physiological Children should be protected from distortions, unnecessary deprivations and exploitations by adults — parents, educators, nurses, physicians, psychologists, and others engaged in dealing with their fundamental needs. 1 2 Consistent with this general statement, Harlow mentioned that: Although people have been observing children for a very considerable period of time, there are few psychblogical areas of greater intellectual gloom than the area relating to the effects of early experience (1956, p. 274). The extent of the subtle pressures and coersions exerted upon the child was difficult and frequently impossible to realize, Hawkes, in discussing how the child perceived these pressures stated: The child conceives of better behavior in terms of what his father wants, as activities which do not disturb the father, such as not interrupting or meddling or making less noise. The child feels that the mother wants an efficient and orderly home and wants him to assume household responsibilities, follow instructions promptly and carefully, and get along better with his brothers and sisters (1957, p . 19, 48). Because of external pressures, the infant entered into a family situation that even at birth might be threatening and out of harmony with his peculiar, idiosyncratic make-up and needs. At the same time, eager parents might be unconsciously determined to deny the child his personal and emotional characteristics, which in turn gave rise to needs as important and urgent as the need for physical care. Every child suffered, to a greater or lesser extent from denial of his own personal and emotional individuality, because even the most emancipated parents could not wholly be free from the desire to see their child conform to the images they had constructed. 3 Dorothy Baruch's study of Kenneth, reflected this need on the part of the parents and the possible effect on children. Kenneth's mother and father, like most parents, tried to do their best for their child and yet their own personal problems deprived the little boy of the most vital Ingredients of growth and happiness — love and understanding (1952, p. 1). Furthermore, the child himself was subject to the strong dependency desire of the parents even though this Identifica tion was totally out of harmony with his own make-up. Also, the dependency need of the child which was reinforced by some parents could lead to behavior problems as Chasson believed: The child develops the expectation of reward for being dependently good, and punishment, or the withholding of reward, or a general feeling of anxiety when he Is not. These expectations are reinforced by the actual data of the home environment. As time goes forward and contacts outside the home are Increased, chances are that the child may come Into contact with an Increasing number of persons whose attitudes and expectations differ to a considerable extent from his own (1962, p. 607). An emotional conflict situation could and In many Instances did develop Into acute neurosis. However, according to Beatrice Wright, child dependence was not In Itself Injurious; . It has been found that those mothers who had an accepting, tolerant attitude towards the child's dependent behavior tended also to be affectionately warm toward the child. The findings of such studies alone suggest caution In decrying dependency (or for that matter mother overprotection) without considering the broader relationship between parent and child, the emotional needs of the child, and the ways of achieving a satisfactory dependence- Independence balance. Dependence in itself is a value, and it is essential in many important kinds of interpersonal relations. People, for instance, should be able to rely on others, to ask for and accept help, to delegate responsibility, but these relations occur naturally only when the person has learned that there are many occasions when dependence is indeed laudable. Dependence becomes then, not only a second best alternative, but a valuable end in itself. The physical realities of life as well as the needs of psychological man require that he be dependent on others as well as independent from them (1959, P. 77). The infant, as he grew into childhood and youth, faced a series of life crises that could not be avoided or denied. The way he confronted these crises and used his ability to "cope" with them in most instances was a function of his relationship with others — how he viewed himself — and the fulfillment of his physical needs. The original biological endorsement of the child permits him to develop various possible types of response patterns which become organized into what, for short, is called personality. Given a normal biological endorsement and a natural process of maturation, the crucial facts in the development of the child's personality are the frequency and type of his social experience (Burchinal, et alj