| Whatever happened to plain psychology? It used | | | | cream day. A guy would come with his cart and |
| to be so simple. It was based on observation of | | | | we would buy our favorite ice cream treats. I |
| behavior, especially in terms of stimulus and | | | | liked the Big Sticks the best.We would guzzle |
| response. Ring the bell and the dog salivates (that | | | | water from the water fountain that probably had |
| was Pavlov, not Skinner).Behavioral psychology | | | | lead in the pipes. In general, we seemed pretty |
| really didn't have that much wrong with it; it was | | | | normal and healthy and life was simple. I don't |
| simple. Prevent the bad behavior from happening | | | | recall any of us getting salmonella or some horrible |
| and reward good behavior. But we can't say bad | | | | disease from drinking water from the fountain. |
| behavior anymore, because it might offend | | | | Either I'm dreadfully out of touch or most of us |
| someone.It used to be that reprimands and | | | | lived through it. Judging from my peers that are |
| discipline for children meant that children were | | | | still alive, most of us didn't die from anything we |
| better behaved. In the animal kingdom, mothers | | | | did in school.It seems that now, every discipline |
| discipline their young all the time. It's a matter of | | | | problem is a mental illness. An ill-equipped parent |
| survival. Humans have gone from disciplining to | | | | has a problem dealing with an unruly kid and is |
| abusing or becoming permissive, depending on | | | | afraid to discipline the kid because just about any |
| who is the judge. What we have now is a horde | | | | discipline is considered child abuse. A few years |
| of youngsters with terrible manners, rotten | | | | ago when I was having a garage sale in the |
| posture, no common sense and wired to the hilt. | | | | States, I saw a mother "disciplining" her toddler girl |
| ADD, ADHD, borderline autism, etc. are the | | | | by explaining why she couldn't do such and |
| keywords that describe behaviors now.Don't get | | | | such...the mother used all of the right "I" |
| me wrong; I've seen my share of children and | | | | statements and stated clearly how the baby's |
| people with bonafide mental disorders. In my day, | | | | behavior made her FEEL, and she went on with |
| we had (as far as I can remember) kids that | | | | this amusing discourse while chasing the child all |
| were mentally retarded or had other learning | | | | over the place. The little girl was no older than |
| disabilities in school. They went on a little yellow | | | | two. I wondered if this mother had any friends. |
| bus somewhere and we didn't engage with them | | | | And I wondered why she didn't have the kid in |
| much. Then there were the bullies, the baddies | | | | one of those fancy backpack things. Most likely |
| and the sissies and the tattletales. Of course, we | | | | because the little girl would clobber her for any |
| all worked our way around those guys. If | | | | kind of attempted restraint that would stifle her |
| someone hit us in school, we would go home and | | | | creative expression and scar her for life.Sadly, the |
| tell our parents and our moms were on the phone | | | | revolutionary days of behavioral psychology are |
| to the bad kid's parents in a New York minute. | | | | over. Behavioral psychology only applies to rats |
| People handled problems themselves. They talked | | | | now. Humans have apparently transcended B.F. |
| to each other. If something got bad enough at | | | | Skinner's work by turning everything into a mental |
| school, the kid causing it would get sent to the | | | | illness. That way, no discipline is required. Only |
| principal's office. We were all scared to death of | | | | medication and talk therapy. From what I see on |
| the principal. I don't even remember any of the | | | | the airwaves and internet, all three hundred million |
| principals; we never saw them. The principal was | | | | people in the U.S. are engaged in talk therapy, but |
| like God, sitting in some throne in an unseen place. | | | | who is listening? That's something I couldn't figure |
| Even as a middle aged Boomer, I still get the | | | | out. But then, I went to school in the primitive |
| willies going to ANY principal's office. I get nervous | | | | days. Maybe I can find a Gen Y with no known |
| in school offices. And I'm a teacher! The office | | | | mental disorder to explain it to me. The problem |
| was forbidden territory in my school days. We | | | | with that idea is that I can't understand a word |
| respected the teachers.While we played outside | | | | they say for all the tongue piercings that make |
| and managed to survive recess with all the jungle | | | | clanking noises and lisps when they talk. They get |
| gyms and exercise equipment that apparently kills | | | | very impatient when someone can't understand |
| kids now, we had a "monitor." This might be a | | | | them the first time. As far as I can tell, nobody is |
| teacher or a teacher's helper, but still it was an | | | | really saying much of anything worthwhile, it's a |
| authority figure. At recess we all stayed away | | | | lot of complaining and whining and buzzwords, all |
| from the boys with taps on their shoes. Those | | | | basically saying, "I'm so special."Don't think it isn't |
| were the bad kids and we knew it. They were | | | | noticed elsewhere; South of the Border here, |
| the troublemakers. They were tough. They wore | | | | school is still simple, if very expensive. Kids wear |
| leather jackets to school. And I am speaking of | | | | uniforms, they can't attach metal to their faces or |
| third grade! The kids with taps hung out together, | | | | color their hair or any of that completely |
| sneered at the rest of us and killed insects with a | | | | necessary survival behavior until they finish school. |
| magnifying glass and the sun. They liked to burn | | | | People here are generally "uneducated." That |
| stuff, especially if it was alive. But they limited | | | | means they can talk about anything, because |
| their murderous antics to insects and leaves. We | | | | they have been busy living and not thinking. Mind |
| let the playground monitors handle those guys | | | | you, they are rarely right about stuff, but they at |
| while we played kickball and tetherball and | | | | least try! Perhaps I ask the wrong questions, |
| dodgeball and climbed on the bars. It seems we | | | | which is entirely possible. One good example is, I |
| were very active, always moving around, and | | | | once asked someone what the time was. He |
| there weren't many fat kids in school.The best | | | | looked at his cell phone and told me. They don't |
| days in school were Wednesdays and Fridays. | | | | wear watches here. Living here feels like it was |
| Wednesday was hot dog day. We didn't have to | | | | when I was growing up; and it's refreshing.Triana |
| dig into our lunch boxes to trade with another kid | | | | Elan is a freelance writer and an American expat |
| who had something we wanted. We could buy | | | | living in Mexico. |
| hot dogs, with or without mustard. Friday was ice | | | | |