A comparative study in the development of the sensori-motor intelligence according to Jean Piaget and Arnold Gesell

Transcription

1 University of Nebraska at Omaha Student Work 1958 A comparative study in the development of the sensori-motor intelligence according to Jean Piaget and Arnold Gesell Henri R. Ouellet University of Nebraska at Omaha Follow this and additional works at: Part of the Psychology Commons Recommended Citation Ouellet, Henri R., "A comparative study in the development of the sensori-motor intelligence according to Jean Piaget and Arnold Gesell" (1958). Student Work This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@UNO. It has been accepted for inclusion in Student Work by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@UNO. For more information, please contact unodigitalcommons@unomaha.edu.

2 A COMPARATIVE STUDY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OP THE SENSORI-MOTOR INTELLIGENCE ACCORDING TO JEAN PIAGET AND ARNOLD GESELL A T hesis P re se n ted to the F a c u lty of the G raduate School o f the U n iv e rs ity o f ' Omaha In P a r t i a l F u lfillm e n t of the Requirem ents f o r th e Degree of MASTER OP ARTS in the Departm ent of Psychology H enri R. O u e lle t 11-M9 *3?

3 UMI Number: EP72908 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. D is s w ta iio n PWbJlstAng UMI EP72908 Published by ProQuest LLC (2015). Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml

4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT We want to thank h e re a l l those who have helped us in t h i s endeavor, from our P ro fe ss o rs a t the U n iv e rs ity of Omaha, to those a t the U n iv e rs ity of P a r is, as w e ll as the stu d e n ts who have c o n trib u te d in some way to th e c r y s t a l l i z a t i o n of our id e a s. In p a r t i c u l a r we would l i k e to express our p e rso n a l g r a titu d e to D r. W illiam Thompson, of th e U n iv e rs ity of Omaha, whose genuine i n t e r e s t has s tim u la te d and su sta in e d us through our work.

5 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT V INTRODUCTION VI FIRST PART CHAPTER I DR. GESELLsS BASIC CONCEPTS UNDERLYING THE UNDERSTANDING OF DEVELOPMENT OF SENSORI-MOTOR INTELLIGENCE. 1. The concept of G r o w th B ehavior as the O bject of Study Mental Growth and the M aturation of the Nervous System ^. M ental Growth and th e World of Things The Growth of P e r s o n a lity M ental Growth and Em otional D e v e lo p m e n t...2 if. 7. The C h ild as a T otal E n tity CHAPTER I I PROFESSOR JEAN PIAGET S BASIC CONCEPTS UNDER LYING THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SENSORI-MOTOR INTELLIGENCE. 1. In tro d u c tio n I n te llig e n c e : an A daptive B ehavior A s sim ila tio n... 2j.3.if.*' Accommodation If.$

6 5* O rg a n iz atio n i _7 6. C onclusion $0 SECOND PART CHARTS OF THE STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT OF THE SENSORI MOTOR INTELLIGENCE, ACCORDING 'TO PIAGET AND GESELL. THIRD PART COMPARATIVE EVALUATION 1. A d i f f e r e n t Method of m ensuration: Growth G radient v ersu s Stage* a* Growth G ra d ie n t: D e f in itio n C h a r a c te r is tic s.. 63 b. S tag e; D e fin itio n I4. C h a r a c te r is tic s. 6I4. c. Comparison between the two modes of m e n su r a tio n D e ta il comparison between Dr. G esell and P rofessor P ia g e t s fin d in gs in each stage.. 71 Stage I Stage I I Stage I I I Stage IV CONCLUSION Summary of the T h e s i s Points of a g r e e m e n t D ifferen ces I4.

7 BIBLIOGRAPHY

8 The fliscovery of a p ro p er to p ic fo r a t h e s is, as v e i l as the o rg a n iz a tio n of the m a te ria l to be stu d ie d may he horn of e ith e r a sudden I n s ig h t in to a problem l e f t unsolved unt i l now, or may grow from a long f a m i l i a r i t y w ith s c i e n t i f ic f a c t s, w ith the r e s u l t th a t r e la tio n s h ip s and com parisons g ra d u a lly emerge and Impose them selves as a d i s t i n c t o b je c t of in v e s tig a tio n. The th e s is we now subm it, as a p a r t i a l f u lf illm e n t fo r the M a ste r s degree in psychology, i s the f r u i t of b o th causes m entioned above and of a l i t t l e more. A ll through our y ears of te a c h in g in the f i e l d of pure** p hilosophy, and p a r t i c u l a r l y in the a re a known as R a tio n a l P sychology 1 we have been preoccupied w ith the problem of the psychology of I n te llig e n c e. The obvious c le a r - c u t d iffe re n c e between the fu n c tio n of in te llig e n c e co n sid ered in i t s s t a te of m a tu rity in the a d u lt on the one hand, and the m ystery

9 VII surrounding the development o f t h a t same fu n c tio n on the o th e r hand, le d us to b e lie v e i t n e ce ssa ry f o r us to i n v e s tig a te th is problem beyond the answer of p e re n n ia l philosophy* I t i s w ith t h a t i n mind t h a t we undertook s tu d ie s i n experim ental psychology, w ith p a r t i c u l a r i n t e r e s t i n the f i e l d o f t h e o r e t i c a l problem s and c h ild development* We r e a liz e d soon th a t one of th e most f r u i t f u l a lle y s of e x p lo ra tio n la y In the developm ental approach* to the study of In te llig e n c e * C onsequently we found i t most r e w arding to leave the iv o ry tower and s t a r t to w re s tle w ith the f a c t s, m ainly those p ro v id ed to us by two keen and cons c ie n tio u s o b se rv ers, Dr* Arnold G e se ll and P ro fe s s o r Jean P ia g e t, who have spent a lif e - ti m e studying th e c h i l d 's developm ent. G e s e ll's work THE FIRST FIVE YEARS OF LIFE serv ed as an In tro d u c tio n and made a v a ila b le to us a w e alth of p r e c is e and c le a r ly reco rd ed p a tte r n s of development in

10 VIII in which we were able to rec o g n ize the g rad u al u n fo ld in g of the fu n c tio n c a lle d i n te l li g e n c e. Concom itantly we had become i n te r e s te d in the works of Jean P ia g e t from th e U n iv e rs itie s of Q-eneva and P a r is. And when in 1 9 & F u lb rig h t F ellow ship p ro v id ed us w ith th e o p p o rtu n ity of stu d y in g under him a t the U n iv e rs ity of P a ris we were only too g lad to devote our tim e to th e u n d e rstan d in g of h is fin d in g s and th e co n clu sio n s lie o ffe re d. I t i s then th a t th e p r o je c t of th e th e s is we now o f f e r came vaguely I n to our mind: a com parative study of the fin d in g s concerning the developm ent of th e s e n s o rimotor i n te l li g e n c e, as viewed by two a u th o r i ti e s who did t h e i r re s e a rc h thousands o f m iles a p a r t. Two y e ars of te a c h in g h elp ed us to b rin g in to focus such an e v a lu a tio n. Thus t h is t h e s is Is the r e s u l t of an in s ig h t as w e ll,a s the outcome of a growing f a m i l i a r i t y w ith th e m a te ria l Involved.

