talking it over with Dr. Clyde M. Narramore
Dr. Narramore, graduate of Columbia University, New York City, is a psychologist and Consultant in Research and Guidance with one of the largest school systems in the United States.
ence. A baby sitter is a very poor substitute for the mother. She does not have the authority to discipline. Nor do sitters have the mother’s love and training which the young child needs so desperately. To feel secure and emotionally stable, one must feel he is wanted and loved. I wish there was some way we could speak to mothers who have such strong urges to get a job. They are actually sacrificing their children on the altar of the dollar bill. In this generation, people feel the necessity for a double income. Many of my emotionally disturbed children come from broken homes or where mother and father both have jobs outside of the home. If we could only realize that money does not always make for happiness; on the contrary it may produce many problems, especially where children are given too much to spend. God bless you richly and give you strength to carry on your good work both through the printed page and by radio. Yours in His Service. Answer: I deeply appreciate your pro fessional and spiritual counsel. I am sure it will be a blessing to many readers. W H A T DOES IT M E A N ? Question: What is meant by “ Identifi cation?” Answer: Identification is a mental mechanism. A person attempts (un consciously) to make himself like another person. He may automatical ly take over another’s characteristics. Identification plays a major role in the development of a child’s person ality. The child unconsciously copies the characteristics of his parents and other persons important to him. It is an emotional tie unconsciously caus ing a person to act as he imagines the person with whom he has the tie does.
answer to prayer. This pastor majored in psychology in a Christian college where' God’s Word is honored and taught. I have found new liberty and free dom from fear which I never had be fore. I certainly hope that others will never have to go through the experi ences I have had. Answer: I appreciate your writing, and I am sure it will speak to many of our hearts. Undoubtedly, the Christians who advised you were sincere, but of course, they did not understand men tal illness. We know today that there are a number of possible causes of such mental illness and surely a Christian can become mentally ill. I would like to refer all Christians to a full chapter on “ The Mentally and Emotionally 111” in my new book, “ The Psychology of Counsel ing.” It discusses the causes of mental illness, preventions, and also tech niques of counseling with the men tally ill. Dear Dr. Narramore: How I wish we had more Christian teachers and more Christian psycholo gists, especially in our Public School system. This is my 25th year of teaching. I am a Kindergarten teacher and have 62 children each day. I love them dearly. It is such a joy to be able to pray for each child, especially those with emotional or environmental problems. When a mother and father both feel it is necessary to work outside of the home, and many of our children go to a neighbor’s, or a baby sitter comes into the home, what an effect this is having on our coming genera tion. Even at five years of age, such chil dren have little respect for authority, without the slightest idea of obedi COUN SEL FOR PARENTS
DO PASTORS U N D ER STA N D ? Question: As a Christian I am con cerned about mental illness. I have gone through much myself, having gone through a nervous breakdown at an early age. For several years 1 was unable to work until / got to the bot tom of my problem. Through prayer and the help of a pastor and a psychi atrist, I did become well. M y concern is the lack of under standing on the part of some pastors in evangelical churches regarding emotional and mental illness. So often the needs of people are not being met even in fundamental churches. When / sought help from some of the Chris tian people of my church (including my pastor), I was given the follow ing erroneous advice and so-called “ an swers” to my problem: 1. I wasn’t really a Christian be cause a true Christian isn’t sup posed to have such problems. 2. The verse, “ Perfect love casteth out fear,” and other s i m i l a r verses were quoted. This inferred that I didn’t have the love of the 3. Satan was ruling over me and “ pushing me around.” 4. Sins of the past were catching up with me. 5. Don’t see a psychiatrist or psy chologist because they are all mixed up themselves and are “ modernistic.” 6. Your problem is sin. Since you are sinful by nature, even after becoming a Christian, you can’t expect to have complete victory over your problems in this life. Dr. Narramore, naturally these an swers bothered me and made me a lot worse. To me there couldn’t have been a more terrible fear than to doubt if / were truly a Christian. To make a long story short, I sought help from our fam ily doctor and a recommended psychiatrist. Then a wonderful pastor came to our church. This was a real Saviour as I should have.
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