Exploring the child's world; The lonely boy

The child is father to the man as we hope for a world of men of good will. We must look to the conditions of the child's world to achieve it. So we search for the laws ways and means the sources of the capable spontaneously whole adult. It is not strange that the world of the disturbed child throws light on childhood in general. Although Father Francis Duffy chairman of the Department of Sociology at Duquesne University was not at first looking for this light when he started working with the disturbed child. He found however that it is not that the disturbed a delinquent child is completely removed from society. Rather that his position is more extreme and so its obviousness offers us a sharper clearer insight into the world of children to share the fruit of his research funded duffing into Cain University presents a series of recorded interviews with delinquent children followed by a short discussion in which the child and his problems are explored for insight. Here is Father Duffy to preview the problems of this child who speaks in exploring the

child's world. Father Duffy. The next interview concerns Henery a 16 year old white Presbyterian boy who is a recent convert to Presbyterian ism from Catholicism. In school he has for years retarded in what we call his age grade placement and that means that if he should be in the tenth grade he is only in the sixth as a baby. Henry was abandoned. He is a foundling therefore he was adopted and his adopting parents were killed in a motor car crash in one thousand nine hundred fifty seven. Since that time he has passed from one foster home to another and he has been in a series of institutions and schools of various kinds in various denominations. He's a very unattractive child. He also suffers from claustrophobia. He was given a task in reading and he can read quite well. He also is

able to write but as you will hear him say you can't read his writing. He has many real fears and a variety of them. Also he has premonitions of failure and tragedy. He has a very poor self image. He is marked with feelings of inadequacy. At one point he admits that he couldn't even be a successful delinquent. Unfortunately for him he has no relatives to support or reinforce him. He is an example of a boy with a tremendous unsatisfied needs social psychological emotional moral and yet like so many people with these tremendous unsatisfied needs he tends to repel people. His IQ is 95 to 97 range and therefore he has a limited potentialities. And there is of course little hope for improvement in this area. The psychiatrist who examined him on a

whole variety of occasions regards him as an immature dependent frustrated child withdrawn and preoccupied with himself. You could identify him on the basis of this description from the psychiatrist. The boy is a good illustration of a person who was over inhibited he fears that other people are going to harm him. And yet when he's pressed he admits that he also fears that he's going to harm or even kill them. Though he doesn't want to do this he has never had any friends. No one ever loved him. He has had to depend on tranquilizers to calm him down. He has wide emotional swings from elation to depression and after listening to him for a few minutes you'll feel depressed to hear that is Henry a runaway boy without destination. He's mixed up lonely friendless depressed dissatisfied and unhappy. Your name is Billy how old are you. Sixteen. Grey we in school. I was there the night of the industrial school and I was

sent to the training school I went to the fifth That is seven back to six. Do you have a mother and father are fine. Who knew my mother would adopt these people adopt immediately. They would kill a lot of work and I want to foster parents. They took the ones you never knew your real mother of five. I was adopted by these people named Oaks. They brought me up and they both died and these other people took me and I came out of the training school. What happened is that they sent you to train school when I was in this other place like a military school for boys there. I went to this other Industrial Home for Boys to Catholic. I asked to go there and they brought me down here. The judge said we do training school after that I said What had you done anything to be said to know so I had no other place to go. It was a schooling there at the Industrial Home too difficult for you know

it was for the supervisors when kept trying to make you something you couldn't be there to try to make everything to to perfect. Tough for everybody who's used to get the dickens for everything that happened when he was taken. Things were taken. I always got the blame but I never did it this one time it took the keys to one of the UKs as of yet it took the keys to this woman's car kept blaming me and blaming me. I would take the keys to kids lockers and get me in trouble. Do you ever have any real friends. Anybody ever had any real friends of mine. You never really had any friends. What about these people adopt to you they must have been pretty nice people. They're all right and you always drain away around the saloons trying to take care of and trying to make sure it was all right. You're going to have to. What about the lady who stayed home to her house and she died at 7. Both of them were killed in that they were