11 IX Jean Piaget^* became in te r e s te d in C h ild Psychology in 1923 when he p u b lish e d h is now famous stu d y of LANGUAGE AND THOUGHT follow ed by JUDGEMENT AND REASONING IN CHILDREN, (1927). The s t a r t l i n g conclu sio n s he achieved, e s p e c ia lly the one about the much d isc u sse d e g o c e n tric m e n ta lity of the c h ild le d him to f u r th e r in v e s tig a tio n s in the phases of ch ild * s developm ent. Thus th e s tu d ie s about THE CHILD*S CONCEPTION OP THE WORLD, (1929) and THE MORAL JUDGEMENT OF THE CHILD, (1932). At t h is p o in t P ia g e t r e a liz e d th a t c o n tin u ity being re q u ire d he had to undertake ag ain h is stu d ie s of th e child* s m ental development - t h is tim e from the moment o f b i r t h. W hatever he m ight fin d would e ith e r prove or disprove what he thought to be p e r tin e n t f a c ts s e t in the p rev io u s m onographies. To t h i s we owe the t r ilo g y of THE ORIGINS OF^ INTELLIGENCE 3-Born in Neuenberg, Sw itzerland, August 9, 1896, P iaget did sp ecial work in the zoology o f m ollu scs. At 15 years old he published h is study on the m olluscs of Neuchatal, Jura* His D octorate th e s is, w r itte n when he was 21 years of age, was concerned w ith the d i f f e r e n t v a r i e t i e s of m olluscs in the V a la is ia n A lps.

12 IN CHILDREN (1948), THE CONSTRUCTION OP REALITY IN CHILDREN (1950) and THE FORMATION OP SYMBOLS IN CHILDREN (1945) With th ese s tu d ie s was th en com pleted the h is to r y o f the e v o lu tio n of the c h i l d s mind from the moment of b i r t h to 1 l a t e r y e a rs. The o b se rv a tio n s d e sc rib e d and analyzed in these th re e works were made b y P ia g e t upon h is own c h ild re n Ja c q u e lin e, Luclenne and L a u re n t. W ith th e f a c ts provided by h is y e ars o f o b se rv a tio n P ro fe s s o r P ia g e t was thus able to c o n s o lid a te h is o r ig in a l p o s itio n s, and even r e in fo rc e them. Dr. Arnold G e se ll, on the o th e r hand, made h is observatio n s a t th e famous Yale C lin ic o f Child Development and was involved w ith a somewhat la r g e r number o f s u b je c ts who were follow ed through the y e a rs w ith a l l the p o s s ib le means o f o b s e rv a tio n. 1, S e p a ra te m onographies were devoted to the stu d y o f th e fo rm atio n of the n o tio n of Number (1940)* Q u a n tity (1941) Time (1946) Speed and Motion (1946) w ith a s y n th e sis in the PSYCHOLOGY OF INTELLIGENCE (1957)

13 XI S e v e ra l c o lla b o r a to rs, p a r t i c u l a r l y D r. Prances L. Ilg, and D r. L ouise Ames helped D r. G e se ll in the accumulatio n and p r e s e n ta tio n o f h is f in d in g s. This is a lre a d y i n s tr ik in g c o n tr a s t w ith P ia g e t who was alone in w ritin g the t r i l o g y m entioned abovethis o f course does not change in any way the value we a tta c h to P ia g e t s s t u d i e s ; b u t he i s o fte n c r i t i c i z e d because of the sm a ller number of subj e c ts involved compared w ith those of G e s e ll. However we cannot pass under s ile n c e th a t th e method o f study o f P ia g e t, and p a r t i c u l a r l y the sm all number of su b je c ts he u s u a lly d e a lt w ith had le d to g re a t c o n tro v e rsie s about h is p o in t of view i n t h is c o u n try. A lthough th e Sw iss p sy c h o lo g is t was very c a r e f u l to expose c le a r ly h is method of o b se rv a tio n and i n v e s tig a tio n a debate raged f o r The o th e r m onographies of P ia g e t devoted to Language, Space, Time, Q u a n tity, e t c., were the r e s u l t of team work, In clu d in g th e c o lla b o r a tio n o f A. Szerainska, B. In h e ld e r, V. P ia g e t and o th e r s.

14 XII a w hile around h is n o tio n of "egocentrlcity. It may be f o r th is reaso n th a t h is more re c e n t s tu d ie s about THE ORIGINS OF INTELLIGENCE IN CHILDREN were not w idely p u b lic iz e d in America, a t l e a s t i f one is to Judge by b ib lio g r a p h ic a l re fe re n c e s in c u rre n t books d e a lin g w ith c h ild developm ent. As we proceeded in our tea ch in g we became more and more aware of th e im portance of a com parative study between G esell and P ia g e t, and th e b e n e f it which could be d eriv ed f o r s p e c ia l i s t s in the f i e l d, in terms o f e s ta b lis h in g some b a s ic f a c ts concerning th e e a rly y e a rs or the development of th e c h ild. W ithin the l im i ts o f t h i s th e s is we s h a ll concern ourse lv e s w ith th e f i r s t two y e ars of developm ent. We conceive the o rg a n iz a tio n of the t h e s is in two p a r t s : f i r s t, an ^The e f f o r t s to d u p lic a te h is s tu d ie s, and th e whole d ebate about e g o c e n tr lc ity M ore w ell analyzed and e v alu ated in CARMICHAEL. MANUAL OF CHILD PSYCHOLOGY. Second E d itio n, W iley, 1954, p. "

15 X III a n a ly sis of the b a sic concepts o f b o th author^ to p ro v id e the sta g e s e t t i n g f o r the e x p o s itio n of t h e i r f in d in g s ; then a c ro s s -re fe re n c e c h a r t, s e lf-e x p la n a to ry In n a tu re, and ten d in g to c o rr e la te and mark o u t the v a rio u s sta g e s of development I s o la te d as prim ary fe a tu re s by P ro fe ss o r P ia g e t and D r. G e s e ll. At the c lo sin g we o f f e r an e v a lu a tio n of p o in ts o f s im ilitu d e s and d iff e re n c e s betw een th e two a u th o rs and f i n a l l y a b r i e f s p e c u la tio n about the n a tu re of I n t e l l i gence in the l i g h t of these fin d in g s.

