social
and mental health contrasts IN CALIFORNIA AND WALES y
Michael Craft, Department
of
Psychology, University College, Bangor
most Europeans the United States
jPpears
land flowing with milk and to many in America, California js b Golden State. As a well-qualified br fl11 feceiving an invitation to work fe I V in California, it was possible to flattered, interested and enthusiasa
Jey;
(jcel
^sh
scene
Jjevitably, one's
compares California state?in this case against the background of own experiences and interests. was biased by a previous *t, when, as a student, I attended a in 1Vefsity of Chicago summer school This 1949 comparison of Under Cripps with a lush Am erican scene was both painful and and emigration had seemed y attractive at the time. The arrival t)n.!eVen children had caused repeated
y
one
own
0n^es?and ^
JaPproach jj ^rSo?i?l?gy. ?
yef^Ptive,
AfOnement.
lhe
wee^s' vw '3usy deserts to
travel from
the Eureka redJurna San Diego beaches to Sac? anc^ from and the mountains made itc,rarnento f?r white
W0
'
many Cal far ^at des- ?rnia could have
Europeans,
all that they ^he co?^ but sunny climate, des 8e?graphical contrasts of beach, m?untain and city, the high of living, and, above all, the oUt individuals already ter^ anding faPted to live there, make this a state. There are disadvanAs a student of social
the're^'
stan^' prd
tag^Ured
Scjef' ^?.Weverwas
the
v'
^gh
one
thing
to
recognise
reward and many comforts
for the well-endowed, but another to explore the area of the under-privi-
leged. California
claims
the
honour
of
being the fastest-growing state in the Union; 1,000 new citizens enter each The population has risen from nine million in 1944 to eighteen million in 1964; the water consumption of arid Los Angeles proportionately more so. There is a project under way to aqueduct water from wet North California to the arid South, and meanwhile, weekend cabins blossom over the Mojave Desert to provide peace for congested Los Angeles citizens. The fogs roll off the sea to hide alike the rescue missions and roaring winds of downtown Skid Row. Being in a federal union, California is not able to limit immigration from within the States, although the public health inspection for livestock on entry is a reminder of Statehood whilst travelling. For professional people, the Californian Bar and Medical Board alike set standards calculated to deter the old, but once inside, individual effort is rewarded and failure penalised. The State may have more millionaires than many others, but it also has 62,000 convicted persons over the age of eight in institutions, compared with Britain's 35,000. The proportionate difference is almost sixfold. Among prisoners, there are disproportionate numbers of Negroes and Mexicans, and the unemployment rate among both is three times higher than among whites. Nor are these the only figures on the debit side, for Cali-
day.
153
fornians have taken to alcohol and a big way. "The Doors of Perception" opened by one Californian resident have led to extensive use of Huxley's cerebral stimulants, mainly among college personnel, and 12,000 registered narcotic addicts swell the criminal problem. Such figures are suspect, together with those purporting to say that 60% of county jail inmates are committed for crimes in association with alcohol, for definitions are vague in this complex field. Asked to discuss these problems, the group psychotherapy inmates in San Quentin's narcotic treatment programme described California as a materialistic frontier land, in which no holds were barred and the weakest went to the wall. It was a very intuitive comment. Neither Skid Row nor the convicts of San Quentin are likely to detain long the interest of a British expert, offered a $20,000 a year income at Stanford. This wealthy private university is never likely to emulate the 70,000 students in the seven campuses of the University of California, but lies like a magnet on the field of American academic life. Britain is not alone in deploring the loss of her brightest sons, for in the same boat are many of the Mid-Western Universities, and older foundations like Harvard, where the School of Business recently waxed eloquent over their losses to the attractions and shameless toutings from their sister institution at Stanford. Perhaps it is some consolation that since there is no equivalent school of business in Britain, we do not need to deplore the loss of possible teachers in this field. For the potential brain-drainee, it is important to compare obtainable salaries in California and Britain. Excepting the Los Angeles area, there seems a similar purchasing power for the Californian salary in the different parts of the State. This is less true for Britain. Londoners, by the very nature of their congestion, are obliged to defray their incomes on expensive housing and transportation, in a way which is not true for the Northerner, although his salary may be slightly less. The English pound probably buys
