The Unadjusted Girl, With Cases and Standpoint for Behavior AnalysisThomas, William Isaac
Science
The Unadjusted Girl, With Cases and Standpoint for Behavior Analysis
Thomas, William Isaac
Female juvenile delinquents -- Case studies; Young women
Visited her brother Mr. Edward Hunt and his wife. They stated that Helen
was born at North Chicago, September 17th, 1899. She was irregular in
her attendance at school, did not pass the 4th grade and stopped going
altogether when she was 12 or 13 years old. She has never been known to
read a book or magazine, not even the “funny” page in the paper, and the
brother believes she is unable to write anything beyond her signature.
Although the family were known as Swedish Lutheran, Helen had no
religious training and did not attend church or Sunday School. According
to the brother she was depraved from the time she was 12 years old when
she began to “go crazy over the boys”, to attend dance halls and to go
out on motor trips with unknown men. When 14 years old she was attacked
by a neighbor in a field near her home and since that time her life has
been a series of immoral relations with sailors and civilians. Edward
Hunt believes these tendencies are inherited from his mother, who gave
birth to an illegitimate child before her marriage and whose immorality
afterwards broke up the family repeatedly and turned his father into a
drunkard and an idler.... From the time Helen was a child her mother
encouraged her in every sort of immorality and helped her in deceiving
her father or boldly defying him. Mrs. Edward Nelson stated that Helen
to her knowledge has brought on several abortions with the assistance of
her mother....
On March 23rd, after a three weeks’ acquaintance, Helen married George
Langley, a sailor rated as a first class fireman.... She was four months
pregnant at the time. She told her relatives and friends that she was
marrying Langley in order to secure the allotment and insurance. She and
her husband lived for three weeks with Mr. and Mrs. Ed. Hunt and then
took a room with Mrs. De Lacey, 147 Sheridan Road. Shortly after her
marriage Helen appealed to the Red Cross and was given $14.00 to pay her
rent. This money she spent for a pink sweater and a silk skirt....
Visited Mrs. Anna Langley. Talked with her and her son, Bill. The whole
family has been crushed over George’s marriage. Their chief concern
seems to be the allotment and insurance, which George transferred from
his mother to Helen. They want, if possible, to prevent her from
receiving the first payment, which is due July 1st. On one occasion
Helen tried to represent herself at the Post Office as Mrs. Anna Langley
in order to secure the allotment. George Langley is under treatment at
the Naval Station for disease contracted from his wife. For this reason
and because of her continued loose behavior he is trying to secure a
divorce before he is sent to sea early in July. Mrs. Langley and her son
stated that Helen has been brought before the police several times to
their knowledge and spent one night in the County Jail last January.
Bill is willing to make a sworn statement giving the names of two
Waukegan men who have admitted to him they have contracted disease from
Helen....
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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