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102
Curiously enough, much about the same time I happened to go
away to a relation, and was asked what was the matter with the boy
of about 3 years whose character had entirely altered. On investigation
this proved to be another case of those intense jealousies of
the new arrival. These are much more common than are usually
believed, and much of a later child's character may depend on how
this phase is dealt with.
Another interesting case occurred in a child of 2, who passed
out of my hands before I could find how to deal with it, but the
history is so enlightening as showing the influences of frights on
these small minds.
The mother happened to be a very intelligent woman and
brought the child with the history that from a certain date the
child's character appeared to have entirely altered. Careful investigation
of the history brought out the following facts. The
child appeared to have been invariably in the habit of running
upstairs or downstairs in front of everbody, always wanted to be
first up or down, had had no fears of the dark, didn't mind going
upstairs to the dark bedroom or into any of the cupboards, but
from the date in question refused to go upstairs, was terrified of the
dark, and the cupboards which it had hitherto paid no attention to.
In addition except the knock of the butcher and the baker which it
apparently knew, it was terrified at any strange knock. Unfortunately
I have not seen the child since, but piecing the puzzle
together it would appear that somebody had called in the mother's
absence and knocked on the door in some way unlike the usual
tradesmen that the child was accustomed to, and for whatever
reason, it is impossible to say, would appear to have impressed on
the child's mind some terror connected with cupboards and darkness
which had apparently filled the little mind.
Amongst the mothers one finds the psychological cases almost
entirely confined to those with an only child, and I usually find
that one is able to do a great deal by therapeutic interviews with
these cases.