"The Wish Never to Have Been Born", Cavan 1932 https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/85192141/1932-cavan.pdf (via http://theviewfromhell.blogspot.com/2010/09/30-of-children-wish-theyd-never-been.html ); excerpts:
"Although juvenile suicides in the United States are negligible, the wish never to have been born occurred in about 30 percent of a widely scattered sample of adolescent boys and girls. This wish occurred most frequently among children with high scores (poor adjustment) on a test of neurotic traits and also among those rated by their teachers as poorly adjusted socially, emotionally, and on conventional moral traits.
...in the year 1920 the rate of suicide per 100,000 children between the ages of 10 and 19 was 2.1. The rates for each succeeding 10-year period were, respectively, 9.5, 13.7, 18.5, 22.6, 26.0, 27.0, 34.0, and 27.5. In 1928 suicides of boys between the ages of 10 and 14 constituted but 0.19% of the total number of male suicides, and the suicides of girls of the same ages constituted only 0.49% of the total number of female suicides. In this year there were no suicides among children under 10 years of age (see Table I).
..The data for this study consisted of questionnaires filled out by some 9000 junior high school pupils widely scattered over the United States, and a rating scale filled out by the teacher for each pupil...adaptations of the Woodworth neurotic scale for use with children. One question of this test of neurotic tendencies was: "Did you ever wish you had not been born?"
...From 1/4 to 1/3 of the public-school adolescents stated that they had wished they had not been born. The age range of these children was 10 to 17 years, with the median at 14 years. Table II shows that the Mexican children had the highest percentage (35%) who wished they had not been born; rural white children, with 34%, came next. In both the Negro and the white groups a higher percentage of rural than of urban children had wished they had never been born...Nor do the children who are foreign born or of foreign-born parents have an unduly high proportion who had wished they had not been born, although the suicide rate for foreign-born people in the United States is very high.
...It is not clear, then, that the wish never to have been born, considered as a wish for death, follows the same trend as the suicides which occur among the adults in the same population groups. The hypothesis, therefore, is not justified that the wish not to have been born indicates a suicidal tendency in a given group. For the present it must be accepted at its face value, as a wish on the part of the child that he had not been called upon to accept the responsibilities of living.
...They are, for instance, the children who feel lonely, unpopular, who do not get along well with other children or with their teachers, who have fears and suspicions. Of the girls who indicated 5 or less neurotic attitudes (the group which may be thought of as having good adjustment), only 7% had wished they had not been born. Of the boys, only 6% had wished they had not been born. But among the girls who indicated 12 or more neurotic attitudes, 81% had wished they had not been born, and 67% of the boys in a similar group wished they had not been born.
...As to religious affiliation, almost the same percentage of Protestant and of Catholic children had wished they had not been born.
...The statistical findings are supported by data from another section of the White House Conference Study - a series of descriptions of family life secured from 602 student in 15 colleges. Among other questions the students were asked whether they had ever wished they had not been born or that they were dead. Of 112 women who replied to this question, 465 had wished for death in some form, and of 107 men, 60% had so wished. The most frequent situations calling forth this wish among the women were punishment or scolding (10 cases), denial of something by parents (12 cases), not understood by parents (4 cases), and when angry (4 cases). Among the men the most frequent situations were punishment or scolding (17 cases), denied something bu parents (6 cases), and misunderstood by parents (3 cases). Only 3 girls and 1 man mentioned quarrels with friends as the occasion for a wish for death."
#psychology #natalism #philosophy
"Although juvenile suicides in the United States are negligible, the wish never to have been born occurred in about 30 percent of a widely scattered sample of adolescent boys and girls. This wish occurred most frequently among children with high scores (poor adjustment) on a test of neurotic traits and also among those rated by their teachers as poorly adjusted socially, emotionally, and on conventional moral traits.
...in the year 1920 the rate of suicide per 100,000 children between the ages of 10 and 19 was 2.1. The rates for each succeeding 10-year period were, respectively, 9.5, 13.7, 18.5, 22.6, 26.0, 27.0, 34.0, and 27.5. In 1928 suicides of boys between the ages of 10 and 14 constituted but 0.19% of the total number of male suicides, and the suicides of girls of the same ages constituted only 0.49% of the total number of female suicides. In this year there were no suicides among children under 10 years of age (see Table I).
..The data for this study consisted of questionnaires filled out by some 9000 junior high school pupils widely scattered over the United States, and a rating scale filled out by the teacher for each pupil...adaptations of the Woodworth neurotic scale for use with children. One question of this test of neurotic tendencies was: "Did you ever wish you had not been born?"
...From 1/4 to 1/3 of the public-school adolescents stated that they had wished they had not been born. The age range of these children was 10 to 17 years, with the median at 14 years. Table II shows that the Mexican children had the highest percentage (35%) who wished they had not been born; rural white children, with 34%, came next. In both the Negro and the white groups a higher percentage of rural than of urban children had wished they had never been born...Nor do the children who are foreign born or of foreign-born parents have an unduly high proportion who had wished they had not been born, although the suicide rate for foreign-born people in the United States is very high.
...It is not clear, then, that the wish never to have been born, considered as a wish for death, follows the same trend as the suicides which occur among the adults in the same population groups. The hypothesis, therefore, is not justified that the wish not to have been born indicates a suicidal tendency in a given group. For the present it must be accepted at its face value, as a wish on the part of the child that he had not been called upon to accept the responsibilities of living.
...They are, for instance, the children who feel lonely, unpopular, who do not get along well with other children or with their teachers, who have fears and suspicions. Of the girls who indicated 5 or less neurotic attitudes (the group which may be thought of as having good adjustment), only 7% had wished they had not been born. Of the boys, only 6% had wished they had not been born. But among the girls who indicated 12 or more neurotic attitudes, 81% had wished they had not been born, and 67% of the boys in a similar group wished they had not been born.
...As to religious affiliation, almost the same percentage of Protestant and of Catholic children had wished they had not been born.
...The statistical findings are supported by data from another section of the White House Conference Study - a series of descriptions of family life secured from 602 student in 15 colleges. Among other questions the students were asked whether they had ever wished they had not been born or that they were dead. Of 112 women who replied to this question, 465 had wished for death in some form, and of 107 men, 60% had so wished. The most frequent situations calling forth this wish among the women were punishment or scolding (10 cases), denial of something by parents (12 cases), not understood by parents (4 cases), and when angry (4 cases). Among the men the most frequent situations were punishment or scolding (17 cases), denied something bu parents (6 cases), and misunderstood by parents (3 cases). Only 3 girls and 1 man mentioned quarrels with friends as the occasion for a wish for death."
#psychology #natalism #philosophy
Not sure this has even a consistent meaning, if you aren't born there is no one to make a wish.Oct 8, 2014
Then not existing is a stable fixed point.Oct 8, 2014- A stable fixed point of whom/what?
How many entities (?) are "non existing"?Oct 9, 2014 - If the entity in question does not exist, then it cannot wish for anything, and the process stops there. No problems.Oct 9, 2014
