A Preliminary Study of the Emotion of Love between the SexesBell, Sanford
Science
A Preliminary Study of the Emotion of Love between the Sexes
Bell, Sanford
Child psychology; Love
Case 11. A young lady of twenty years and a boy of six. We all
boarded in the same house. He was so attached to her that he
would never go to sleep without kissing her good-night. The very
coldest day in winter if his mamma didn't have his coat and
mittens on him when the bell rang for twelve o'clock or for six
o'clock he would go without them to meet her, for he knew that
she came at that time. He was always asking if she loved him, and
if she would wait until he was a man and marry him. This
continued for nearly three years when, one day, a lady whose hair
was gray called on his mamma. He didn't like her, and after she
left said to the young lady “I won't marry you when I am a man
for your hair will be gray.” After that he never cared
particularly for her.
Case 12. I know of one case where a little boy about six years
old fell in love with a lady about twenty years old, and always
used to call her his girl. He used to go and put his arms around
her and kiss her at any time; it did not embarrass him if some
one was looking at him. He is about eighteen now, and seems to
think a great deal of her yet.
Cases showing the continuity of the emotion through the first three
stages of its development.
W., 18. I cannot remember a time before I was fourteen years old
when there was not some little boy whom I loved. The first case
that I can recall occurred when I was five years old. I know that
I was five for I have heard my parents say how old I was when
they moved away from that place. After we moved away I never saw
him any more. We came to another town and I started to school. I
was rather afraid of all the little boys, but some of them I
liked very much. I can remember one big boy whom I didn't like.
He was always trying to play with me, but I thought that I just
hated him. One day he caught me and kissed me. It didn't frighten
me, it simply made me very angry. I was so provoked that I cried
and slapped him in the face as hard as I could. The little boy
that I did like at that time was a red cheeked boy with dark hair
and blue eyes. I do not remember any particular incident, but I
know that we played together all of the time and thought a great
deal of each other. I was then about seven years old. By the next
year of school this boy had moved away, but another little boy
came to school whom I liked better. His name was Ray. I can
remember him better than I can the others. For a long time I
thought that he didn't care for me, and while I thought that I
was afraid of him;--that is, when I met him I was so bashful and
trembled so, because I was afraid that he would find out how I
loved him and would make fun of me. Our teacher believed in
having little boys and girls sit together in school so that they
would not be bashful. I had always sat alone, but now for some
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