The joyless childhood

In his recent book, "The Epidemic: The Rot of American Culture," child psychiatrist Dr. Robert Shaw contends that America's decadent culture -- combined with absentee and permissive parenting -- is corroding children, breeding a generation of sullen and joyless youth.

Dr. Shaw discussed this phenomenon in a recent telephone interview.

Q: Can you explain how American culture has been corroded?

A: A look at MTV, interacting with video games, reading the daily newspaper with its description of the level of integrity in corporate life, the massive mistrust of government and politicians and the reluctance to pass on moral values to children are all signs of moral decay within American culture. ...

Q: You say that America has spawned an entire generation of emotionally stunted children without the capacity to appreciate the feelings and legitimate needs of others. Why is our society raising joyless and selfish children?

A: I attribute it to changes within the past 30 years in parenting practices, which are one of the defining aspects of a culture. These changes both have to do with excessive absentee and permissive parenting. Parents are insecure, unwilling to control their children and behaving more like peers than parents. The results are painful for both parents and children.

Q: What accounts for the changes in parenting in the past 30 years?

A: No one is entirely sure. In the 1960s, we began to equate the possibility of attaining happiness with freedom from constraint. We still believe this about children, even though we don't tend to feel that way about adults anymore. What is happening with children is a continuation of attitudes that have been with us for a long time. There have also been tremendous societal changes secondary to the advent of birth control and the woman's liberation movement. This has made it possible for women to find exciting and useful careers in the workplace, which often leaves them very pressed for time to spend with their children. ...

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