Jennifer Bracewell Prof Name Class 4 March 2017 The Significance of the Human Whole In “Dibs in Search of Self,” by Virginia M. Axline, the application and benefits of play therapy are explored through the eyes of a therapist working with a young boy whose environment has caused him to be socially detached, emotionally disturbed and plagued by personality issues. In this story, there are many examples of concepts discussed in class, which I plan to point out and discuss in this paper. I will begin with a quick summary of the book and then move on to the concepts before giving my final take on the impact and importance of “Dibs in Search of Self” today. The book is especially relevant today, given the increasingly evident effectiveness of …show more content…
Despite his privileged upbringing, Dibs is detached and lives in his own head. His parents believe him to be damaged or perhaps intellectually impaired, though through the course of the book, Axline utilizes play therapy to reveal his true character. Through her therapy sessions, we discover that Dibs is actually very intelligent and connected to the world around him. He's very aware of the happenings both in class and at home, but it is the actions and beliefs of his parents that are holding him back and putting him into his repressed state at the beginning of the book. Through dedication on all sides of the story – parents, teachers and therapist – Dibs is able to embrace his true self and act in a way more in line with who he really is, a gifted and sensitive young boy. Strategies used by Axline to achieve this goal are related directly to many of the topics covered in …show more content…
Firstly, the concept of Baumrind’s three styles of caregiving is demonstrated quite often in the book. (Badke, 299). Dibs’ parents would fall under the Authoritarian category. They weren’t affectionate with Dibs, and were cold and punishing. Through shame and guilt, they drove him to his state at the beginning in the book, and based on that shell of Dibs, they made assumptions about his intelligence and potential. (Axline, p. 93). This likely led to a further divide between the actuality of Dibs' self and the image that he acted out and people perceived. The parents in the book were also negligent in not providing psychological support for Dibs, known as scaffolding (Badke, p.262). The theory was pioneered by Vygotsky, who believed in a system of experts and novices whom are matched based on the cognitive levels of each. In the story, Dibs is limited to the mentors that he has available to them, and his father especially is not patient or satisfied with the cognitive level of his son. Because of this incompatibility, it is difficult for Dibs to grow further; though when he meets positive mentors such as Axline who adjusted to his level after properly analyzing it, he is able to grow.(Axline, p. 46) This disconnect from his father leads into another concept we have covered which is Oedipus Complex(Badke, p. 313). It’s clear that during play therapy Dibs uses soldiers to represent his
During the final conversation between Reb Saunders, Danny, and Reuven, Reb Saunders defends his method of raising Danny by noting that, “...I did not want my Daniel to become like my brother...Better I should have no son at all than have a brilliant son with no soul” (285). Reb Saunders assumes that if Danny were raised in silence, then he would obtain a soul unlike Reb Saunders’ brother who did not have one. Reb Saunders raises Danny in isolation due to his assumption that having intellect without a soul would make a person indifferent and uncaring. By only wanting what he presumes is most beneficial for Danny, Reb Saunders forms a barrier between him and a meaningful relationship with Danny. This approach of bringing up a child is the only one that Reb Saunders has previous knowledge and he realizes that, “..a wiser father... may have done differently. I am not... wise” (288). Once Reb Saunders understands the consequences of his irrational decision, it is too late to make amends. Silence strains their relationship and forces both Danny and Reb Saunders to become depressed and miserable. Despite raising Danny with good intentions, Reb Saunders feels remorse for not establishing an affectionate relationship with his son while he still had the chance. Furthermore, Reb Saunders yearns for Danny to become a tzaddik and tries fulfills his desire through restrained communication between his son. If Reb Saunders had created a lasting relationship with Danny then the same hope could have been achieved. For Danny to become a tzaddik without feeling compassion during his lifetime is difficult to demand. It may have been possible for Danny to develop the traits that his father requires of him if he was raised in a nurturing environment. Overall, Reb Saunders’ rationalization of his parenting technique is rendered useless as he comprehends what an ill-advised approach it
The relationship between the two fathers and the two sons is a very important theme in this book. Because of their different backgrounds, Reb Saunders and David Malters approached raising a child from two totally different perspectives. Despite the obvious differences in the two men’s beliefs, both did what they thought was right for their sons. Reb Saunders was a Hasidic tzaddik and wanted his son to follow in his footsteps. He raised Danny in silence, hoping to teach him to listen to silence, to learn compassion, and to develop a soul to go with his mind. Unless it had to do with religious studies, Reb never had an actual conversation with Danny after the age of 3. Reb wanted Danny to find things out for himself. On the other hand, Reuven’s father, Mr. Malters, felt it very important that he had good and frequent communication between himself and his son. The two would sometimes talk for hours about life, different religions, friends and anything else Reuven would want to ...
Dobbs, who wanted “an opportunity to.yell at him,” fell short because of his son’s incredible apologetic attitude and his “irritatingly reasonable” remarks (Dobbs 156). Dobbs’ son recognized the dangers and risks involved with his high-speed adventure, yet committed the act anyway. This prompts Dobbs to ask questions that many parents would ask themselves in such a situation: questions like “What is wrong with these kids? Why do they act this way?” (Dobbs 157).
