Murphy, Lois Barclay; Lerner, Eugene; Judge, Jane; and Grant, Madeleine. Psychology for Individual Education. [New York:  Columbia University Press, 1942. $2.75.]

This volume is by psychology teachers at Sarah Lawrence College and gives the “Beginner” courses. They say, “The principal end of education is to help them, by whatever means we can, to achieve as high a degree of emotional and intellectual maturity as possible.” Not only the book, but the fact that modern psychology occupies so important a role at a college would have been but an educator's dream not so many years ago. The writers of this volume are on their intellectual toes and have an extensive grasp of the various psychological literatures and their medical connections. The volume is eclectic as are so many of the volumes coming out of the colleges today. The partisans seem on the down grade.

Whether or not the methods, all given in detail, will make the newer college graduates more intellectually and emotionally mature is something that only time will tell. At any rate it seems that the much tossed about word maturity should now be defined a little more accurately. It would lead to more systematization which is lacking in many volumes such as the one under review. Maybe it is unfair to students not to let them know that a dash of infantilism is not without value in this very real world. Once sex was taboo, but now it is the sting of violence that is given the hush-hush. After that students could choose for themselves. It is all good reading but whither-whither and what is the rationale?