T he mother and father faced the two psychologists in an office of a school in a suburb of Los Angeles. The parents were distressed and the mother said, “We don’t believe in psychology.” Dr. Clyde M. Narramore, psychol ogist, who works for the Los Angeles County schools and who had come to help the school psychologist with this particular case, smiled kindly at the parents. He was anxious to help the parents and their son. The 11-year-old boy was nice appearing, large for his age, but dull. He had been permitted to pass to the fifth grade mainly be cause of his size. He was capable of doing only second grade work. He had no friends in the class, was ner vous and becoming more and more maladjusted. Narramore suggested that the boy be transferred to a spec ial class. “When Bill was five years old, we took him to a psychologist. He said Bill wouldn’t improve and he has. Each year, he is able to do more and more things so you see the psycholo gist was wrong.” Narramore nodded. He understood what had happened and tried to ex
plain to the parents that they had misunderstood the meaning of the psychologist. “ He did not mean that your son would not learn any more but that his capacity would always be below his mental age. When he was five he probably had the men tality of a boy of three. Now he is 11, he does not have the mentality of a boy of three, but of seven.” “ But,” the mother pleaded, “When other people reach mental maturity and stop growing, won’t Bill continue and catch up with them. He is just slow.” Patiently, Narramore explained that in all probability Bill would never catch up. During the course of the conversation, the fact came out that both Dr. Narramore and the school psychologist were Christians. Instantly, there was a change of at titude on the part of the parents. They respected Narramore’s Christian stand and as a consequence listened to him as a psychologist. They agreed to al low their son to attend the special class, where he would be better able to make his social adjustment and develop to the best of his ability. Dr. Clyde Narramore has found re peatedly that being a Christian and psychologist go hand in hand. Chris tians have problems but they mis trust the advice of a man who is not a Christian., For the past three years, Dr. Nar ramore has been coordinator of re search and guidance with the Los Angeles County Schools and as a psy chologist he is accredited by the De partment of Education of the State of'California. He works with school administrators, faculties, and parent groups, teaching them to apply the principles of missionaries to China. Shortly afterwards they were married and now have a daughter, Melodie Lee, who was bom last January 13. Dr. Narramore is also a musician, having studied at the Chicago Con servatory of Music. At present, he directs the choir at the Eagle Rock -Baptist Church, plays the cello, sings in the quartet and for the last two years, has been in charge of the music at the Rose Bowl Easter Sunrise Serv ice. But his chief interest is psychol ogy. When asked why he entered the field of psychology, he replied, “We sometimes discover God’s will by do ing what we know is the right thing for us to do, then He permits us to run right into the key job He has for us.” One of the important aspects of his present work is his counselling with teenagers from Christian homes. One young man who came to Narramore psychologis was 17, tall, handsome and a leader in high school. Though the boy ad mired the opposite sex and had friend ships with them, he was a homo sexual. He admitted, “ Somehow, I’m caught in this situation. Though in tellectually I am «against it yet I can’t resist the temptation to indulge in these practices.” Narramore began counselling with the boy. He treated the problem as if it were merely an unwholesome situ- THE KING'S BUSINESS 14
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