Review of The problem child at home: A study in parent-child relationships

Abstract

Reviews the book, The problem child at home: A study in parent-child relationships by Mary Buell Sayles (1928). This book deals with the interpretation of data taken from clinical records of some two hundred cases during a five-year period. It also presents twelve illustrative cases of problem children and, briefly, the treatment of these cases. The author believes that the case materials presented are representative, but admits, however, that one cannot be certain that these cases are fair samples. Overall the plan of this text is noted to be good by the reviewer. The author has wisely refrained from attempting to present the methods of treatment of the cases and other data which may have been gathered during the interviews and examinations. While the reviewer does not always agree in the use of terminology, particularly in the description of the "emotional needs" of childhood and the resulting maladjustments which follow when a failure to meet these needs occurs, the author has done well to emphasize some of the observable emotional tendencies which seem almost always tied up in some form or other with the problem child. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)