TOMMY: PRELIMINARY REPORT ON A SUPERIOR CHILD By Miles
Murphy, Ph.D., University
of
Pennsylvania
Halevy, "is more dangerous than vice, besubject to the restraints of conscience." Serious as may be these excesses of virtue, they are so infrequent as seldom to be a cause of concern for a clinical psychologist. Divers indeed are the problems presented by those who come and go through a psychological clinic, but a father bringing a boy excessively devoted to telling the truth offers a problem of a most unusual and unexpected character. Such was Tommy, a huskylooking tow-haired youngster of seven years. He had bright, quizzical eyes and his face always seemed to wear a frightened and inquisitive smile. The father, who is a bacteriologist of thorough scientific training, has reviewed Tommy's case thoroughly, and says that so far as he knows, the boy has never told a lie. One occasionally hears an adult person making this claim, but the claim, if it is meant seriously, must be attributed to some hiatus in memory. Tommy's father realizes the universality of this defection, but still insists that his son unfortunately can not be classed with his fellows. "Virtue,"
cause
its
says
excesses are not
Since his earliest years, Tommy has shown an insatiable desire explanations of the things coming to his and he has been attention, given a truthful and adequate answer
for detailed and ultimate
question within the limits of knowledge. As his father expresses it, he has been given a tool with the edge that he can For example, he has known all the essential details of the use. physiology of reproduction in humans for the past three or four years. Naturally, he does not realize why this subject should be less appropriate for public discussion than any other, much to the embarrassment of guests in his home, and to prim hostesses when the family goes calling. As an example of his intellectual curiosity, when four years old he demonstrated an interest in numbers and spoke much of millions and billions. He had no accurate conception of the signifito every
of these amounts because he could not yet handle the comsmall numbers with facility. One day he said to his father:
cance mon
"There isn't
"Yes,
anything
there is."
more
than
a
billion,
is there?"
REPORT ON A SUPERIOR CHILD
"Oh, father, you're only joking; more
than
a
a
there couldn't be
anything
billion."
"Yes, there is." "Oh, father, really? "It's
185
What is it?"
trillion."
Tommy's curiosity was naturally aroused by this exceedingly fascinating information and he inquired whether there might not He was willing to believe be something more than a trillion. anything now. He was told that there were still higher numbers and the series was continued on up to a decillion, where the youthful imagination seemed willing to rest. He reflected a few moments and then said seriously, "When I get big I'm going to have a decillion silver dollars." His grandmother had previously given him a silver dollar as a present. "Yes, but there isn't enough silver in the world to make that many dollars," his father replied. "But suppose there would be." "Well, even if there would be enough silver, there wouldn't be enough room on the earth to put the money," said the father. "It would
cover
the earth and
Not distressed could
just
live
on
this
by
we
would have
no
place
to live."
answered that we "But where could we grow food
possibility, Tommy
top of them.
to eat?" asked his father.
"We would
cover
them with dirt."
equally thorough in practical affairs. On one Tommy father told him something about disease germs. It his occasion, was explained how these microorganisms were present almost everywhere, how they get on a boy's hands in playing, and therefore why hands should be washed thoroughly before eating. After this discussion, Tommy was seen to wash his hands religiously, and after he finished, he washed the faucet which he had touched in turning on the water. He reasoned, of course, that if there were germs on his hands some of them might have gotten on the faucet. This curiosity and thoroughness, while striking, did not cause the parents any great concern. Tommy had not yet developed his anxiety to tell the truth to the point where it interfered with his every day life. The present condition dates from about December, 1926. Tommy had been isolated in the hospital with scarlet fever. During his illness, he suffered from a good deal of mental confusion. The scarlet fever was accompanied by severe otitis media. When was
t
THE PSYCHOLOGICAL CLINIC
186 the
boy
returned from the
hospital,
he seemed
unusually
talk, but the parents at first attributed this to the that his strength had not yet fully returned.
clined to
ability
disin-
prob-
day soon after Tommy had returned from the hospital, his thought she heard his younger brother cry in another room,
One mother
and she asked:
"Tommy,
did the
"Did he?"