nice to you other than the drinking bouts. Yes and they had no children other than you. Yes so they had other kids but I never knew them. I went to grab a public school Catholic school public school again and at the Industrial Home I went to public high school. The training school was public and when you live with your doctor parents you might have had some friends at a time. You know shit everybody would try to make friends with it always want to do something to play drop them. You felt that they didn't like you and would like me if I would go along and do what they wanted to do. So really you don't have any friends at any time you get depressed at the detainees for that's all I ever wish you were depressed all the time when you're in the training school. Well when this happened or you felt this way for so long a period did they have a doctor look at you talking

about what was wrong. To find out things and get some help and understanding why you feel the way you do you always ask. I told him that once in a while you know I was with people I often feel like everything was going to be closing and it was going to be sitting there and somebody was going to just come up to me and I wouldn't be able to do anything about it. And did anybody ever whack you and especially a couple kids tried it on me. People somehow don't want to give me a chance to show what I can do about what is was said you want to show them that you can do good we're going to find that stuff. I wrote this letter to the judge and some kid we wrote it for me. Can you write pretty well. You know so I can write but you can barely read it.

What do you think the people teach you made fun of you especially at the military school. I don't try to get myself to not a military. Why would you do that. Told my supervisor you know you know that I couldn't do the military term and try and throw me out so I would miss at the platoon on commitment. But explain to him why it was in the platoon wanted to keep me in it myself though not sort of between win lose on economy we still lost. You don't want that to fail and take other people down with you. That's why the way I've always been someone is going to lose an economy I don't want to I just I want to try to get it you know. So if they lose on account of you then you fear you might lose a friend. Exactly. And again lawyer enemies they say because they always say

it's my fault they lost. But in this instance you say that you had yourself thrown out and the platoon lost anyhow. What what do you think that means because they didn't have enough points to win. You find that you don't think very highly of yourself big and white why would that be. Never been able to do what you think anybody that was any good. You know having relatives that you know and you think that your mother and dad are dead I really don't look at the training school they have a little card with what is supposed to be my mother and father's name is supposed to be. Masih judge might have a record of the adoption up to now then life has been pretty sad for you. Yes. And does it look any bride a brighter now

for the future. I was thinking if I could have a chance to have the army could you drive a truck if you want to be on a dry Can you drive a car you can drive or go to know a clock in reverse is if I can have them three were marked marked where at night I can drive anything that I know if I was going on a highway at regular speed some places 50 miles and I shifted gears get them into park or reverse. Done for that that would kind of jam the workshop if we rode a transmission. They say Have you ever actually driven a car. Oh sure. Is there anything you think that at least try me out. Well it depends you see you're only 16 now and the army doesn't take people out young man. And another thing you're never in any serious trouble way that I could think of that I have been known to be a good deal when I see these kids go out these illegal or I could it would be you would

want to believe this. They get outside or go to a cotton farm or something that I would be better than this. Did you ever run away Henry from the home. Trace from your own home. No from these people's home. We've done Steubenville Ohio the first time in New York the second. What happened then. The picked up brought back and I was done there that people were pretty nice. First time I got picked up by a cop. 4:30 in the morning he took me to a police station for two pretty nice donations to them don't know your I would over to York. When I went into a shop and asked how to get away from you as to friends who were cops they got me something he took me to juvenile home. The people there were nice and quiet. The next day to supervise it brought me back a bit safer. Was this before your adoptive parents

were killed or died. 1057 I ran away this year. Other people took me in it of on a kind of a phone and I think otherwise but it would be if I tried to do what they told me it would be they could just get in agony all the time. Ose ho Naginata what you did always ho. Nothing you did was right. I just picked up and took off. Was about big things that she hollered at you all time or was it little ones know exactly everything you just wouldn't shut up. Did you ever think of doing anything about that. Don't like Canada but I thought of going to trouble to get it. Probably why clean chicken coop. You want to know all the time. But try to do it. The big dog a headache is chasing the chicken that we get going in a chicken coop trying to chase a dog that chicken is going to get some. I went up in the tree and all that good a

