Psychotic and Non Psychotic Mental Defective
Abstract
In the past few years, the retarded individual has had a new "lease on life". Parents, relatives and friends need no longer hide the defective. They do not feel the necessity of keeping the problem to themselves and are now beginning to accept the retardant for what he is and are striving to provide opportunities which contribute to his happiness and development. These individuals are helping society recognize the rights of retardants to life, opportunity and pursuit of happiness. This recent change in attitude toward mental retardation is the result of frank expressions by the relatives, revealing the feelings and anxieties which they experience as they go through stages of adjusting to their new family problem. Pearl Buck and many others have written about their experiences. Other parents have expressed similar feelings at parents meetings and in private Interviews. Such expressions of feelings and problems have helped to clarify many of the problems faced by the relatives and the retardents themselves.
Subject Area
Individual & family studies|Sociology|Social work
Recommended Citation
O'Hara, Frank John, "Psychotic and Non Psychotic Mental Defective" (1957). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI30509550.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI30509550