1 slightly more in North Wales than does in London, and much more tb3' the $2-82 at current rate of exchafl^ in California. A few examples to trate this; bread costs Is. 3d. to Is. 6, in North Wales, 39c. to 65c. in fornia per lb. loaf (14c. = lamb and beef cost 3s. Od. and 5s. against 39c. and 150c. per pound; j costs Is. 8d. and 44c. per
narcotics in
illj^
^
imperl3|
quart; housing ?2,000 per boxy,
tW?|
bedroomed brick bungalow agai^5' $12,000 for an equally boxy fra#1 bungalow near San Diego. A prof?i sional four-bedroom house would s$ at ?5,000 with central heating in Wales, against $25,000 with air con4' tioning near Sacramento. help can be available in North at 4s. to 5s. per hour; it is unobtainab' in most parts of California. It is $ cost of skilled house repairs, such $50 for a half-day plumbing j which is the real rub, and many C$\ fornian professional people spend of the weekend doing their own repa'r
NofjP Domesj1,
Wa^;
^ incideij.
Four conclusions
Despite Medicare schemes, baB* ruptcy still occasionally occurs as result of long illnesses beyond & scope of medical insurance. A disc11 sion on comparative purchasing p?^,e j
of pound and $2-8 salaries provi# endless disputation between and English colleagues, from four conclusions usually emerged; that at the standard rate of the pound bought between a third a" a half more in provincial Britain tba the equivalent $2-8 outside Los Angel j, in California; secondly, a car for ' husband and wife was necessary California, whereas in Britain, wit" still existing and viable public port, one car was often adeqi^v thirdly, comparing salaries of eq lent positions such as copy typists, American girl had a real increase her standard of living; whilst the standard of interior house furn'5\ , ing and appliances expected was the more superior in California ^ Wales.
and mental health contrasts IN CALIFORNIA AND WALES y
Michael Craft, Department
of
Psychology, University College, Bangor
most Europeans the United States
jPpears
land flowing with milk and to many in America, California js b Golden State. As a well-qualified br fl11 feceiving an invitation to work fe I V in California, it was possible to flattered, interested and enthusiasa
Jey;
(jcel
^sh
scene
Jjevitably, one's
compares California state?in this case against the background of own experiences and interests. was biased by a previous *t, when, as a student, I attended a in 1Vefsity of Chicago summer school This 1949 comparison of Under Cripps with a lush Am erican scene was both painful and and emigration had seemed y attractive at the time. The arrival t)n.!eVen children had caused repeated
y
one
own
0n^es?and ^
JaPproach jj ^rSo?i?l?gy. ?
yef^Ptive,
AfOnement.
lhe
wee^s' vw '3usy deserts to
travel from
the Eureka redJurna San Diego beaches to Sac? anc^ from and the mountains made itc,rarnento f?r white
W0
'
many Cal far ^at des- ?rnia could have
Europeans,
all that they ^he co?^ but sunny climate, des 8e?graphical contrasts of beach, m?untain and city, the high of living, and, above all, the oUt individuals already ter^ anding faPted to live there, make this a state. There are disadvanAs a student of social
the're^'
stan^' prd
tag^Ured
Scjef' ^?.Weverwas
the
v'
^gh
one
thing
to
recognise
reward and many comforts
for the well-endowed, but another to explore the area of the under-privi-
leged. California
claims
the
honour
of
being the fastest-growing state in the Union; 1,000 new citizens enter each The population has risen from nine million in 1944 to eighteen million in 1964; the water consumption of arid Los Angeles proportionately more so. There is a project under way to aqueduct water from wet North California to the arid South, and meanwhile, weekend cabins blossom over the Mojave Desert to provide peace for congested Los Angeles citizens. The fogs roll off the sea to hide alike the rescue missions and roaring winds of downtown Skid Row. Being in a federal union, California is not able to limit immigration from within the States, although the public health inspection for livestock on entry is a reminder of Statehood whilst travelling. For professional people, the Californian Bar and Medical Board alike set standards calculated to deter the old, but once inside, individual effort is rewarded and failure penalised. The State may have more millionaires than many others, but it also has 62,000 convicted persons over the age of eight in institutions, compared with Britain's 35,000. The proportionate difference is almost sixfold. Among prisoners, there are disproportionate numbers of Negroes and Mexicans, and the unemployment rate among both is three times higher than among whites. Nor are these the only figures on the debit side, for Cali-
day.