was
baby cry?" only reply. insisted, "Tommy,
the
The mother then
answer me,
did the
baby
cry?" There
reply
to this
request although it
was repeated exasperated and pressed the boy for an answer, but it was not forthcoming. The baby shortly settled the question by crying lustily. Tommy answered laconically, "Now, there you know." Tommy continued in this condition characterized by an unwillingness to commit himself when asked a simple question for about six weeks, after which time he was persuaded that a positive statement in regard to a question asked him would not make him responsible for facts beyond his knowledge. He recovered slowly, but completely, it seemed, until the condition recurred about November, 1927. Since then every statement of fact or is answer to a question is invariably followed by an interrogative, it?" "Don't I?" etc. Coincidentally, he has never, according to the knowledge of his parents, knowingly given a promise. He is obedient to their wishes, but so great is his fear of telling a lie that he never makes a promise lest he might break it accidentally, unavoidably or forgetfully. The practice of refusing to answer questions definitely was followed even with children of his own age. The only exception is that he has finally consented to answer his teachers at school because they made so many threatening and insistent demands. He explains to his parents, however, that he is "lying" to the teachers only because they are so insistent and he does not feel quite the same responsibility to them as to his parents. This attitude was brought out in his examination in the clinic. The examiner pointed to a table in the room upon which were lying three books, and asked, "How many books are on the table, Tommy ?'' "Three." The father was pleased at this definiteness. was no
several times.
The mother became
''
"Are you sure?" the examiner asked. "Yes."
REPORT ON A SUPERIOR CHILD
187
was then necessary for the examiner to leave the room and his return, the father asked Tommy to leave the room. Then upon he related what had happened in the meantime.
It
When the examiner had gone out the father asked, "Tommy how many books are on the table?" "Three, aren't there?" This time the boy would not commit himself definitely. The father insisted, but with no avail. the father
Finally are on
said,
"Can't you tell
me
how many books
the table?" "Is that a table?" then asked why he would give
Tommy answered, He the
was
a positive answer to replied, "Oh, father, genuinely vexed. The father
but not to his father.
examiner,
can't you let that be?" was silent.
He
was
He
After the father had recounted this back into the
brought why he
gave
a
positive
similar
reply
"Well,
if I must
incident, Tommy
He looked up very simply and I would rather lie to you than to my
to his father.
lie,
was
The examiner then asked the boy answer to him while he refused to give a
room.
said, own
father.'' The examiner
by logic,
thought
that
and said "Does that
lie when you told "No."
"Well,
me
there
perhaps
mean you
were
then if it wasn't
a
the
three books
lie,
boy might
told
me a on
be subdued
lie?
Was it
a
the table?"
it must have been the truth."
"Yes." ''
Now, if it was the truth, why couldn't you tell your father ?'' Tommy was silent, but the father explained to the examiner afterwards that he was not convinced, but merely marshalling his forces. He did not have time to do so. The examiner asked, "Why did you ask your father whether that was a table?" He replied that the object had two drawers, and that tables did not always have drawers. He reflected awhile, and finally said spontaneously as if he had arrived at truth, "There are three on the table with two drawers." He seemed satisfied until he was reminded that in order to be thorough, he should have added that the table was made of wood. Examiner and boy were both silent for a time. Tommy was
books
scratching his asked, "What
head and seemed to be thinking. you thinking about?"
are
The examiner
THE PSYCHOLOGICAL CLINIC
188 "I
am
wondering
when you
are
going
to release me from
this?" The father explained later that Tommy was not at all impressed by this logical method. He scorned the examiner and probably didn't think him worth a serious answer. Argument seems to be of no avail in combatting Tommy's condition. The on a knife father laid a table and once boy's asked, "Tommy, do you see the knife?"
The
boy replied
in terms that
implied
he
was not
altogether
sure.
"Do you "Do I?"
see
"Well, give
the knife?"
me
the knife."
to the father. Then, he asked Tommy, the knife if you didn't see it?" "How could you The problem seemed to have been solved by this appeal to the
The knife
given give me
was
pragmatic method, and then came this from the youthful epistemologist, "What is 'see'?" Tommy is delightfully consistent. In his school, they have a platoon system in which each child has a home room, but any single desk may be occupied by a number of children. On one occasion, Tommy was called back to his home room to be interrogated in regard to a piece of torn paper found in a desk occupied jointly by him and another boy. As a matter of fact several children had been in the seat since Tommy's last occupancy of it and he was probably innocent of tearing the paper. He refused to answer the teacher. She threatened him, but he still refused to say whether he had torn the paper or not. Later, his father questioned him concerning the incident and received the following explantation : "I really didn't know for sure whether I tore the paper. I put my books in the desk and took them out again. Maybe the paper was caught and got torn that way. How could I be sure?" Some weeks ago, Tommy's father gave him a stop watch, first, because such
ing
an
accurate measurement of time would be interestmind, and second because it might speed up
to his curious
the process of dressing, always a long drawn out one with Tommy. The stop watch measured fifths of seconds which interested Tommy very much. He inquired whether stop watches were made which measured still shorter intervals of time. His father told him that some
stop watches measured tenths of seconds.
