Developmental psychology.pdf

428 Integration of Behavior
*Mr. Smith, a respectable
neighbor of mine, jumped off a tenstory
building last year. No one
knew why since he had "everything
to live-for"—a wonderful family,
security, nice home. His family was
sad but they seemed to
understand. He was so interested
in birds. He used to say he was a
bird and I thought he was kidding.
Criteria fora Decision In most societies, two criteria are used for making decisions
about any point on the adjustment continuum. In the first, personal discomfort, the
individual is unhappy, often unsuccessful in relating to others, and unable to work well.
Sometimes there is an appearance of satisfaction, but daily routines in life may mask
an inner turmoil.* The poem about Richard Cory is suggestive:
He was a gentleman from sole to crown.
Clean favored, and imperially slim.
***
And he was rich—yes, richer than a king—
And admirably schooled in every grace.
And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,
Went home and put a bullet through his head.
(Robinson, 1948)
Sometimes a person fails to conform to social norms to the point at which he
or she is constantly damaging other persons. This second criterion, socially disruptive
behavior, iiicludes juvenile delinquency, various aggressive actions, and criminal behavior.
Such people are not necessarily discontent with themselves or their lives. They
are considered maladjusted on the basis of their actions toward others.
Since most of us have committed misdemeanors of one form or another and
all of us have experienced discomfort, it is the intensity and persistence of these conditions
that define any point on the continuum. And the position of any individual on
this continuum varies from one moment to the next, as that person seeks to readjust
to ever-present needs and desires.
Where would we place the pseudopatients, if they really were hearing unexplained
voices saying "empty," "hollow," and "thud?" We would consider them to be
toward the maladjusted end. How far? The answer would depend upon how upset they
were by these voices and, in turn, how disruptive they were to others in responding to
these imaginary sounds. The duration of this symptom and the presence of other adverse
signs also would be important.
And here is the first lesson from the Rosenhan controversy. The fact that there
is no clear distinction between adjusted and poorly adjusted does not deny the validity
of these concepts. Hot differs from cold, beautiful from ugly, and day from night, though
there is no critical event of separation in any case. We even argue about the distinction
between life and death, yet the value of these concepts is not refuted. Useful distinctions
also can be made between sanity and insanity, though clinicians can be fooled
and certainly there are some difficult cases.
Frustration and Conflict
The pseudopatients sought psychiatric admission for the purposes of investigating diagnostic
procedures and, once admitted, observing treatment processes. They were allegedly
normal individuals engaged in scientific inquiry.
Suppose for the moment that they had been exposed as frauds or that their
false symptoms had not warranted hospitalization. Denied admission, they would have
been unable to achieve their research goals. When someone is prevented from satisfying
a desire or achieving a goal, we say that frustration has occurred, a typical experience
for all of us.
Coping with Frustration In frustration some barrier is present, and it restricts the
individual's action. Weakness, lack of skill, and low intelligence are internal barriers,
for they exist within the individual and can block goals. All external barriers lie outside
the individual, and some are nonsocial, such as the weather, terrain, and time of day.
Others are social, such as parents who force a child to remain in a certain place or to
forego dessert. In all cases the barrier leads to a state of unsatisfied motives.