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This book consists of four lectures delivered at the Children's Centres in Vienna. The first three deal with infantile amnesia and the Oedipus complex, with infantile instinct-life and with the latency period respectively. They are quite introductory in scope and give a simple and lucid account of the child's psychological development from birth to puberty. They are excellently adapted to their purpose. Naturally in such a schematic outline only the most important aspects of the subject can be dealt with, and only in a few paragraphs does any controversial issue arise. A generalization (p. 30) to the effect that there is more love and sympathy amongst working-class children than in the middle classes is not documented and seems open to question. Also the view (p. 66) that the existence of sharp reaction-formations in the latency period balances an actual exploitation of the appropriate component impulses during infancy is inadequate.
The fourth lecture on the relation between psycho-analysis and pedagogy affords the reader some opportunity of assessing the general tendency and value of the book. There will be two opinions on this matter. Many will feel that this last chapter breathes the same spirit of tolerance and objectivity as the earlier chapters: others will undoubtedly feel that it is rather tame and uninspiring. A psycho-analytic author writing on applied analysis is certainly under obligation not to raise false hopes; but at the same time there is a point where scientific modesty or reserve may have almost a reactionary effect. For example, Anna Freud states that in many respects psycho-analytical tendencies would oppose existing pedagogic tendency. Certain environmental inhibitions imposed by pedagogues on instinct during latency might, she thinks, have been unnecessary had the child been less restricted in the expression of impulse during the infantile period. That may be true in some respects but no more true than the opposite. Anna Freud he