16 F I R S T P A R T

17 CHAPTER I DR. GESELL*S BASIC CONCEPTS UNDERLYING THE UNDERSTANDING OF DEVELOPMENT OF SENSORI-MOTOR INTELLIGENCE I. THE CONCEPT OF GROWTH Our sp e c ie s has had a v e n erab le h is to r y. I t has taken N ature a b i l l i o n y ears to fa s h io n the s tr u c tu r e and the p o t e n t i a l i t i e s of th e human in f a n t. Each newborn baby i s a f o c a l end p roduct of e v o lu tio n. His h e rita g e i s so v a s t th a t i t tak e s him a score o f years to achieve a measure of p sy c h o lo g ic a l m a tu rity. How can we p o s s ib ly u n d e rstan d him as an In d iv id u a l or as a r e p r e s e n ta tiv e of the sp e cie s w ith o u t examining the growth p ro c e ss whereby he a t t a i n s m atu rity? B irth marks the a r r i v a l bu t n o t th e tru e commencement of an In d iv id u a l. The l i f e c a re e r of th e in d iv id u a l begins w ith the conception when the genes of fa th e r and mother u n ite and i n i t i a t e a c y cle of grow th. A m inute g lo b u le of protoplasm becomes an embryo, the embryo becomes a f e t u s, the f e tu s an in f a n t, the in f a n t a c h ild, the c h ild a youth, the youth an a d u lt, the a d u lt a p a re n t. With parenthood a n o th er cy cle of growth is. l ib e r a te d. The genes i n i t i a t e th e m ental as w e ll as the p h y sic a l p ro d u cts of growth. From th e e a r l i e s t sta g e th e c h ild develops as a u n i t. He comes by h is mind th e same way as he comes by h is body, namely through the o rg an iz in g p ro cess of growth. Growth, th e re f o re, i s the key concept fo r u n d e rstan d in g the n a tu re and the needs of the c h ild mind. The mind does n o t have a fix e d se p a ra te e x iste n c e w ith in a b o d ily dw elling. I t i s p a r t and p a rc e l of an I n d iv is ib le growing organism, re sp o n siv e to the Jo in t In flu e n c e of th e genes and the environm ent. The mind cannot be reg ard ed as pure energy fo r I t Is a p a tte rn e d and p a tte r n in g system. Indeed, th e mind of th e c h ild i s a * liv in g, growing a c tio n sy ste m.!

18 2. We have quoted a t le n g th t h is statem en t because i t has the m e rit of in clu d in g in a panoramic view the b a s ic f e a tu r e s and concepts u n d e rly in g G esell* s approach to th e stu d y o f the developm ent o f the c h ild. In l a t e r paragraphs we w i l l have an o p p o rtu n ity to e la b o ra te and analyze more in d e t a i l th e se c o n ce p ts. We would l i k e h e re sim ply to m ention some of th e s t r i k i n g p o in ts and some o f the qu estio n s which may come to th e mind of the r e a d e r. F i r s t and forem ost the concept o f grow th i s s in g le d out as an over a l l encom passing s o lu tio n to the u n d erstan d in g of th e c h ild * This concept is o ffe re d in a p e rs p e c tiv e t h a t can be anything b u t e v o lu tio n n is tic, sin c e, as G e se ll says, "N ature has tak e n a b i l l i o n y ears to fa s h io n the s tr u c tu r e and the p o t e n t i a l i t i e s of the human in f a n t." A second i n te r e s ti n g fe a tu r e is the h o l i s t i c approach which G e se ll assumes to be u n d e rly in g the c y cle of grow th. Not only does he a ffirm the developm ent as a " u n it", b u t he e q u a lly r e in f o r c e s h is p o s i t io n by s t a ti n g th a t "th e genes

19 3. i n i t i a t e th e m ental as w e ll as the p h y s ic a l p ro d u ct of g ro w th,m and th a t the mind does not have a fix e d se p a ra te e x is te n c e w ith in a b o d ily organism. 1 One may wonder i f beh in d th e s e words G esell does no t in te n d to s ta te h is p h ilo s o p h ic a l p o s itio n and o f f e r a s o lu tio n th a t would do away w ith the famous problem of c a r te s ia n dualism. I t i s p o s s ib le t h a t such an is s u e i s a b sen t from G e s e l l ^ mind, b u t i t Is e q u a lly p o s s ib le th a t he th in k s th a t the concept of growth would o f f e r such a s o lu tio n. F in a lly G esell conceives th e cy cle of growth w ith the fo llo w in g f a c t o r s a t work: the genes and the environm ent. A f u r th e r I n s ig h t is added w ith the statem en t th a t th e mind i s a p a tte rn e d and p a tte r n in g system. 14 In o th er words, the c y cle of growth w i l l in c lu d e a p a ssiv e and an a c tiv e a s p e c t, and the study o f th e v a rio u s phases of development should b rin g th ese to l i g h t. Before we proceed to the d e t a i l s of the u n fo ld in g consequences of t h is concept of growth a p p lie d to th e c h ild * s

20 if. development we would l i k e to p o in t o u t b r i e f l y th e sources from w hich G e se ll seeks to o b ta in v a lu a b le in fo rm a tio n and thus b u ild up a sc ien c e of t h i s developments A b ro a d ly based c l i n i c a l sc ie n c e of c h ild development w i l l draw upon m edical and s o c ia l re s e a rc h : upon embryology, neurophysiology, b io c h e m istry, g e n e tic s, and p h y s ic a l anthropology to e lu c id a te th e n a tu re of human organism ; upon developm ental psychology, f a c t u a l p s y c h ia try, and c u lt u r a l anthropology to e lu c id a te thei n te r p la y of organism and p e rso n a l m ilieu* and in th e case th a t one may wonder about c o n f lic tin g s t a t e ments from so d if f e r e n t sources G e se ll p o in ts out t h a t th e concept of growth w i l l s t i l l h o ld the key to th e u n d erstan d ing of the c h ild development* F o rtu n a te ly however, the v e ry concept o f development serv es to in te g r a te and to s im p lify the m u ltip l i c i t y of d a ta. This concept i s m o n is tic ; i t re s o lv e s the dualism s of organism s and environm ent; o f h e re d ity and h a b it; o f s tr u c tu r e and fu n c tio n ; of mind and body.-* To many t h is sta te m e n t w i l l appear too g e n e ra l; We see in f a c t th a t i t i s, fo r G e se ll, the answer to a problem mentio n e d above, namely the c a r t e s ia n dualism of mind and body. I f i t seems to be over c o n c lu siv e, i t has a t l e a s t th e m e rit o f o ffe rin g a new p e rs p e c tiv e to th e s o lu tio n o f t h a t ever-

