James Garbarino

• Author, Professor, and Psychological

Practitioner of Child Abuse

• By Kevin McGrane and Emily Matlock

Background• Personal: His research interests fall into a in a wide range of violence-related issues - war, child

maltreatment, childhood aggression, and juvenile delinquency. He earned his B.A. from St. Lawrence University in 1968, and his Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies from Cornell University in 1973. In all the issues he researches and studies, he is concerned most with how developmental processes are shaped by the human ecology in which they occur, and has a particular interest in matters of spirituality and identity in this process.

• Professional: In 1991 he undertook missions for UNICEF to assess the impact of the Gulf War upon children in Kuwait and Iraq, and has served as a consultant for programs serving Vietnamese, Bosnian and Croatian children. He has also served as a scientific expert witness in criminal and civil cases involving issues of trauma, violence, and children. Dr. Garbarino serves as a consultant to television, magazine, and newspaper reports on children and families, and in 1981, he received the Silver Award at the International Film and Television Festival of New York for co-authoring "Don't Get Stuck There: A Film on Adolescent Abuse." In 1985, he collaborated with John Merrow to produce "Assault on the Psyche," a videotaped program dealing with psychological abuse. He also serves as a scientific expert witness in criminal and civil cases involving issues of violence and children. The National Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect honored Dr. Garbarino in 1985 with its first C. Henry Kempe Award, in recognition of his efforts on behalf of abused and neglected children. He has also authored and edited a number of books dealing with different aspects on the psychology of child abuse. Dr. James Garbarino is currently the Co-Director of the Family Life Development Center and Elizabeth Lee Vincent Professor of Human Development at Cornell University.

• Years of experience: Twenty Five

Theory

• “Malleability”—Bruce Perry: Kids are more impressionable than they often let on to.

• Severe long-term stressors will often lead children to need psychological help in their later years.

• Erikson’s “Trust vs. Mistrust” ideas—children learn whether the world is a safe of dangerous place and take roles in their lives accordingly.

Critiques

• Most Critics say: Garbarino’s books on the psychology of child abuse are “powerful,” “the basic premises are profoundly important to the field of child development,” “Wise, funny, real, and right on.”

• Some but very few critics tend to think that books like “See Jane Hit” by Garbarino, “over-inflate” the issue of aggression among girls.

• Overall, reviews seem to be very positive. Most of Garbarino’s books are considered “must-read” guide books for understanding children and how they grow violent due to a number of factors. Over the 25 years Garbarino has been researching, writing, and studying the psychological aggression of children, he has gained a very respectable reputation and has become a world-renowned child development expert.

Practical Use

• Lost Boys prescription:

• Stimulate Empathy• Protect Children• Stimulate Spirituality• Mentor• Affirm Intelligence and Self-Esteem• Positive Social Support• Androgyny

References

• Sources:

• http://www.luc.edu/psychology/facultystaff/garbarino_j.shtml

• http://www.espnational.org/historybyyear/2001/jgarbar.htm

• http://www.amazon.com/See-Jane-Hit-Growing-Violent/dp/1594200750

• http://www.colorado.edu/journals/cye/13_1/retrospectives/CYE_CommentRetrospective_Garbarino.htm

• http://www.psychpage.com/family/library/garbarino.html• http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/issues074.shtml