Book
Reviews
249
references to sex, supposedly the mule that drags adolescents from the ditch of childhood
dependency into the freedom of adulthood. Lastly, only scant mention of the “identity
crises” ever surfaces. Erik Erikson’s eight-stage model is now
so
enshrined in modern
psychology that Kitwood is surprised that he did not spot the beast directly:
The participants in this inquiry did not show much resemblance to the adolescent of
the popular stereotype: they were not mindless consumers, practitioners of violence
and sensuality, rebels against all authority, degenerate, feckless
or
lazy. The feature
that emerges most strongly.
. .
is the way in which
so
many adolescents are con-
cerned to be effective interpreters and performers in the social environments that are
personally significant for them. (p.280)
When interpreting the data, Kitwood unfortunately fails to explore the “social in-
teraction” between the interviewer and the interviewee. Much is known about this em-
pirically, but Kitwood makes insufficient reference to its literature. Either way, it
is
not a
minor point, and this omission needs to be addressed robustly.
Otherwise, except for this first chapter on “value theory,’’ his analysis is articulate
and illuminating, albeit painstakingly detailed at times. We read enough interview ex-
cerpts to reinforce what we already know, and to illustrate some new points of informa-
tion; and, most importantly, to question traditional beliefs. Thank goodness, psy-
chological models and theories come and go, and one way to revitalize the discipline is to
introduce fresh, relevant experience. That is the sterling quality of exploratory field
research.
“The important thing to recognize,” Shulman (1976, p.178) has reminded
us,
“is
that researchers do not confirm hypotheses in such a manner, but rather they generate
them.” Indeed, Kitwood has given
us
much about which to hypothesize.
William
E.
Roweton
James Madison University
REFERENCES
SiiuLMAN,
L. Reconstruction
of
education research.
In
W.
E.
Roweton
(Ed.),
Revitalizing educational
psy-
chology.
Chicago: Nelson-Hall, 1976. (Originally published
in
Review
of
Education Research,
1970,40,
Division Street; Hard Times; Working;
&
American Dreams: Lost and Found.
37
1-396.)
TEKKEL,
STUDS.
Bosco,
J.
J.,
&
ROBIN,
S. S.
(Eds.).
The Hyperactive Child and Stimulant Drugs.
TRITES, R.
L.
(Ed.).
Hyperactivity
in
Children: Etiology, Measurement and Treatment
WHALEN, C.
K.,
&
HENKER, (Eds.).
Hyperactive Children: The Social Ecology
of
Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1977, 191 pp., $12.00.
Implications.
Baltimore: University Park Press, 1979, 241 pp., $19.50.
Identijication and Treatment.
New York: Academic Press, 1980, 407 pp., $17.00.
These three recent edited books are but a sample of the large number of studies and
position papers dealing with the childhood hyperactivity area. Attempts by the authors
and their contributors to organize and synthesize available data meet a definite need in
the field.