21 5. l a s ti n g problem. And perhaps t h a t is a l l one may ex p ect, i f one is to rem ain so c lo se to b io lo g y. I I. BEHAVIOR AS THE OBJECT OF STUDY The re a d e r o r the c r i t i c who seeks to sy n th e siz e G esell* s b a sic concepts i s sometimes confused by the f a c t th a t some of h is sta te m e n ts are d e f i n i te l y ta in te d w ith s o c io lo g ic a l p re o c c u p a tio n s. However, w hile t i t l e s o f c h ap ters such as The Family in a Dem ocratic C u ltu re 11^ are c le a r examples o f such a d ir e c tio n, the f a c t is th a t G e se ll i s *not c a r r ie d away w ith such p re o c c u p a tio n s. A lthough he re c o g n iz e s, - and who does n o t - th a t th e fam ily rem ains th e nmost fundam ental u n i t of modern c u ltu r e 11^, and even i f he dw ells on th e concept of democracy as 11having f a r rea ch ing consequences in th e re a rin g of ch ildren"w e may r i g h t f u l l y assume th a t h is main o b je c tiv e Is to p re s e n t a c le a r and o b je c tiv e a n a ly s is of the p a tte r n s of development*

22 In th e fo llo w in g p arag rap h s we w i l l th e re fo re d isc u ss th e fo u n d atio n s and im p lic a tio n s of th e p ro ce sses of growth as G esell u n d erstan d s them. To conform to th e m o n istic conc e p tio n ex p lain ed in th e in tr o d u c tio n, we should co n sid er growth on a l l f r o n ts a t once. But u n f o rtu n a te ly th e human mind i s unable to v is u a liz e anything in such a manner, and we a re fo rc e d to segment c e r t a i n a sp e c ts of what we commonly c a l l BEHAVIOR. Of c o u rse, t h i s term B ehavior i s a ls o fo r many an a b s tr a c tio n. In I t s t o t a l i t y i t could very w ell s ig n ify what G e se ll c a l l s "the outward a sp e c t o f l i f e " "the very essence and a c u lm in atin g m a n ife s ta tio n of the *7 l i f e p ro c e sse s of the i n d i v i d u a l. " O bviously, th e re f o re, B ehavior i s not a s t a t i c e n ti t y. In f a c t, fo r us i t is the open v i s t a in to the development which oth erw ise would become in com prehensible. I t i s.b e cause B ehavior can be stu d ie d and even measured to a c e r ta in e x te n t th a t we can i n f e r, as G esell does so o fte n, th a t to

23 7. changes In Behavior w i l l correspond to changes in th e sequences of developm ental l e v e l s. We w i l l fin d l a t e r, as m entioned above, th a t v ario u s a s p e c ts of Behavior can be I s o la te d. But here ag ain we w i l l have to remember th e f a c t th a t w hatever m u lt i p li c it y we may observe Is in fu n c tio n of an o v e r-p re v a le n t u n ify in g f a c to r or p ro c e ss, m ainly th a t of growth. The c h i l d 's p e rs o n a lity i s a p ro d u ct o f slow and g rad u al growth. His nervous system m atures by sta g e s and n a tu r a l sequences. He s i t s b e fo re he sta n d s; he b ab b les b e fo re he t a l k s ; he f a b r ic a te s b e fo re he t e l l s th e t r u th ; he draws a c i r c l e b e fo re he draws a square; he is s e l f i s h b e fo re he is a l t r u i s t i c ; he Is dependent on o th e rs b e fo re he achieves dependence on s e l f. A ll of h is a b i l i t i e s, in c lu d in g h is m orals, a re s u b je c t to laws of growth. The ta s k of c h ild c a re i s n o t to fo rc e him in to a predeterm ined p a tte r n bu t to guide h is grow th. From th ere i t i s n o t d i f f i c u l t to a ssig n a p r e c is e ro le to in fa n c y, th e term b ein g conceived in a much b ro ad e r sense th an u s u a l. 'B io lo g ic a lly s p e a k in g, w rite s (3-esell, the span of human Infancy extends from th e zero hour of b i r t h to th e m iddle tw e n tie s. I t tak es tim e to grow. This pro lo n g ed in fan cy should be co n sid ere d as a g i f t. I t is

24 8. d i r e c t l y lin k e d w ith the p l a s t i c i t y of human n a tu re. This p l a s t i c i t y is in tu rn r e l a te d d i r e c t l y to the f a c t emphasized over and over a g ain : " I t tak es time to grow. 11 I I I. MENTAL GROWTH AND THE MATURATION OP THE NERVOUS SYSTEM We may now tu rn our a t t e n t i o n to the more d e ta ile d a n a ly s is of m ental growth o ffe re d by G e s e ll. I t i s, according to G e se ll, i n the Nervous System,,fw ith i t s p ro d ig io u s c a p a c itie s of growth and learning", that one must look fo r th e "medium" of o rg a n iz a tio n of the c h i l d 's m ental l i f e. The th re e le v e ls o f B e a lity - m ainly the m astery of the v e g e ta tiv e f u n c tio n s, the conquest of the w orld of th in g s, and the a c c u ltu r a tio n to the w orld of p e rso n s, - a re the fundam ental a re as where t h i s development ta k e s p la c e. I f, as G e se ll a ffirm s, the development does not " ta k e p lace on the in s ta llm e n t plan" one is r i g h t in supposing th a t, a lth o u g h f o r a tim e, a l l growth seems to be on the v e g e ta tiv e l e v e l. However, a c lo se s c ru tin y would re v e a l

25 9. t h a t w ith in the o rg a n iz a tio n and p a tte r n in g on th a t le v e l some g a in is e q u a lly achieved on the o th er l e v e ls ; in f a c t, th is o rg a n iz a tio n is d e f i n i t e l y r e l a t e d as a p re p a ra to ry and a l l in c lu s iv e s t a te in r e l a t i o n to the conquest on th e o th e r le v e ls For a g ain and a g ain G e se ll em phasizes the lin k a g e of th e mental grow th w ith th a t of th e Nervous System more m an ifeste d in the o rg a n iz a tio n of th e v e g e ta tiv e fu n ctio n s* The growth of the mind i s pro fo u n d ly and in se p a ra b ly bound up w ith the growth of th e Nervous System. This growth b eg in s rem arkably e a r ly. Five months befo re the baby is born a l l o f the nerve c e l l s he w i l l ever p o ssess have a lre ad y been formed and many of them a re p rep ared to fu n c tio n in an o rd e rly way. At t h i s time the fe tu s makes movements of arms and le g s so v ig o ro u sly th a t the movements can be seen and f e l t th ro u g h the m other1s abdominal w a ll (q u ick e n in g ); th e e y e lid s can wink; the e y e b a lls can r o l l ; the hands can c la s p ; the mouth can open and c lo s e ; the th r o a t can swallow; the c h e s t makes rythm ic movements in p re p a ra tio n f o r ^the event of b i r t h, when the b re a th o f p o s t n a ta l l i f e w ill ru sh in to the lu n g s. A ll c h ild development i s l ik e t h a t ; i t proceeds w ith re fe re n c e to th e f u t u r e. When th e tim e comes the c h ild is norm ally ready fo r what we may expect a t th a t tim e. And he is nev er ready u n t i l the Nervous System i s rea d y. How does th e mind grow? I t grows lik e the Nervous System ; i t grows w ith th e Nervous System. Growth is a p a tte r n in g p ro c e s s. I t produces p a tte rn e d changes i n the nerve c e l l s ; i t produces corresp o n d in g changes in p a tte r n s of b e h a v io r * ^ To u n fo ld such an e v a lu a tio n one must go back to some simple forms of o rg a n iz a tio n and see how they g ra d u a lly

