ERIC Number: ED054856
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1969
Pages: 34
Abstractor: N/A
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A Consideration of the Nature of Thought in Childhood Play.
Galenson, Eleanor; And Others
The play behavior of young children is viewed as a behavioral manifestation of nonverbal thinking. Discussed are issues of relevance to the understanding of the development of thought in general and of the symbolic function in particular. A line of development is proposed which leads from early nonverbal thought as manifested in play, either toward sublimation, particularly artistic creativity, or toward acting-out behavior in adulthood. The complex interrelationship between the organization of thought, on the one hand, and drive and affect development, on the other, is a matter of fundamental importance. Also suggested is the possibility of studying this interrelationship in the play behavior of young children, with particular regard to the organizational patterns of play and to variations in this patterning under conditions of stress and pathological development. Almost half of the document contains discussions by two psychiatrists who react to specific points in the title paper on play behavior. (Author/WY)
Descriptors: Behavior Development, Behavior Patterns, Cognitive Processes, Nonverbal Learning, Play, Preschool Children, Psychological Patterns
"Separation-Individuation: Essays in Honor of Margaret S. Maher." Ed. by McDevitt, J. B. & Settlage, C. F. (p41-74). International University Press, 239 Park Avenue, South, New York, N.Y. 10003 ($12.00)
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Sponsor: N/A
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