A STUDY OF THE FREQUENCY OF UNMET EMOTIONAL NEEDS AS EVIDENCED IN THE BEHAVIOR OF CHILDREN IN SELECTED ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

212 Pages·010.786 MB·English

by  MANN, FRANK ADAM

Sponsoring Committee: Professor Louis E. Raths, Professor
Howard A, Lane and Professor Frederic M. Thrasher
A STUD! OF THE FREQUENCY OF UNMET EMOTIONAL NEEDS
AS EVIDENCED IN THE BEHAVIOR CF CHILDREN
IN SELECTED ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
FRANK ADAM MANN
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of Doctor of
Philosophy in the School of Education of
New York University
1950
c k &
Th^aia accepted
.
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
WASHINGTON SQUARE, NEW YORK 3, N.Y.
TELEPHONE: SPRING 7-2000
I hereby guarantee that no part of the dissertation or docu­
ment which I have submitted for publication has been heretofore
published and (or) copyrighted in the United States of America, ex­
cept in the ease of passages quoted from other published sources;
that I am the sole author and proprietor of said dissertation or
document; that the dissertation or document contains no matter which,
if published, will be libelous or otherwise injurious, or infringe in
any way the copyright of any other party; and that I w ill defend, in­
demnify and hold harmless New York University against all suits and
proceedings which may be brought and against all claims which may be
made against New York University by reason of the publication of said
dissertation or document.
Dates September 14, 1950 Signed:
Frank A. Mann
J
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Basic to the conduct of this study vias the
continuing cooperation of the district superintendents
and the principals and teachers of the six Westchester
County, New York, public schools*
The investigator is particularly indebted to
Professor Louis E. Raths for his continued stimulation
and guidance.
The contributions of Professor Frederic M*
Thrasher and Professor Howard A, Lane are recognized and
appreciated*
The investigator is especially indebted to the
Bureau for Intercultural Education for granting the gen­
erous use of fa c ilitie s and services throughout the year
194-9-50. The cooperation of Dr. John C, Robertson of
the fie ld staff of the Bureau is appreciated.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter Topic Page
I The Problem of the Study. ........................... 1
The Setting for the S tudy............................................................. 3
A Theory of Emotional Needs 6
The Problem R e sta te d ...................................................................... 8
II Related Studies ............................ . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
III The Design of the S tudy.................................................................. 14-
Selection of the Schools ..................... IS
TV The Design in Operation ................................... 21
The Sample Included in the Study. 21
Beginning Work with the Teachers. ....................... 23
Developing the Concept of Gross Behavior and Needs. • • 24
The Beginning of the Collection of Data . • • • • • • • 32
Administering the T e sts.............................. 36
Collecting the Data Relating to Social Class..................... 40
Recording Intelligence Quotients................................................. 48
V The Data Relating to the Four Gross Behaviors and
the Eight ©notional Needs . . . . . . . . ...................... 50
The Incidence of the Four Gross Behaviors . . • • • • • 50
The Data Relating to the Distribution of the Eight
Emotional Needs . . . 62
Relationships Between the Gross Behaviors and the
Eight Emotional Needs • • . • • • • • • • • • . • • • 75
Summary .................. 91
VI Relationships Between the Eight Emotional Needs and
Social Class Status, Intelligence Quotients and
Social Acceptance Scores.................. 97
The Social Class D istribution Found in Two Schools. 97
Social Class Status and the Four Gross Behaviors. . 98
Social Class Status and the Eight Emotional Needs . 100
The Eight Emotional Needs and Intelligence Quotients 104
The Eight Emotional Needs and Social Acceptance Scores 112
Summary ....................................... 119
Continued
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Continued
Chapter Topic Page
VII Conclusions and Im plications........................................ 124
Conclusions • • • • . . . . • ................................ . • • . 124-
Im plications of the Study .............................. 128
Bibliography...................... 131
Appendix . . . . . . . 134
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TABLE CP TABLES
Table Title Page
1* Distribution of the Four Gross Behaviors; Grades
Kindergarten Through Nine.................................................. 51
2, Distribution of the Four Gross Behaviors by
Grade Levels • « • • « • • • • • • 56
3. Comparison of the D istribution of the Four Gross
Behaviors Among the Six Schools • • • • . » • • • • • 59
A. Distribution of Unmet Emotional Needs Among Children
in the Six Schools .......................... . . . 63
5. Distribution of Unmet Emotional Needs According to
Teachers1 Judgment; Classrooms Combined by Grade
Levels . . ......................................................... . . . . . . . . 67
6. Distribution of Unmet Emotional Needs as Indicated
by Wishing Well Scores Among Children in the Six
Schools • 70