153
fornians have taken to alcohol and a big way. "The Doors of Perception" opened by one Californian resident have led to extensive use of Huxley's cerebral stimulants, mainly among college personnel, and 12,000 registered narcotic addicts swell the criminal problem. Such figures are suspect, together with those purporting to say that 60% of county jail inmates are committed for crimes in association with alcohol, for definitions are vague in this complex field. Asked to discuss these problems, the group psychotherapy inmates in San Quentin's narcotic treatment programme described California as a materialistic frontier land, in which no holds were barred and the weakest went to the wall. It was a very intuitive comment. Neither Skid Row nor the convicts of San Quentin are likely to detain long the interest of a British expert, offered a $20,000 a year income at Stanford. This wealthy private university is never likely to emulate the 70,000 students in the seven campuses of the University of California, but lies like a magnet on the field of American academic life. Britain is not alone in deploring the loss of her brightest sons, for in the same boat are many of the Mid-Western Universities, and older foundations like Harvard, where the School of Business recently waxed eloquent over their losses to the attractions and shameless toutings from their sister institution at Stanford. Perhaps it is some consolation that since there is no equivalent school of business in Britain, we do not need to deplore the loss of possible teachers in this field. For the potential brain-drainee, it is important to compare obtainable salaries in California and Britain. Excepting the Los Angeles area, there seems a similar purchasing power for the Californian salary in the different parts of the State. This is less true for Britain. Londoners, by the very nature of their congestion, are obliged to defray their incomes on expensive housing and transportation, in a way which is not true for the Northerner, although his salary may be slightly less. The English pound probably buys
1 slightly more in North Wales than does in London, and much more tb3' the $2-82 at current rate of exchafl^ in California. A few examples to trate this; bread costs Is. 3d. to Is. 6, in North Wales, 39c. to 65c. in fornia per lb. loaf (14c. = lamb and beef cost 3s. Od. and 5s. against 39c. and 150c. per pound; j costs Is. 8d. and 44c. per
narcotics in
illj^
^
imperl3|
quart; housing ?2,000 per boxy,
tW?|
bedroomed brick bungalow agai^5' $12,000 for an equally boxy fra#1 bungalow near San Diego. A prof?i sional four-bedroom house would s$ at ?5,000 with central heating in Wales, against $25,000 with air con4' tioning near Sacramento. help can be available in North at 4s. to 5s. per hour; it is unobtainab' in most parts of California. It is $ cost of skilled house repairs, such $50 for a half-day plumbing j which is the real rub, and many C$\ fornian professional people spend of the weekend doing their own repa'r
NofjP Domesj1,
Wa^;
^ incideij.
Four conclusions
Despite Medicare schemes, baB* ruptcy still occasionally occurs as result of long illnesses beyond & scope of medical insurance. A disc11 sion on comparative purchasing p?^,e j
of pound and $2-8 salaries provi# endless disputation between and English colleagues, from four conclusions usually emerged; that at the standard rate of the pound bought between a third a" a half more in provincial Britain tba the equivalent $2-8 outside Los Angel j, in California; secondly, a car for ' husband and wife was necessary California, whereas in Britain, wit" still existing and viable public port, one car was often adeqi^v thirdly, comparing salaries of eq lent positions such as copy typists, American girl had a real increase her standard of living; whilst the standard of interior house furn'5\ , ing and appliances expected was the more superior in California ^ Wales.