26 10 emerge from an u n d if f e r e n tia te d group of r e a c tio n s. The b a s ic u n i t of such an a n a ly s is is to be found in the beh a v io r p a tte r n sim ply d e fin e d as "a movement or a c tio n which has more or l e s s d e f in ite form." The b lin k in g of an eye, the g rasp in g a t random of an o b je c t, a re b eh av io r p a tte r n s in t h e i r sim p le st form s. These p a tte rn s, of c o u rs e, g ra d u a lly in c re a s e in com plexity as the developm ent of th e nervous system allow s them to do. Slow ly, but in a d e f i n i t e sequence, p a tte r n s are in c o rp o ra te d one to a n o th e r, w ith th e r e s u l t th a t th ey soon form an o rg an ized s t r u c tu r e. A ty p ic a l example of such an o rg a n iz a tio n is to be found in a study of the growth and developm ent o f th e v is u a l and p reh en sio n sy stem s. F i r s t th e v is u a l system : The eyes of a newborn baby a re a p t to rove around b o th in th e p resen ce and absence of a stim u l u s. A fte r s e v e ra l days or even h o u rs, the baby i s a b le to im m obilize the e y e b a lls f o r b r i e f p e rio d s. L a te r, he s ta r e s a t surroundings f o r long p e rio d s. When he i s fo u r weeks o ld we may dangle a r in g (a fo u r in c h re d em broidery r in g a tta c h e d to a s tr in g ) in the l i n e of h is near v is io n : he re g a rd s i t. We move the r in g slow ly acro ss h is f i e l d of v is io n : he f o llo w s i t w ith h is eyes through an a rc of about 90 d e g rees.

27 This means t h a t the nerve c e lls w hich c o n tro l those tw elve tin y oculo-m otor m uscles have rip e n e d and fu rtherm ore have made p a tte rn e d co n n ectio n s w ith the g ro ss e r m uscles which r o t a t e the head. The mind m ust be growing, because b e h av io r is p a t t e r n i n g.13 But v is io n alone is f a r from s u f f i c i e n t to conquer the w orld. Things must be touched, t h e i r im pact must be f e l t, and th e g e o m e tric a l p r o p e r tie s of t h e i r s u rfa c e s must be rec o g n ize d. Movement is an e s s e n t ia l p a rt o f sense p e rc e p tio n. He must move h is hands to m an ip u late; j u s t as he must move h is eyes to in s p e c t. The nerve c e l ls w hich d e te r mine and d i r e c t h is hands in to movements a re lo c a te d i n the s p in a l cord and the b r a i n. 1 m. L et us now combine to g e th e r, as G e se ll does, the v is u a l nd p reh e n sio n mechanisms,: The eyes are s t i l l in the le a d. I t may take th e baby tw enty weeks more b e fo re he can p ick up th a t same p e l l e t w ith h is hand. The hands and f in g e r s come in to t h e i r own l a t e r (when the r e q u i s i t e nerve connections have rip e n e d.) However, th e in fa n t can hold a r a t t l e and look a t i t w hile he Is h o ld in g I t a t the age of 16 weeks. This is a s i g n i f ic a n t m ental grow th a g a in. I t means th a t the hands and eyes a re doing team work, coming in to more e f f e c tiv e c o -o rd in a tio n. M ental grow th cannot b m easured in inches and pounds. So i t is a p p ra ise d by p a t t e r n s. 15 The l a s t sta te m e n t must r e t a i n our a t t e n t i o n ; i t i s r e a l l y the crux of th e m a tte r, sin ce i t r e l a t e s d i r e c t l y

28 1 2. th e growth of th e mind, to th e p a tte r n in g of b e h av io r. There I s, th e n, b u t one ste p f u r t h e r to go: i t i s to conclude as G esell does: "The advance in b eh av io r p a tte r n s l6 i s the measure of m ental m a t u r i t y." However, a n o th er q u e stio n l i e s ahead of us: to what a g e n t, to what cause must such a p a tte r n in g be a ttr ib u te d? A lso, what p a r t do environm ent and e x te rn a l s tim u la tio n play in such a s tr u c tu r a tio n? G esell answ ers th a t the c h ild "comes in to h is in c r e a s in g powers p rim a rily through I n t r i n s i c growth fo rc e s which / change the inm ost a r c h ite c tu r e of h is nervous system. Tiiis is not to deny the r o le of th e environm ent which i s most h e lp fu l to "in su re a fa v o ra b le r e a l i z a t i o n of the in h e re n t p o t e n t i a l i t i e s. " But the r o l e of environm ent is x d e f i n i t e l y not th a t of a g e n e ra to r of "p ro g ressio n s" of developm ent. I t a c ts only as a su p p o rte r and as a m o d ifie r. I t Is w ith in th e organism t h a t one must lo o k, acco rd in g to G e s e ll, f o r the fo rc e s of p ro p u lsio n forw ard.

29 13. Again here we fin d a d e f i n i te i d e n t i f i c a t i o n of the growth of th e mind to th a t of a b io lo g ic a l p ro c e ss: What i s th e organism? I t is l iv i n g, growing p rotoplasm. The mind, so f a r as we can fathom i t by d ir e c t o b se rv a tio n, i s an e x p ressio n of the o rg a n iz a tio n of t h is p ro to p lasm, m an ifested in V is ib le p a tte r n s of b e h a v io r.18 XV. MENTAL GROWTH AND THE WORLD OF THINGS We are now In a p o s itio n to d isc u ss how th e "growing mind" whose o rg a n iz a tio n we have s k e tc h ily d e s c rib e d, must make the f u r th e r ad ju stm en ts to the w orld of th in g s, "the n a tu r a l and man-made w orld of space and tim e." I t i s a f a c t th a t we do not co n sid er enough t h a t the c h ild i s p ro p e lle d in a u n iv e rse which i s a lre a d y p r e f a b r i c a te d fo r him and in to which he has to seek o r ie n ta tio n and und e r s ta n d i n g. To one who may wonder how the v i s ib le w orld looks to a baby, G esell o f f e r s an answer which goes a l i t t l e f u r th e r th an the s o -o fte n quoted p ic tu r e of "big, bloom ing, buzzing / c o n f u s io n."

