Mike Palij writes about Alice Miller: >It seems that a general thesis that Miller is asserting is that >"adult problems have their roots in childhood experience" and >one doesn't have to be Freudian to have such a view >(though that is Miller's chosen theory).
Leaving aside that, once she had set out on her series of books for which she gained fame, Miller no longer regarded herself as a Freudian, the whole basis of her books is that she goes beyond the *general* notion that adult problems have their roots in childhood experience, to espouse a very *specific* contention, as expressed by Beth Benoit when she wrote of "Miller's unflagging contention that childhood physical abuse (the description of which she paints with a pretty broad brush) causes violence and problems in society and within a person." I would add that Miller argues for this being the *exclusive* cause of violence and problems in society and within the person, and it is on this very exclusivity that her fame is based. Allen Esterson Former lecturer, Science Department Southwark College, London [email protected] http://www.esterson.org ---------------------------------------------------------- From: Mike Palij <[email protected]> Subject: Re: Raising Hitler to be "a nice person" Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2010 10:41:51 -0400 On Sun, 29 Aug 2010 01:27:36 -0700, […] >I can't comment generally on her historical research, but on the >seduction theory episode she gets just about everything wrong. In >regard to her therapeutic approach, her contention is that virtually >all the evils that beset humankind, outside of events in the natural >world (for want of a better expression), are the result of the >experiencing of physical and emotional abuse in childhood. Her >methodology is such that she always, apparently without exception, >finds this to be the case, both with individual patients and in the >case of historical figures. To cite just one example, in *Banished >Knowledge* she writes that one specific case "confirmed something >I have long suspected: A child's autism is a response to his environment, >the last possible response open to a child." Well, her "explanation" aside, the larger issue is what to make of early childhood experience and to what extent do they have lifelong effects. It seems that a general thesis that Miller is asserting is that "adult problems have their roots in childhood experience" and one doesn't have to be Freudian to have such a view (though that is Miller's chosen theory). Regardless of theoretical framework, there is the question of what is the effect of early childhood abuse (i.e., physical, sexual, emotional), "normal punishment" by parents who believe in the power of corporal punishment, and childrearing practices that are "stern" or "authoritarian". Given what Lovaas originally said about his ability to change a 4-5 year old, here is what Miller had to say (quoting from Miller's YMHA presentation): |At that time I quoted in For Your Own Good at length the |pedagogical advice given to parents in Germany a century ago, |and detailed what I believed to be a connection between the |systematic cruelty of these methods and the systematic cruelty |of Hitler's executioners forty years later. The numerous and |widely-read tracts by Dr. Daniel Gottlieb Schreber, the inventor |of the Schreberg?rten (the German word for "small allotments"), |are of major interest here. Some of his books ran to as many as |forty editions around the year 1860, and their central concern |was to instruct parents in the systematic upbringing of infants |from the very first day of life. Many people—motivated by what |they thought to be the best of intentions—complied with the |advice given them by Schreber and other authors about how |best to raise their children. Today we would call it a systematic |instruction in child persecution and maltreatment. One of Schreber's |convictions was that when babies cry they should be made to |desist by the use of spanking, assuring his readers that "such a |procedure is only necessary once, or at the most twice, and |then one is master of the child for all time. From then on, one |look, one single gesture will suffice." Above all, these books |counseled that the newborn child should be forced from the |very first day to obey and to refrain from crying. | |We all know—or, today, we should all know—that physical |punishment only produces obedient children but cannot prevent |them from becoming violent or sick adults precisely because of |this treatment. This knowledge is now scientifically proven and |was finally officially accepted by the American Academy of |Pediatrics in 1998. Contrary to common opinion prevalent as |recently as fifteen years ago, the human brain at birth is far from |being fully developed. It is use-dependent, needing loving |stimulation for the child from her first day on. The abilities a |person's brain can develop depend on experiences in the first |three years of life. A contrary perspective, called the "indeterminist thesis" by some, is summarized in the following quote from the PsycCritiques book review by John Bruer of Clarke and Clarke's book: |A Path Not Taken |A Review of |Early Experience and the Life Path |by Ann M. Clarke and Alan D. B. Clarke |London: Jessica Kingsley, 2000. 127 pp. ISBN 1-85302-858-4. $19.95 |paperback |doi: 10.1037/001116 |Reviewed by John T. Bruer | |“Whether or not a child becomes a toxic or nontoxic member of |society is largely determined by what happens to the child in terms |of his experiences with his parents and primary caregivers in those |first three years” (Barton, 1998). This statement, made by the actor |Rob Reiner to county government officials in 1998 promoting his |I Am Your Child campaign, is a strong formulation of the thesis of |infant determinism. Infant determinism is the doctrine that early |childhood experiences have irreversible, lifelong effects. A child's |first steps on the path of life determine the child's final destination. |Judging from policy discussions, media coverage, and conversations |with parents, infant determinism is extremely popular. | |“The effects of early experiences, important at the time, will only be |prolonged if similar experiences follow” (p. 22). This quote is Ann |and Allen Clarkes' thesis in Early Experience and the Life Path. |Their statement captures a view of child development that emphasizes |long-term complexity and indeterminism. The first steps on life's path |are important, but still leave many routes open to diverse outcomes. |This indeterminist thesis is relatively unpopular in policy, parenting, |and even some academic circles. The rest of Bruer's review can be accessed through PsycCritiques. Bruer has been an advocate for the indeterminist thesis for some time. -Mike Palij New York University [email protected] Attached Message From: Beth Benoit <[email protected]> Subject: Alice Miller (was "Raising Hitler to be a 'nice person' ") Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2010 11:27:35 -0400 Some may be surprised to find that Alice Miller died in April of this year. Her website (alice-miller.com) is still up, and makes no mention, that I could find, of her death. There is a great deal of information in the website about Miller's unflagging contention that childhood physical abuse (the description of which she paints with a pretty broad brush) causes violence and problems in society and within a person. It occurs to me that her singlemindedness may be in the same school as The Courage to Heal by Ellen Bass and Laura Davis, which (now in its 3rd edition, I see) has been accused of fomenting false memories about sexual abuse. Beth Benoit Granite State College Plymouth State University New Hampshire --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=4510 or send a blank email to leave-4510-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