7* Comparison of the D istribution of Unmet Emotional
Needs as Indicated by Teachers* Judgment and
Wishing Well Scores • 71
8, Distribution of the Eight Emotional Needs as
Determined by Teachers* Judgments Compared with
the Same Needs as Reflected in Wishing Well Scores
(Rank Order) • • • • , • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 73
9* Relation of the Presence of One or More of the Eight
Emotional Needs as Judged by Teachers to "Gross"
Behavior 76
10, Distribution of Needs Among Children in the Four Gross
Behavior Categories (According to Teachers’ Judgment), 80
11, Distribution of Unmet Emotional Needs as Indicated
by Wishing Well Scores Among Children in the Four
Gross Behavior Categories 81
12, Percentage of Children Judged by Teachers to be
Aggressive and also Judged by Teachers as Having One
or More of the Eight Emotional Needs Unmet............................. 83
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Table Title Page
13. Percentage of Children Judged by Teachers to be
Submissive and Also Judged by Teachers as
Having One or More of the Eight Emotional
Needs Unmet ...................• • • • • 85
14-• Percentage of Children Judged by Teachers to be
Withdrawing and Also Judged by Teachers as Having
One or More of the Eight Emotional Needs Unmet . • • . 86
15. Percentage of Children Judged by Teachers as Showing
Symptoms of Psychosomatic Illness and Also Judged by
Teachers as Having One or More of the Eight Emotional
Needs Unmet 88
16. Frequencies and In tensities of Evidences of Unmet
Emotional Needs Among Children Displaying the Four
Gross Behaviors (According to Teachers1 Judgment). • • 89
17* Comparison of Social Class Distribution as Found in
the Populations of the Central and County #3 Schools
with the Population of Yankee City . . • • . . • • • • 97
18. D istribution of the Four Gross Behaviors in Each of
the Social Classes • . ................................................. 99.
19* D istribution of Children Characterized with None
of the Four Gross Behaviors in Each of Three
Social C la sse s............................... 100
20. D istribution of Unmet Emotional Needs in Each of the
Social Classes (According to Teachers1 Analysis) . . • 101
21. D istribution of Unmet Emotional Needs Among Children
in the Six Social Classes as Indicated by Wishing
Well Scores 103
22. Relation of Teachers* Judgment of Unmet Emotional
Needs to Intelligence Quotients 105
23. Relation of Unmet Emotional Needs as Indicated by
Wishing Well Scores to Intelligence Quotients. • • • • 107
24-. Relation of Teachers* Judgment of Unmet Emotional
Needs to Intelligence Quotients. . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Relation of Unmet Emotional Needs as Indicated by
25. Wishing Well Scores to Intelligence Quotients. . . . . Ill
26. Relation of Unmet Emotional Needs (According to
Teachers* Judgment) to Same Sex Social Acceptance
Scores in the S tate, Standard and Central Schools. • • 113
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Table Title Page
27. Relation of Unmet Emotional Needs (According to
Teachers’ Judgment) to Opposite Sex Social
Acceptance Scores in the State, Standard and Central
Schools ............................... . . . . . . . . . . . 114
28. Relation of Unmet Emotional Needs As Indicated by The
Wishing Well to Same Sex Social Acceptance Scores in
the State, Standard, and Central Schools • . • • • • • 117
29. Relation of Unmet Emotional Needs as Indicated by the
Wishing Well to Opposite Sex Social Acceptance Scores
in the State, Standard and Central Schools. . . • • • • 118
o
vii
TABLE OF FIGURES
Figure Title Page
1. Form Used by Teachers in Analyzing the Four Gross
Behaviors and the Eight Emotional Needs of
Children ...................... 34
2* Form Used by Teachers in Determining Social Class
Status by the Index of Status Characteristics
Method.......................................................................................... 46
t
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CHAPTER I
THE PROBLEM OP THE STUDY
The Problem
How many children are there in American schools who represent some
kind of problem to their teachers? How many are overly aggressive in the
sense that they off end teachers' sense of what is morally and intellectually
right? How many are overly submissive in the sense that they are unusually
dependent on others for direction and approval? How many children are so
withdrawing that teachers find it impossible to get them to share in class-*
room activities? How many are disturbed to the erfcent that they display
symptoms of bad health—not ill enough to be sent home and yet not well
enough to keep up with activities in the classroom?
Of chfflren identified in these four ways, how many reflect symp­
toms of emotional disturbance that are quite readily Identified by a teach­
er after relatively brief training in observational techniques? On the as­
sumption that relatively extreme forms of aggression, of submission, of
withdrawing behavior, and of certain symptoms of ill health may be the re­
sults of frustrated emotional needs, training in the identification of emo­
tional needs and in ways of meeting them are of great importance.
Perhaps these gross behaviors of aggression, submission, nonparti­
cipation and illness are related to the social acceptability of these chil­
dren. Given nonacceptance or rejection, is it possible that the consequences
show up in these four extreme forms of behavior?