Originally published in 1928, Difficulties in Child Development was written, according to the author, as ‘a response to many inquiries concerning a source of practical information relating to the development and upbringing of little children from a modern psychological standpoint. It also serves to put forward in a simple and direct manner, without unnecessary intricacies due to the unexplained use of the more specialized psycho-analytic terms, views and discoveries made by Freud and his followers, now scattered in many books that have been written upon this subject… and to condense those which especially touch the matter of child study into a more convenient form for parents, teachers, nurses, welfare workers, and others who are anxious to know what advances and contributions have been made towards the understanding and early education of young children during recent years.’ Today it can be read and enjoyed in its historical context.
Foreword. Bibliography. 1. Introductory Survey of the Causes and Symptoms of Early Nervous Trouble 2. Differences Between Adults and Children 3. The Child Discovers the World Around 4. The Great God-Wish 5. Forgetting and Remembering 6. The Dangers of Suggestion 7. Childish Bad Habits 8. Types of Those in Charge of Children 9. Dawn of Personality 10. Growth of Personality: Development of the Super-Ego: Family Balance 11. Children’s Games and Phantasies 12. Both Sides of the Oedipus Conflict. Conclusion: Adolescence. Index.
Biography
Mary Chadwick (d.1943) was a nurse and psychoanalyst and an early pioneer of child analysis in Britain. She was a lecturer at the British College of Nurses and published numerous works about the psychology of children and education. She became an associate member of the British Psychoanalytical Society (BPAS) in 1923.
Review for the original edition:
“Here is another to add to the slowly growing list of books upon child psychology that are really worth while.” – Psychoanalytic Review (1929)