couple killed him. She got all over me it was a grub strewn all over the property and to go clean up. I would just try to when I tried to do it the right way it wasn't right to her you see her as being a free demanding of you much more than she ever encouraged you say thank you. At least would not encourage you to develop any friends during the time you stay with those people those are my adult friends if you have any friends now. Well let me ask you this. Were you ever afraid that you're going to die. It's one thing I'm not afraid of. What are you afraid of people. The kids you know coming over to me slapping me. Not able to do

anything about it. You know the one kid might hit me. Not me not me senseless. Kill me. Ever afraid you'll hurt them to vote that way to any school. Lost my temper and so many kids I swung back in where I have been trying to through. I'm going to try to hurt this one kid he tried to swing at me so I swung back my head and swung straight could've killed him but instead I swung up over him over his head so I wouldn't hurt him because I know that I haven't hit anybody and I was made to kill a person. Even you hope you're not going to temper gets so much that it could just kill somebody what to do but just keep pestering me. So really I'm feeling that at times he you don't have can complete control of yourself all the way to part the part of you wants to hurt and part of you is afraid that you will

hurt somebody and you're afraid of the dark area. Are you free dead people. Sure that's one thing I like to graveyards. I could sit down and talk with radio people you can do it you know himself and so on so much don't understand what's going on in the bed people in the ones in a graveyard. What are some of the things that you might say to them to feel happy today telling them that the jokes are heard and to these people ever laugh. Do they ever say anything that you feel that you feel that they kind of enjoy the joke you tell them. Maybe they try to tell you one to give you a day or so when I feel something behind me I turned around and she goes somebody stand by. Great stuff. You can't quite make out what this is you know who it is. Most of the company to have something there.

So why you don't have any living friends you do have some deadlines but you don't exactly know who they are. I did hear when I was at 20 school if there were people called Mr. and Mrs. Gray as it took me all of like the Bible to get see when I started to hear this I lost all my fears. But all my life. Jesus Christ saves. Well really you couldn't have done much better than that just by going to a place that small. You have a fear about that including elevators It has been a few but I don't want to date make you could tighten up in some of the working on these highways. Cars come speeding down big trucks to come so close to the bottom. Well did you ever find that you wished that one of them would pick you up some time when I was living out with the people that you did.

Feelin like having a truck or a car I know you kill you when I was free you know where from then I felt happy. What about the area of the thatch and did anybody ever kiss you good did you ever kiss anybody that you know it's not the body of a kid that never hit anybody in my life. Well if nobody loves a boy it's pretty hard to love anybody back. You know how many samples of loving and being loved to copy the people it let you live with that they seem to love each other as well. It is difficult for a boy to see how love works if the people he lives with don't love each other. Of course if they don't love him those tickets for it. But about the only good going out trying to get it to get enough money to get a white good marriage I'm thinking of the army to get in there. I could learn something. It would

also be it. Maybe you could find a wife. And what would you do if you had a wife. What would I do. BE SO DAMN HAPPY. My feet would be lost if I had somebody to love. Do you think it would you feel that you're so afraid because you don't have anybody to love you. Then suppose you found a girl and suppose she did agree to marry you. What if she started and then you passed you like that other woman did those kids then what would happen if there were problems out of it. Couldn't you find some other way. Yeah but you see yourself I think that you didn't try to work things out with the man and the wife and children you live with. Couldn't know you mind once I was sitting down watching it but it became a bit with a broom start

if you were going to get out of the oil is likely to go. Apparently good but it is one time you know to get your liver so scared or have a cigarette. But it's OK because I was nervous work only done it but the kids see me smoke all I was allowed to smoke a little bit of I got in trouble but it made me smoke a couple of packs of cigarettes right after you have a glass of whiskey three that you force me to get it. I do eventually maybe break probation. I think that since I broke probation and the only one that had a run away to be forced to do things like that and during this time that you were talking about that were you taking any kind of medicine that calm you down. Those are just a way as you know I was father to train his police to give me medicine the big