30 Ik. Much more probably the young baby senses th e v i s i b l e w orld a t f i r s t in f u g itiv e and f lu c tu a tin g b lo tc h e s a g a in s t a n e u tr a l background. Sounds l i k e wise may be heard as shreds of w avering d i s tin c tn e s s a g a in s t a n e u tr a l background of sile n c e or o f c o n tin u ous under tone. ^9 When, then, does th e w orld beg in to become stru c tu re d? Not u n t i l he can c o n fig u re i t w ith exp erien ce g a in ed through h is eyes and hands. I t is obvious th a t a u n iv e rse so p e r ceived is out of th e so c a lle d time b o u n d a rie s; in o th e r words th e re i s no p a s t and no f u t u r e. The com plexity o f the o rg a n iz a tio n of tim e and space w i l l take y e a rs to be acq u ired and w i l l of course be c o rr e la te d to th e n e u ro lo g ic a l grow th. Time ex p erien ce w i l l f i r s t be d isc o n tin u o u s because of the poor m a tu ra tio n of the nervous system. B ut as the growth is achieved on the v e g e ta tiv e le v e l, through i t the b a sic r e l a ti o n s h i p w i l l em erge. I t i s in the m uscular exp e rie n c e s, w ith t h e i r more complex form of a c t i v i t y, th a t the c h ild w ill achiev e the concept of tim e and sp ace. Through c e a se le ss m an ip u latio n of o b je c ts he p e n e tr a te s f u r th e r in to the topography and th e s o lid geom etry of space, - th e r e la tio n s h ip of in and o u t, on and under, in f r o n t o f, behind and b e s id e.

31 15 Through h is t i r e l e s s locom otion, c re e p in g, w alking and ru n n in g, he b u ild s up a sense of here and over th e r e, of near and f a r, of w a ll and c o rn e r, of i n doors and o u td o o rs.21 At th is p o in t we a re in a p o s itio n to u n d e rstan d b e t t e r why G-eeell a tta c h e s so much im portance to the concept of grow th. I t app ears d e f i n i t e l y e s ta b lis h e d fo r him th a t i t is in th e u n fo ld in g of th e m atu ratio n p ro c e sse s th a t one fin d s th e key to a m ental o rg a n iz a tio n w hich, ta k e n.a t an u l t e r i o r moment, seems so complex as to have no r e l a t i o n w hatsoever w ith th e p rec ed in g chaos. The next q u e stio n seems to be: how f a r can one go In assum ing a r e a l r e l a t i o n, and what kind of r e l a t i o n w i l l i t b e, betw een the m atu ratio n and the growth p ro c e sse s and what we c o n sid e r a b s tr a c t th in k in g and the o rd er or le v e l of concepts? This q u e stio n may have p h ilo s o p h ic a l im p lic a tio n s, b u t i t i s s t i l l n e ce ssa ry to fin d where the b i o l o g i s t and the p sy c h o lo g is t sta n d on th a t problem. According to (resell we have here a continuum and i f we a re

32 1 6. allow ed to speak o f moments of developm ent, we a re neverth e le s s not allow ed to speak of q u a n tita tiv e or q u a li t a t iv e b re a k in the grow th o f the mind. From a u n iv e rs e f e l t as " s t i l l and alm ost w ith o u t form and void" to a w orld woven in to a system of I n t r i c a t e r e la tio n s h ip s the mind p ro g re s se s through a c o n sta n t and unbroken path of o rg a n iz a tio n. I t i s a l l th e way through "the same grow th, a m odelling p ro c e ss which produces changes in fo rm." And i t is because of the v a rie ty o f form s, of p a tt e r n s, ran g in g from those c lo s e ly connected w ith the se n so rl-m o to r l e v e l, to th o se c u lm in atin g in to more e la b o ra te and more a b s tr a c t p a tte r n s th a t we have a tendency to see a b re a k in the p ro c e ss of growth. Time, space, number, form, te x tu r e, c o lo r and c a u s a lity, - these a re th e c h ie f elem ents in th e w orld of th in g s in which th e c h ild must f in d hims e l f. We hsve shown th a t he a c q u ire s h is command of th e se elem ents by slow d e g re e s, f i r s t through h is m uscles of m anipulation and locom otion, through eyes, hands and f e e t. In t h is motor e x p erien ce he la y s the fo u n d atio n fo r h is l a t e r Judgments and c o n c e p ts.22 I t i s probably not n e ce ssa ry h ere to look f o r more

33 17. th a n G e se ll a ffirm s ; he i s obviously n o t p reo ccu p ied here w ith a p h ilo s o p h ic a l e x p la n a tio n of the n a tu re of th e mind, b u t i s r a t h e r engi osaed i n what one could c a l l th e anatomy of the p ro c e sse s which enable the mind to fu n c tio n. F unctions do no t o p e ra te in v a c u o, and our com prehension o f c h ild b eh av io r must b egin wxth a f a c t u a l knowledge of i t s conform ation and p a tt e r n s. Viewed as a growing complex of a c tio n p a tt e r n s, th e mind has a developm ental anatomy. The mind has a r c h i t e c t u r e.23 The p h ilo so p h e r may a sk, why s to p th ere? The rea so n i s sim p le; the in q u iry was n o t se t to prove or d isp ro v e a th e o ry, b u t r a t h e r to gain an in s ig h t in th e developm ent of th e c h i l d s fu n c tio n s. Once i t i s done, the ta s k is com pleted. V. THE GROWTH OF PERSONALITY The mind is a growing m yriad of r e a c tio n p a tte r n s w hich m irro r the p h y s ic a l w orld in which the c h ild is re a r e d. I t grows no t u n lik e a p l a n t. But the mind is a ls o a p e rso n, and as such I t m irro rs the r e a c tio n oatterns of a w orld of p e r s o n s.2**' With th ese words from G e se ll we p a ss from the w orld of th in g s to th e w orld of p e rs o n s. For as we w rote b e fo re,

34 1 8. although growth is a u n ita ry p ro c e s s, to u n d erstan d so complex a pro cess we have to c o n sid e r s e p a ra te ly the v a rio u s areas of i t s development* A r e a l b e n e f i t, of co u rse, i s to be gain ed from such a v is io n : t h a t, m ainly, of i t s m anifold ex ten sio n, and i t s o v e ra ll u n ity. However our stu d y s t a r t s from the same fundam ental u n i t: a growing organism w ith a nervous system so c o n s tr u c t ed th a t i t r e a c ts in a p a tte rn e d and p a tte r n in g manner to the w orld of th in g s." The d iffe r e n c e here i s sim ply one of term s. Whereas we spoke b e fo re of a growing mind, we w i l l speak here of a growing p e r s o n a lity. In G-esellf s own words: His mind (th e c h i l d 1s) i s an i n t r i c a t e bundle o f b eh av io r p a tte rn s and b eh av io r p o t e n t i a l i t i e s. His p e rs o n a lity i s the sa m e-se lf bundle as i t fu n c tio n s in a c u l t u r e. 25 C onsequently p e rs o n a lity t... is su b je c t to the v ery mechanisms and th e laws which govern the grow th o f p e rc e p tio n and i n t e l l i gence *26 And f u r t h e r : In sk e tch in g how the mind grows, we have a lre a d y

