The Monist, Vol. 3, 1892-1893 : $b A quarterly magazineVarious
Philosophy
The Monist, Vol. 3, 1892-1893 : $b A quarterly magazine
Various
Philosophy -- Periodicals
Material, such as Koch and others offer, must first be elaborated
into a pedagogic psychopathology—or better still into a pedagogic
pathopsychology—before pedagogy, as a whole, can assume in this
direction the proper form. Though we consider, now, this preparatory work
as indispensable, we can, nevertheless, not think of denying the value
of works which, without any profession of far-reaching psychological
analysis, put in effective and available form for pedagogy the diseased
phenomena of the mental life of children. The first German work of this
kind, so far as we know, is from the pen of a Leipsic teacher, GUSTAV
SIEGERT, and bears the title _Problematische Kindesnaturen_.[48] This
little work is now followed by a more comprehensive treatise, published
by a Bremen alienist, Dr. SCHOLZ, already known to the readers of _The
Monist_ (II, 104), and bearing the title _Die Characterfehler des Kindes,
eine Erziehungslehre für Schule und Haus_.[49] Such books are valuable
not only for the observations they offer and the isolated explanations
and pedagogic advice they present, but also for the suggestions which the
attentive and psychologically cultivated reader can always receive from
them.
Like Siegert, Scholz principally shows us isolated child-types wherein
diseased qualities play a more or less pronounced rôle. But while the
former’s presentation is somewhat journalistic in style, that of the
latter is more didactic; although this tendency is not an absolutely
rigid one, as the author counts mothers as readers of his book. But
if the form of presentation leads one to infer greater profundity in
Scholz than in Siegert, this is in still higher degree the case with the
arrangement of the material. While Siegert strings his child-pictures
loosely together, Scholz arranges them according to real psychological
points of view, so that (remarkable to say) the faults of children are
discussed, first, in the province of feeling and sentiment, then in
that of representation, and finally in that of volition and action. The
introductory and concluding chapters show, also, that Scholz attempts
to enter more profoundly into the subject than Siegert proposes, and we
cherish the hope that, now that this popular work has appeared, Scholz
will very soon present us with a strictly scientific book, in which he
shall have occasion to deal with some particular points, such as, for
instance, falsehood and unchastity, more comprehensively than was perhaps
possible in a book intended for his present circle of readers.
With respect, now, to all systematic presentations of pedagogy,
psychopathology can, as we have before indicated, never attain in them
its proper position, until the above-mentioned preparatory work has been
completed. But this fact should not preclude one’s calling especial
attention to the importance of this province, at least in some incidental
manner.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account