He reflected for
a
REPORT ON A SUPERIOR CHILD
189
time and then a
said, "Father, wouldn't it be a fine thing to have watch that measured tenths of seconds, seconds, minutes, hours, years, and centuries?" suppose such a watch could be
days, months, "Well, I
constructed, but it would be very complicated and not very practical, particularly the part which told you the century. No one lives more than a century, and it would not be necessary to have a watch to tell what century it is." attracted
Tommy realized this fact, but he was still possibility of such a watch as he had suggested. such a watch, though, couldn't you father?"
by
the
"You could have
"Yes." "You
see
if I had such
a
watch and
some one came to me
and
asked, 'What century is this?' I could pull out my watch, look at it and say, 'This is such and such a century?if my watch hasn't stopped!" From many points of view, Tommy is maturity and normal childishness. Here offered during January, 1928, when he was of
a
strange combination
are two seven
of his prayers, a half years
and
old. "Our Father?take late in the
husky.
morning.
Make
me
Make
to
sleep?help
to
sleep healthy and Help me to
me
be strong, citizen of thine. me to
good country's flag better. Ask Jesus to bless me, will you? Ask him to bless father, mother, D., and especially H. Help me to sleep late in the mornings. Make me strong and healthy, and help me to be a good boy. me a
treat my
Amen.'' "Oh Lord watch
help
me to
the next.
sleep
Oh Lord
while I do my rest?and morning?and the next? and
over me
late in the
help
me to recover power to
speak
out.
Father send an angel from grateful with thee forever if I dwell thy host to lift me up to should die while the night is on. Oh Lord bless father, Make
to others.
me
mother, Amen.''
D.
and
H.
and
make
Tommy
a
good boy.
Murphy, Ph.D., University
of
Pennsylvania
Halevy, "is more dangerous than vice, besubject to the restraints of conscience." Serious as may be these excesses of virtue, they are so infrequent as seldom to be a cause of concern for a clinical psychologist. Divers indeed are the problems presented by those who come and go through a psychological clinic, but a father bringing a boy excessively devoted to telling the truth offers a problem of a most unusual and unexpected character. Such was Tommy, a huskylooking tow-haired youngster of seven years. He had bright, quizzical eyes and his face always seemed to wear a frightened and inquisitive smile. The father, who is a bacteriologist of thorough scientific training, has reviewed Tommy's case thoroughly, and says that so far as he knows, the boy has never told a lie. One occasionally hears an adult person making this claim, but the claim, if it is meant seriously, must be attributed to some hiatus in memory. Tommy's father realizes the universality of this defection, but still insists that his son unfortunately can not be classed with his fellows. "Virtue,"
cause
its
says
excesses are not
Since his earliest years, Tommy has shown an insatiable desire explanations of the things coming to his and he has been attention, given a truthful and adequate answer
for detailed and ultimate
question within the limits of knowledge. As his father expresses it, he has been given a tool with the edge that he can For example, he has known all the essential details of the use. physiology of reproduction in humans for the past three or four years. Naturally, he does not realize why this subject should be less appropriate for public discussion than any other, much to the embarrassment of guests in his home, and to prim hostesses when the family goes calling. As an example of his intellectual curiosity, when four years old he demonstrated an interest in numbers and spoke much of millions and billions. He had no accurate conception of the signifito every
of these amounts because he could not yet handle the comsmall numbers with facility. One day he said to his father:
cance mon
"There isn't
"Yes,
anything
there is."
more
than
a
billion,
is there?"
REPORT ON A SUPERIOR CHILD
"Oh, father, you're only joking; more
than
a
a
there couldn't be
anything
billion."
"Yes, there is." "Oh, father, really? "It's
185
What is it?"
trillion."