35 19. In d ic a te d how th e p e r s o n a lity d e v elo p s. The c h ild develops as a w hole. What we c a l l h is p e r s o n a lity i s an e v e r-o rg a n iz in g web of b ehavior p a tt e r n s, p a r t i c u l a r l y of p e r s o n a l- s o c ia l b e h a v io r. These p a tte r n s c o n s titu te and sum up a l l h is r e a c tio n s to the c u ltu r e w hich re a re d him. They are n e ith e r more o r le s s m y sterio u s th an h is se n so ri-m o to r p a tte r n s o f p o s tu re, locom otion and m a n ip u la tio n. They have th e same geom etry of growth w hich determ ines the developm ental sequences o f v e r t i c a l, h o r iz o n ta l and o b liq u e. P e rs o n a lity is bu t an a b s tr a c tio n, u n le ss we agree t h a t i t is c o n s titu te d o f genuine p a tte r n s o f b e h av io r, w hich grow and have b ein g in the sense t h a t cube beh a v io r grows and makes I t s e l f m a n ife st In la w fu l towers and b r id g e s. P e r s o n a lity i s not a fo rc e behind the scenes which o p e ra te s a p u p p et. I t is th e whole puppet show, - p la y e r, s ta g e, audience, a c ts and sc e n e s. I t sums up, as we have ju s t n o ted, a l l th e im pact o f c u ltu re upon th e growing organism, and since the p e r s o n a lity i s a t once a product and In stru m en t of grow th th e in f a n t foreshadow s the c h ild ; th e c h ild the youth; the youth the man.27 Thus i t would appear ag ain t h a t growth i s s t i l l and always the key f a c to r and u ltim a te e x p la n a tio n of th e whole, the d iff e re n c e being in t h a t : w h ile a t f i r s t (we w i l l q u a lif y l a t e r th a t sta te m e n t, f o r growth Is w orking on a l l fro n ts a t once) th e organism was tr y in g to overcome and gradua l l y extend h is dom ination in a w orld o f o b je c ts, i t i s now s tru g g lin g to b u ild up an independent s e l f in the m idst of what G e se ll c a l l s a c u lt u r e. I n f a c t i t i s i n re fe re n c e to c u ltu r e t h a t th e term p e r s o n a lity a c q u ire s m eaning. But

36 20. what i s c u ltu re f o r Dr. (resell? P sy c h o lo g ic a lly speaking, c u ltu re I s a ls o an o rg an ized body of b e h av io r p a tte r n s b u i l t up through g e n e ra tio n s of group ex p erien ce and m ediated by f o lk ways. 28 At t h is p o in t Q-esell f e e l s th a t he is now in a p o s itio n to o f f e r an i n s ig h t and perhaps a new s o lu tio n to the everl a s t i n g problem of organism v e rsu s environm ent. Two e n t i t i e s fa c e each o th e r: on the one s id e, a growing organism in se arc h of I t s e l f ; on th e o th e r hand, an a lre a d y p r e f a b r ic a te d c u l tu r e in to which i t must a d ju s t I t s e l f. Although fo r th e moment we are no t p a r t i c u l a r l y p reo ccu p ied w ith a c r i t i c a l e v a lu a tio n of th e o rg a n iz a tio n and c o n te n t of th e se c u lt u r a l p a t t e r n s, we cannot escape th e f a c t th a t w ith a c u ltu r e so s t r u c tu r a te d we have a du al e f f e c t - a c tiv e and p a s s iv e - on th e grow th of th e c h ild. I t I s a c tiv e because f,th e o rg an ized body of b eh av io r p a tt e r n s b u i l t up through g e n e r a tio n s 1 w i l l g ra d u a lly surround th e c h ild as a s p i d e r ^ web, prom oting and e l i c i t i n g p a tte r n s

37 2 1. of b ehavior from the new organism s. These p a tte r n s w i l l develop as the c h ild le a r n s to su rv iv e in such an i n t r i c a t e and complex web of e f f e c t s. But i f p e r s o n a lity i s, in the words of G e s e ll, to be reco g n ized as a growing t is s u e which b o th y ie ld s and r e s i s t s ", i t is e q u a lly obvious t h a t p e rs o n a lity grow th w i l l not be a one-way p ro c e s s. The a c tiv e asp ec t o f c u l tu re w ill have i t s c o u n te rp a rt in the a c tio n of th e organism upon c u ltu r e, w ith the r e s u l t th a t in t h i s case changes w i l l occur in th e p a tte r n s of c u ltu r e, due to p a r t i a l o r complete r e s i s t a n c e on the p a r t of th e organism. In doing so the in f a n t sw itches the r o le and becomes a c tiv e in h is tu rn. The in f a n t c o n trib u te s h is m ite to t h is v a s t c u lt u r a l complex, because he becomes a fo c a l p o in t f o r the im pacts of c u lt u r e. As a youth, and an a d u lt, he b o th c o n tin u e s and m o d ifies th e t r a d i t i o n. The t r a d i t i o n is tra n s m itte d by the p rocess of s o c ia l in h e r ita n c e, which i s only f i g u r a t i v e l y comparable to the r a c i a l In h e rita n c e th a t endows the c h ild w ith a nervous sy stem.30 In such a p e rs p e c tiv e a q u e stio n becomes o f prime im p o rtance: when and how does th e p e rso n a l l i f e of the I n fa n t begin?

38 2 2. G esell Is very much aware of th e Im portance of t h a t q u e s tio n. But th e answer i s not sim p le. I f we r e c a l l the p rev io u s d e s c rip tio n of the w orld o f th in g s as seen and understood by the c h ild we r e a l i z e th a t p e r s o n a lity cannot be d e fin e d sim ply in term s of nd e rm a to lo g ica l envelope. As a m a tte r of f a c t i t i s because o f h is d if f u s e s e n s i t i v i t y th a t the c h ild rem ains immersed in a cosmos from which he cannot a t f i r s t d i f f e r e n t i a t e h im s e lf. The f i r s t ste p forw ard w i l l be found a g ain i n th e development of the c en t r a l nervous sys t era. I t tak es tim e, i t ta k e s com plicated developm ents o f the c e n t r a l nervous system, i t tak es th e d is ta n c e senses of s ig h t and h e arin g to disengage him (th e c h ild ) from th e c o n te x ts to which he i s so c lo s e ly u n i t e d.31 I f one th e re fo re w ants to speak of th e psychology of the newborn baby, i t is p r im a rily in an u n d e rstan d in g o f the v e g e ta tiv e fo rc e s a t work th a t an answer must b e. The psychology of the s e l f of a newborn baby must be la r g e ly co n fin ed to the mass of sensory im pressions and fe e lin g s w hich a r is e from h is lu n g s, h is g a s t r o - i n t e s t i n a l t r a c t (many f e e t in le n g th ), h is b o d ily movements, and h is enveloping sk in w hich