Dibs was a very young boy who had a lot of potential, even though everyone thought he was mentally retarded. Within each relationship that children develop, different personalities are shown. Normally, a child is most comfortable when they are with their parents, and most eager in the classroom. This is not seen at all with Dibs. He is most comfortable when he is with Dr. Axline, even though she is a complete stranger. Although Dr. Axline’s first time in the playroom wasn’t as successful as later visits, Dibs said more to her in that first session than he would to his teachers. He made himself comfortable by getting familiar with each of the toys in the room naming and touching each as he went along.
“Sometimes he sat mute and unmoving all morning or crawled about the schoolroom floor oblivious to the other children or to his teacher.” The book Dibs is a testimony of a child who seemed to be mentally retarded because he has created his own world inside of him. In her book, Virginia Axline proves that the therapy by the play is a way of curing people such as Dibs. During her book, she gives lecture to the reader of a recording taken from the sessions with the little child. During this expose, we will develop Dib’s relation with adults in particular his teachers, parents and grand mother. Then we will analyze another relation: the one with his therapist. In the second part the phenomena of rejection will be analyzed in both sides: in the mother and the father side but also with Dibs itself. Later, we will try to understand which role play therapy had occurred on Dibs change.
In most of my classes I’ve always heard that your parents are the most important people in your life and I truly believe this. People are affected by everything their parents say and do both in childhood and later on in adulthood. If a child is constantly looked down upon and made to believe that nothing they do is good enough, chances are they will grow up believing this and having low confidence. It is remarkable that a child David’s age fought himself from breaking down, dissolving into tears and giving up hope for a better future. David constantly worked towards or rather survived because of a dream, a dream t hat he was a prince and that every...
The way in which Reb Saunders and David Malter raise their children reflect the conflict between tradition and modernity in this story. David Malter raises Reuven with a modern approach. He encourages Reuven to learn about the modern world as well as hold on to his religion. Reb Saunders to shelter Danny from modern ideas. With the exception of teaching Danny about the Talmud, he raises Danny in silence. He has his own reasons for raising Danny this way. “I did not want to drive him away from God, but I did not want him to grow up a mind without a soul” (Page 266). Reb Saunders raises his son through a tradition that has been in his family for a long time. However, he accomplishes his goal. His method of raising his son is dramatically different from David Malter’s modern practice. The results are also different. Danny has gone through much more pain and suffering than Reuven, and he chooses to carry on this practice if he must. Modernity and tradition present in the different ideas of these men influences the lives and ideas of their children as well.
They spend a majority of the rest of novel discussing their fathers and the different ways they were raised. Reuven is often very confused by the way Danny’s father treats him. “My father shook his head. ‘It is not terrible, Reuven. Not for Danny, not for his father, and not for the people who listened.
Obtaining a thought process similar to one of a mature adult, Laurie acquired the ability to deceive his parents. The short story “Charles” was written by the author Shirley Jackson; the piece developed the early experiences of Laurie’s elementary years. He had been the older brother of an infant sibling; despite this factor, Laurie remained a young kindergarten boy. The anecdote occurred during the 1950’s between the home of Laurie and his kindergarten school. Throughout the early weeks of kindergarten, Laurie’s misbehavior was driven by jealousy, mischievous thoughts, and the pure desire to mislead his elders. Evidently, Laurie was unable to adjust to the kindergarten environment easily. The events that transpired in the story stimulated clues as to the reasons for Laurie’s unacceptable behavior.
Rye N. Child-Centred Play Therapy. In: JH Stone, M Blouin, editors. International Encyclopedia of Rehabilitation. 2010.
Play helps build sturdy learning foundations because later levels of learning are built upon the earlier ones. All types of play, from fantasy to rough-and-tumble have a crucial role in the development of children. It is the lens through which children experience their world and the world of others. If deprived to play, they are at bigger possibility for atypical development and deviant behavior. Without play, self-control does not develop satisfactorily Goldstein, J. (2012)
The Book Throughout the book Dibs in Search of Self, by Virginia Axline, readers learn the moving story of a boy named Dibs who had been neglected since he was in the womb, by two scientist parents that did not want a child holding them back from their success. Readers are able to see the amazing journey of a six-year-old boy, learning to be himself and find his personality and intelligence through the help of play therapy sessions with the author, Mrs. Axline. Not only are readers seeing the growth that Dibs is experiencing, but they are also able to see the large benefits that the practice of play therapy can have on any child. Dibs’ Mothers Two Appointments with Axline
This is a counselling method used to help youngsters communicate their inner experiences through using toys and play. Nondirective play therapy is a non-pathologizing technique founded on the belief that youngsters have the internal drive to attain wellness (Petruk, 2009). Play therapy is grounded on the theory that play is a youngster’s language, the toys considered the words a youngster uses to express or show their inner experiences and how they experience and perceive the world. Within a play session, and throughout the course of sessions, themes develop in the youngster’s play, giving the therapist insight into the child’s feelings, thoughts, experiences, and interpretations of their world (Petruk,
The story provides many sources for the boy's animosity. Beginning with his home and overall environment, and reaching all the way to the adults that surround him. However, it is clear that all of these causes of the boy's isolation have something in common, he has control over none of these factors. While many of these circumstances no one can expect to have control over, it is the culmination of all these elements that lead to the boy’s undeniable feeling of lack of control.
The child has a hard time realizing that though there are many other people and things in their world, none of them are more important than the child himself. The child believes that his point of view is the only point of view of the world. This is caused by his inability to put himself in someone’s else’s shoes (Smith). The concrete operational period, spanning between the ages of 7 and 11, is marked by the onset of logic in the young mind. The child is able to mentally manipulate objects and events.