Tommy's curiosity was naturally aroused by this exceedingly fascinating information and he inquired whether there might not He was willing to believe be something more than a trillion. anything now. He was told that there were still higher numbers and the series was continued on up to a decillion, where the youthful imagination seemed willing to rest. He reflected a few moments and then said seriously, "When I get big I'm going to have a decillion silver dollars." His grandmother had previously given him a silver dollar as a present. "Yes, but there isn't enough silver in the world to make that many dollars," his father replied. "But suppose there would be." "Well, even if there would be enough silver, there wouldn't be enough room on the earth to put the money," said the father. "It would
cover
the earth and
Not distressed could
just
live
on
this
by
we
would have
no
place
to live."
answered that we "But where could we grow food
possibility, Tommy
top of them.
to eat?" asked his father.
"We would
cover
them with dirt."
equally thorough in practical affairs. On one Tommy father told him something about disease germs. It his occasion, was explained how these microorganisms were present almost everywhere, how they get on a boy's hands in playing, and therefore why hands should be washed thoroughly before eating. After this discussion, Tommy was seen to wash his hands religiously, and after he finished, he washed the faucet which he had touched in turning on the water. He reasoned, of course, that if there were germs on his hands some of them might have gotten on the faucet. This curiosity and thoroughness, while striking, did not cause the parents any great concern. Tommy had not yet developed his anxiety to tell the truth to the point where it interfered with his every day life. The present condition dates from about December, 1926. Tommy had been isolated in the hospital with scarlet fever. During his illness, he suffered from a good deal of mental confusion. The scarlet fever was accompanied by severe otitis media. When was
t
THE PSYCHOLOGICAL CLINIC
186 the
boy
returned from the
hospital,
he seemed
unusually
talk, but the parents at first attributed this to the that his strength had not yet fully returned.
clined to
ability
disin-
prob-
day soon after Tommy had returned from the hospital, his thought she heard his younger brother cry in another room,
One mother
and she asked:
"Tommy,
did the
"Did he?"
was
baby cry?" only reply. insisted, "Tommy,
the
The mother then
answer me,
did the
baby
cry?" There
reply
to this
request although it
was repeated exasperated and pressed the boy for an answer, but it was not forthcoming. The baby shortly settled the question by crying lustily. Tommy answered laconically, "Now, there you know." Tommy continued in this condition characterized by an unwillingness to commit himself when asked a simple question for about six weeks, after which time he was persuaded that a positive statement in regard to a question asked him would not make him responsible for facts beyond his knowledge. He recovered slowly, but completely, it seemed, until the condition recurred about November, 1927. Since then every statement of fact or is answer to a question is invariably followed by an interrogative, it?" "Don't I?" etc. Coincidentally, he has never, according to the knowledge of his parents, knowingly given a promise. He is obedient to their wishes, but so great is his fear of telling a lie that he never makes a promise lest he might break it accidentally, unavoidably or forgetfully. The practice of refusing to answer questions definitely was followed even with children of his own age. The only exception is that he has finally consented to answer his teachers at school because they made so many threatening and insistent demands. He explains to his parents, however, that he is "lying" to the teachers only because they are so insistent and he does not feel quite the same responsibility to them as to his parents. This attitude was brought out in his examination in the clinic. The examiner pointed to a table in the room upon which were lying three books, and asked, "How many books are on the table, Tommy ?'' "Three." The father was pleased at this definiteness. was no
several times.
The mother became
''
"Are you sure?" the examiner asked. "Yes."
REPORT ON A SUPERIOR CHILD
187
was then necessary for the examiner to leave the room and his return, the father asked Tommy to leave the room. Then upon he related what had happened in the meantime.
It
When the examiner had gone out the father asked, "Tommy how many books are on the table?" "Three, aren't there?" This time the boy would not commit himself definitely. The father insisted, but with no avail. the father
Finally are on
said,
"Can't you tell
me
how many books
the table?" "Is that a table?" then asked why he would give
Tommy answered, He the
was
a positive answer to replied, "Oh, father, genuinely vexed. The father
but not to his father.
examiner,
can't you let that be?" was silent.
He
was
He
After the father had recounted this back into the
brought why he
gave
a
positive
similar
reply
"Well,
if I must
incident, Tommy
He looked up very simply and I would rather lie to you than to my
to his father.
lie,
was
The examiner then asked the boy answer to him while he refused to give a
room.
said, own
father.'' The examiner
by logic,
thought
that
and said "Does that
lie when you told "No."