shake if nervous shake I see in the training school used my legs shake his we pressed down a lot and they couldn't stop and shake it so those who skip it well sometimes will find it. Being nervous and scared of pretty close relatives or connect with each other. Most all of these two can be related to anger. It will but it will back up. And now joining from Gadhafi to discuss the features of those times where road is his guest Professor Chester a jersey back of the Sociology Department and you came university here our father Duffy And Professor Jerzy back. Once again we have back with us Professor George Packer was going to help and the analysis of this particular case of Henry a 16 year old white

boy who had a very checkered bad career. The boy has been adopted and the adopting parents died he was then released to foster parents has been also in a variety of institutions. He strikes me as being a boy who is totally self-centered. He also probably indicates a feeling that he's been totally abandoned. He's not too unintelligent He's a clever boy but he's over concentrated preoccupied with himself and his own feelings his own aspirations and what has happened to him and what he hopes will happen. He has a fear of being hurt. And also he feels that he doesn't want to hurt other people but he is also afraid that someday he might do so. He is an example of a child who was adopted and instead of the adopting parents spoiling him which is very often the case these have again equivalently abandoned him. I'd like to ask you Professor Jerzy What impression did this boy make on you. It's certainly a very depressing one it seems.

Yes in the case of Henry 16 years old who was adopted and later has foster parents he seems to be a case of emotional instability and full of mental conflicts. You will notice that he's speaks of the fact that he goes to the cemetery and tells jokes to the dead people and they laugh at some of these jokes. He feels so completely isolated from other human beings that he doesn't feel that you can participate with them he can interact with them as such so that again we see a very typical case of what we would regard as emotional instability and his treatment by the in the various institutions and by various individuals that he's been away and where it has not helped his situation. In fact he speaks of

punishment. Being caught smoking he was forced to drink a whole glass of whiskey you again see a very strange method of punishment I think once before we saw some rather strange methods of punishment. I thought that we might swing However in a different direction. And talk about the treatment that this boy has undergone. First the institutional treatment. And secondly the probation type of treatment that he's been on. So it seems to me that while he's gone through a variety of treatments he's gone to the military school Industrial Home Training School he's gone to public schools Catholic schools he's been on probation. As such it seems that either he was unprepared for the case

or these things did not fit his needs. Furthermore he doesn't seem to understand what his role is to be in these places or in these homes. On the other hand they do not seem to understand him. So I thought that maybe we could dwell for a moment on treatment placement suggested remedies. Since I think we have dwelt too much on this series I wonder what your impressions are in the way he was treated or the way he reacted the way he was understood or who did not understand himself being placed in these situations. Well originally the boy was I think I think abandoned by his parents. At least they released him for adoption and this means again when we now see a follow up of what happens to a child who was adopted in these circumstances it makes is a press on I think more for the concept of protective placement

for children who are available for adoption. And as we see it protective placement would involve protecting the natural parents in other words we don't want to rip children away from their parents if the parents are able and willing and capable of taking care of them. Second we want to protect the child so that just this very thing that has happened to this boy will not happen again. We want to protect the rights of the child and we also want to protect the rights of the adoptive parents. I think that if I had adopted this child I would certainly be angry at the agency that placed him in my care without giving him apparently preparing him for this thing in advance. And also this poor boy has so very little to offer. I'm sure we could have gone much further into this professor Jersey. But I want to thank you for coming today and also those at the Juvenile Court who have helped us smooth the way to make this program possible. We have tried to analyze and summerize this case of a young boy who is seems to me is going to be in for a

lot of difficulty in the near future. He's never going to be able to adjust it seems to me he does. He got off to a bad start and he hasn't been able to retrace his steps. And it seems to me he is just going to be typically institutionalized child and adult the rest of his life. Again thanks for being here and we hope you'll be back again next week. You have been listening to exploring the child's world. A program in which the child speaks. Father Francis Duffy chairman of the sociology department of Duquesne University has conducted the interview with the child and to find the outlines of this world in the discussion with his guest Professor Chester agers and also of the Department of Sociology at Duquesne University. This has been a production of the radio services of Duquesne University. Technical

direction by Frederick Williams your announcer has been. Listen again next week for another in the series exploring the child's world. The interview heard on this program was a recreation exploring the child's world is distributed by the National Association of educational broadcasters. This is the end I ybe Radio Network.