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The innate bias of adults is revealed in the fact that even the most sympathetic among them are more surprised that children should have tempers than by the more remarkable fact that much of the time they do not. For the same reason the drawbacks of the average environment receive insufficient attention; often the parents' valuation of themselves (e.g. their conviction that they are excellent parents) is itself accepted at its face value. Only when we have come to realize against what heavy odds adaptation is achieved even under the most favourable conditions, can we fully appreciate the adaptability of human nature. After discussing the unconscious mechanisms which play an important part in promoting or hindering adaptability and adaptation, the author draws the conclusion that parents should not strive to attain a too high degree of perfection, which is liable to impose too great a strain on them or interferes with their spontaneous relation to the children, but rather that they should admit their imperfections and inconsistencies and show tolerance for the shortcomings of their children. Then their children will in turn tolerate and forgive their parents' faults.
Author's Abstract.