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Dr. and Mrs. Blanton, who have for many years made a special study of speech and of its disorders, bring together in this book their observations and conclusions on the subject of stuttering. The book, as its title indicates, is written for the enlightenment and guidance of those who suffer from the symptom, and it
includes, in addition, chapters for the instruction of parents and teachers of stutterers.
The authors believe stuttering to be primarily a symptom of an underlying emotional disturbance, peculiar in each instance to the individual afflicted. As to treatment, stutterers are warned against individuals and "institutes" promising quick and permanent cures. No treatment is effective that is not directed towards the underlying emotional disturbances. Psychoanalysis is recommended for suitable cases.
Probably because the book is intended simply to be a guide to direct stutterers who are seeking assistance, no detailed case material is included, nor is mention made of the psychoanalytic literature on the subject. It would be a valuable addition if the authors were to include a chapter in which they would describe in the easily understandable language in which they explain the theory of the unconscious and its mechanisms the theory of the libido. This would permit the presentation of the fundamental concept of the erotization of speech, and of the symbolic oral and anal aggressive or phallic exhibitionistic significance of speech to those individuals in whom it becomes inhibited.