"Well,
me
there
perhaps
mean you
were
then if it wasn't
a
the
three books
lie,
boy might
told
me a on
be subdued
lie?
Was it
a
the table?"
it must have been the truth."
"Yes." ''
Now, if it was the truth, why couldn't you tell your father ?'' Tommy was silent, but the father explained to the examiner afterwards that he was not convinced, but merely marshalling his forces. He did not have time to do so. The examiner asked, "Why did you ask your father whether that was a table?" He replied that the object had two drawers, and that tables did not always have drawers. He reflected awhile, and finally said spontaneously as if he had arrived at truth, "There are three on the table with two drawers." He seemed satisfied until he was reminded that in order to be thorough, he should have added that the table was made of wood. Examiner and boy were both silent for a time. Tommy was
books
scratching his asked, "What
head and seemed to be thinking. you thinking about?"
are
The examiner
THE PSYCHOLOGICAL CLINIC
188 "I
am
wondering
when you
are
going
to release me from
this?" The father explained later that Tommy was not at all impressed by this logical method. He scorned the examiner and probably didn't think him worth a serious answer. Argument seems to be of no avail in combatting Tommy's condition. The on a knife father laid a table and once boy's asked, "Tommy, do you see the knife?"
The
boy replied
in terms that
implied
he
was not
altogether
sure.
"Do you "Do I?"
see
"Well, give
the knife?"
me
the knife."
to the father. Then, he asked Tommy, the knife if you didn't see it?" "How could you The problem seemed to have been solved by this appeal to the
The knife
given give me
was
pragmatic method, and then came this from the youthful epistemologist, "What is 'see'?" Tommy is delightfully consistent. In his school, they have a platoon system in which each child has a home room, but any single desk may be occupied by a number of children. On one occasion, Tommy was called back to his home room to be interrogated in regard to a piece of torn paper found in a desk occupied jointly by him and another boy. As a matter of fact several children had been in the seat since Tommy's last occupancy of it and he was probably innocent of tearing the paper. He refused to answer the teacher. She threatened him, but he still refused to say whether he had torn the paper or not. Later, his father questioned him concerning the incident and received the following explantation : "I really didn't know for sure whether I tore the paper. I put my books in the desk and took them out again. Maybe the paper was caught and got torn that way. How could I be sure?" Some weeks ago, Tommy's father gave him a stop watch, first, because such
ing
an
accurate measurement of time would be interestmind, and second because it might speed up
to his curious
the process of dressing, always a long drawn out one with Tommy. The stop watch measured fifths of seconds which interested Tommy very much. He inquired whether stop watches were made which measured still shorter intervals of time. His father told him that some
stop watches measured tenths of seconds.
He reflected for
a
REPORT ON A SUPERIOR CHILD
189
time and then a
said, "Father, wouldn't it be a fine thing to have watch that measured tenths of seconds, seconds, minutes, hours, years, and centuries?" suppose such a watch could be
days, months, "Well, I
constructed, but it would be very complicated and not very practical, particularly the part which told you the century. No one lives more than a century, and it would not be necessary to have a watch to tell what century it is." attracted
Tommy realized this fact, but he was still possibility of such a watch as he had suggested. such a watch, though, couldn't you father?"
by
the
"You could have
"Yes." "You
see
if I had such
a
watch and
some one came to me
and
asked, 'What century is this?' I could pull out my watch, look at it and say, 'This is such and such a century?if my watch hasn't stopped!" From many points of view, Tommy is maturity and normal childishness. Here offered during January, 1928, when he was of
a
strange combination
are two seven
of his prayers, a half years
and
old. "Our Father?take late in the
husky.
morning.
Make
me
Make
to
sleep?help
to
sleep healthy and Help me to
me
be strong, citizen of thine. me to
good country's flag better. Ask Jesus to bless me, will you? Ask him to bless father, mother, D., and especially H. Help me to sleep late in the mornings. Make me strong and healthy, and help me to be a good boy. me a
treat my
Amen.'' "Oh Lord watch
help
me to
the next.
sleep
Oh Lord
while I do my rest?and morning?and the next? and
over me
late in the
help
me to recover power to
speak
out.
Father send an angel from grateful with thee forever if I dwell thy host to lift me up to should die while the night is on. Oh Lord bless father, Make
to others.
me
mother, Amen.''
D.
and
H.
and
make
Tommy
a
good boy.