39 23 u s u a lly f i t s him quit n e a tly. The t o t a l a re a of t h i s o u te r sk in and the y e t v a s te r mucous membranes o r in n e r sk in is v e ry e x te n siv e in d eed. His a i r h u ngers, h is food hungers, h is a p p re c ia tio n of warmth, c o ld, b o d ily d isc o m fo rt, and of snugness c o n s titu te th e core of h is psyche. Here i s the n u c le u s, so to speak, of a p e rs o n a l s e l f w hich grows and e la b o ra te s w ith g re a t r a p i d i ty during th e f i r s t f iv e y e ars o f l i f e. T ransposed in to o th e r w o rd s: i n the beginning th e c h ild is a l l u n i v e r s a l it y, o r a l l egow. He is n o t one i n r e l a t i o n to o th e r s. For such a r e l a ti o n s h i p to develop, many months w i l l have to p a s s. H is p e rc e p tio n of p h y s ic a l shapes o f p ersons as w e ll as of h im s e lf, w i l l p ro g re ss from g e n e ric to s p e c i f i c, from mass to p a r t s, g ra d u a lly in te g r a te d in a c o n s is te n t w hole. Development is always a p ro ce ss of p ro g re s s iv e d i f f e r e n t i a t i o n. As the i n f a n t m atures, h is d i s cernment of o th e r persons becomes in c re a s in g ly p a r t i c u l a r i z e d. At the same tim e he le a rn s to i n t e r p r e t the meaning of th e nodding fa c e, of the beaming eyes, th e sm ilin g mouth, th e approaching hands, th e g lis te n i n g b o t t l e, the cup, the spoon, th e b ib, th e b o n n e t. Somehow o r o th e r the e x p e rience o f th e s e m eanings, through th e alchemy of grow th, becomes o rg an ized in to a complex of em otional r e a c tio n s, which a t l a s t is s u f f i c i e n t l y e la b o ra te to be c a lle d a sense of a n o th e r s e l f.33 T ru ly, th en, the v is io n o f th e in f a n t f i r s t, th en th e c h ild, i s not too much d i f f e r e n t from the d isc o v ery one makes o f th e w orld a t daybreak. F i r s t th e s e l f sheds th e f r r q

40 214- fo ld s of darkness by w hich he was one w ith the o th e r m asses in th e shroud of the n ig h t. Then th e slow r i s i n g and in d i r e c t lig h t i n g of th e sun g ra d u a lly make th e shapes o f th in g s emerge f i r s t as group, th en as d e lin e a te d f ig u r e s sta n d in g more and more a p a rt on a sc re e n of l i g h t ; up to the moment when the s e l f stan d s am idst a l l th in g s in r e l a t i o n to them* VI. M3NTAL GROWTH AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT The p ro cess o f growth in term s of a c c u ltu r a tio n which we have exposed is n o t to be c o n sid ere d however w ith o u t i t s concom itant developm ent, m ainly t h a t of em otions. Since the famous a n a ly s is made by Watson of the b a sic em otions of the in f a n t and c h ild, much has been w r itte n to su p p o rt or d i s c r e d i t th e th e o ry. G e se ll does n o t seem to be o v e rly p reo ccu p ied w ith the problem. He n e a tly in te g r a te s em otions w ith in th e framework of h is key co n ce p t. To be sure th e p e r s o n a lity r e a c tio n s are c o lo re d by em otions, by f e e lin g s of p le a s u re and p a in, by

41 by seekings and avoidances; b u t a l l t h i s em otional l i f e i s o rg an iz ed and r e l a t e d to p a tte r n s of resp o n se. 25. Emotions a re no t f r e e - la n c e q u a l i t i e s which a tt a c h them selves to b eh av io r p a tte r n s ; they a re p a r t and p a r c e ls of th e p a tt e r n s. Emotions grow and m ature in th e same sense th a t p e rc e p tio n s, Judgments and concepts grow and m a tu r e.n3^ Obviously Q-esell i s so b e n t upon th e f i t t i n g of h is key concept to a l l th e p o s s i b i l i t i e s of development th a t he does not fin d much valu e in a s c r u tin y of the fo u n d atio n s I o f em otional p ro c e s s e s, much beyond the b e h a v io r is tic approach. In th e l i g h t of o th e r th e o r ie s we can n o t, however, h e lp w ondering I f he does n o t o v e rsim p lify the q u e stio n. > While what he says i s tr u e, and a ls o w hile one may be J u s t i f i e d In c o n sid e rin g the em otions from a p u re ly developm ental approach, we cannot h e lp th in k in g th a t the whole problem i s no t solv ed. I f i t i s e q u a lly tr u e th a t in re fe re n c e to th e v e g e ta tiv e o p e ra tio n s, and as long as th e s e l f has not emerged In o p p o sitio n to o th e rs i t seems d i f f i c u l t f o r th e onlooker to make p r e c is e the v alu e of em otions much beyond t h e i r outw ard p h y s io lo g ic a l components; to v i s u a li z e t h e i r e v o lu tio n only in th o se o r ig in a l term s

42 2 6. Is perhaps f a l l i n g s h o rt of the g o a l. For as we n o tic e th a t the p ro ce ss of grow th, w ith th e m ultiform e x e rc is e s w hich promote i t, goes f a r beyond th e o rder of se n so ri-m o to r com prehension, and as a m atter of f a c t extends in to a co n ce p tu a l p reh e n sio n of th e u n iv e rs e. We may e q u ally acknowledge t h a t out of th e common m atrix come r e a l i z a t i o n s on th e em otional p lan e which tra n sc e n d th e l im i ta t io n s of se n so ri-m o to r e x e rc is e s. We do no t h e re In te n d to deny th e s o -o fte n quoted b a s is of e x p e riences on the sensory l e v e l. G esell d e s c rib e s J u s tly t h e i r im p o rta n c e : These sensory e x p e rie n c e s, - v is u a l, t a c t i l e, w et, dry, s t i l l, moving, sto p -g o, palm ar, touching and b ein g touched, p ro v id e him w ith a medley of d a ta. By g rad u a l d eg rees he comes to r e a l i z e th a t he has a hand which f e e l s when i t c o n ta c ts (a c tiv e to u c h ), which f e e ls when i t moves (sense of m otion, or k in e s t h e t i c sense m ediated by sensory and organs in m uscles, j o i n t s and te n d o n s). His c e a s e le s s m an ip u latio n, th e r e f o re, a c q u a in ts him not only w ith th e p s y s ic a l u n iv e rs e and th e p h y s ic a l p resen ce of o th er p e rso n s, b u t w ith th e p h y s ic a l p resen ce of h im s e lf.' 35 We sim ply do not want, to lea v e a sid e th e more complex forms of em otional p a tte r n s such as those which extend In to th e f e e lin g s of s e c u r ity, achievem ent and o th e rs. Again th a t