Children and the Dark Side of Human Experience : Confronting Global Realities and Rethinking Child Development

Their haunting images appear on millions of television screens and in newspapers worldwide: Children huddled in refugee camps and exposed to violence in war zones. Children burdened by the emotional and physical scars of violent homes and communities. Children exploited by crass commercialism around the world and around the corner. Too many children are confronting life-threatening risks and experiencing trauma. Synthesizing insights from psychology and philosophy with his own wide-ranging, first-hand experiences around the world, Dr. James Garbarino takes readers on a personalized journey into the dark side of human experience as it is lived by children. In these highly readable pages, Dr. Garbarino intertwines a discussion of children’s material and spiritual needs with a detailed examination of the clinical knowledge and experiential wisdom required to understand and meet complex developmental needs. Fusing anecdotal observations, empirical evidence, and an ecological perspective, he reveals a path to ensuring the fundamental human rights of all children: the right to safety, to equality, to economic parity, and to a meaningful life. Dr. Garbarino’s challenge to his readers: If we are to succeed in making a lasting, positive change in the lives of children, we must be willing to rethink the concepts of development, trauma, and resilience. Children and the Dark Side of Human Experience is must-reading for all mental health professionals, educators, researchers, social workers, child advocates, and policymakers – in fact, for anyone who takes an interest in the well-being and future of the world’s children. And they were bringing children to Him so that He might touch them; and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, “Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. ” —Mark, 10:13–14 I began writing this book during a trip to Japan in January 2002. While in the country I started reading anthropologist Ruth Benedict's classic analysis of Japanese society and culture, The Sword and the Chrysanthemum. Written at the close of World War II to help the American government plan for defeating the Japanese war machine and dealing with a defeated nation, Benedict wrote several things that struck home as I began my own work a half century later. For one thing, as she reviewed indigenous Japanese social analyses she cautioned, “They were amazingly frank. Of course they did not present the whole picture. No people does. A Japanese who writes about Japan passes over really crucial things which are as familiar to him and as invisible as the air he breathes. So do Americans when they write about America” (p. 7). That is part of the challenge I faced, to see what is invisible in front of our eyes. The German poet Goethe spoke of this when he wrote: “What is most difficult of all? That which you think is easiest, To see what is before your eyes. Front Matter....Pages i-xvi How Can We Think About Children Confronting the Dark Side of Human Experience?....Pages 9-15 The Right to Feel Safe: Trauma and Recovery....Pages 17-27 The Right to a Healthy Social Environment: Protecting Children from Social Toxicity....Pages 29-41 The Right to Protection: Child Abuse is the Root of Much Evil....Pages 43-54 The Right to Be Free from Hate: Protecting Voices of Compassion in Times of War and Political Violence....Pages 55-68 The Right to Be Economically “Regular”: What It Means to Be Desperately Poor....Pages 69-82 The Right to Equality: No Girl Left Behind....Pages 83-91 Home and Homeland: Displaced Children and Youth....Pages 93-106 The Right to Priority in Times of War: Would You Torture One Child to Bring World Peace?....Pages 107-121 The Right to Heal: When Traumatized Kids Need Help to Recover....Pages 123-132 Back Matter....Pages 133-157 "Synthesizing insights from psychology and philosophy with his own wide-ranging, first-hand experiences around the world, Dr. James Garbarino takes readers on a journey into the dark side of human experience as it is lived by children. Dr. Garbarino intertwines a discussion of children's material and spiritual needs with a detailed examination of the clinical knowledge and experiential wisdom required to understand and meet complex developmental needs. Fusing anecdotal observations, empirical evidence, and an ecological perspective, he reveals a path to ensuring the fundamental human rights of all children: the right to safety, to equality, to economic parity, and to a meaningful life."--Jacket Synthesizing insights from psychology and philosophy with his own wide-ranging experiences around the world, Dr. James Garbarino takes readers on a personalized journey into the dark side of human experience as it is lived by children. In these highly readable pages, he intertwines a discussion of childrens material and spiritual needs with a detailed examination of the clinical knowledge and experiential wisdom required to understand and meet complex developmental needs. Fusing anecdotal observations, empirical evidence, and an ecological perspective, this book is for anyone who takes an interest in the well-being and future of the worlds children.