Essay No. 30
A Psychologist on Discipline
BY
Meyrick Booth, B.Sc., Ph.D.
An Introduction to the Works of
Dr. F. W. FOrster, Lecturer on Ethics, Education, etc.,
at the University of Zurich.
IN spite of the immense amount of work that has been done of recent years in connection with educa¬tional psychology, surprisingly little attention has been paid to the study of character. There has been an abundance of vague talk about character, but the subject has seldom been systematically studied. The time has long been ripe for more exact thought on the moral side of education.
The works of F. W. Forster, of Zurich, are so valuable for the light they throw on the develop-ment of character that I think his ideas should be made known, however imperfectly, to the readers of this series. It would hardly be an exaggeration to say that it is in studying Forster's books, or in hear¬ing his lectures, that one first becomes fully aware of the absolutely fundamental importance of character for the whole of our civilised life. He points out, for example, that the scientific progress of the last
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few centuries would have been impossible without the training in self-discipline which the European races underwent during the period of their Christian¬isation. The lack of discipline, which is one of the leading features of modern life—especially in America and England—is not only likely to work moral and physical havoc, but directly threatens even our in¬tellectual and scientific superiority over the uncultured races. The enormous lead that the Western nations have gained in the progress of the world is no mere natural or geographical accident. It is the result of centuries of character-training, of mental and moral discipline. It will be easier to lose it than it was to gain it.
There is a general tendency to-day to ignore the fact that the merely natural or free man, not dis-ciplined in character and not yielding obedience to any definite religion and ethic, has really very little capacity for doing accurate or purposeful work of any kind. Forster reminds us that a civilisation is only possible when the crude life force which dwells within us is checked and directed by definite moral and religious aims. Just as water can only do useful work when confined and guided in some channel and not allowed to spread itself over the countryside, so the native energy of a human being is of no value for the work of progress unless it be disciplined and trained to work in ways useful—in the widest sense of the word—to humanity. But to-day there is a
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prevalent idea that mere individual freedom, un-checked and unguided, is the one goal of life, and the only true road to self-development. No observer of English life can fail to be struck by the astonishing progress made by this kind of thought during the last score of years. That this tendency should be described as "progressive " is truly ironical, as it is essentially reactionary. Its effect is to destroy the conditions of human progress and national vitality.
Rirster believes that one of the first needs of modern life is a true discipline in home and school, not the over-harsh and sometimes unjust methods which have often prevailed in the past, nor the de¬moralising freedom which is now destroying our solidarity, but a reasonable discipline that shall be in accordance with a child's needs, a wise training of character founded on psychological knowledge :
"With the propagation of humanitarian ideas, with the growing movement against the use of force —either in the school or elsewhere—the often un¬necessarily severe methods of former days are pass¬ing away. From some points of view the change is to be welcomed, but unfortunately this modern move¬ment has brought with it a tendency to relax all authority, and to substitute a demoralising laxity for the bracing influence of real discipline. The old method of control by force alone has not been re¬placed by a better method of self-control. Instead, we see a general falling away from the ideal of
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obedience and self-conquest, which, in spite of all its defects, made the old system of real value in character-training. . . . What the present age really needs is not an abandonment of the principle of strict discipline, which is indispensable for all educational and social work, but a psychology and pedagogy of discipline, capable of overcoming the contradiction between self-esteem and obedience, thereby securing the whole-hearted allegiance of the individual. . . . The disciplinarian's task is to harmonise two apparently contradictory necessities of social life and assign to each its due rights—namely, the exact obedience so essential to ordered social work and the legitimate desire of the individual for personal independence and freedom. It is altogether superficial to attempt to solve this problem by simply requiring a less strict obedience."
The true way, Forster points out, is to gradually secure willing and intelligent discipline, based upon a mutual understanding between teacher and taught, of the value of discipline. Children are quick enough to feel the advantage of discipline. A latent desire for the development of the higher self, through self-discipline and self-control, undoubtedly exists deep in the souls of young people, and the parent or teacher should try to ally himself with this heroic element.
The present-day revolt against authority and dis¬cipline must be met by educating the nation to a
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new appreciation of the indispensable value of dis-cipline for the very cause of freedom itself. The words of Carlyle are in danger of being forgotten :
"True is it that, in these days, man can do almost all things, only not obey. True likewise that whoso
cannot obey cannot be free, still less bear rule; he that is the inferior of nothing can be the superior of nothing, the equal of nothing."
The modern spirit of individualism, with its con¬tempt for all obedience, was first brought into the
educational world by Rousseau. His influence has
been immense. More than anyone else he is the originator of all the current ideas about obedience
being derogatory to personal dignity or incompatible
with self-development, about discipline crushing in¬dividuality, and so on. As a reaction against the
conditions which preceded the French Revolution we can sympathise with his position. But he was no psychologist, and was profoundly ignorant of human nature.
This ignorance of actual concrete human nature is typical of nearly all the modern educators who belong to the "free school " of thought; and Forster says, speaking of them :
"If they only bore in mind what that strange, complex human nature really is, they would not utter so many vague generalities about ' freedom ' and ' personality,' but would rather define precisely what is and is not meant by these terms. Human nature
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contains such remarkable contrasts that the freedom of one part is bound up with the subjection of another. Which part, then, is to receive freedom ? What is personality ' ? This lack of clearness, this total absence of psychological insight, explains the one-sided and illogical suggestions which obtain currency under the name of ' freedom in education.' The undoubted good which exists in this freer tendency is made sterile by false and ignorant con¬ceptions. . . . It is of supreme importance to accurately and clearly distinguish between true and false freedom. . . . The root error of many modern tendencies is the confusion of true personal freedom with mere individual licence, of the higher with the lower self. . . . The disciples of the
new education ' begin with quite a correct idea—namely, that the compulsory forcing of children into a mould leaves their personality undeveloped, and even injuriously affects it. They do not perceive that the laxity of their own methods is even more dangerous. The true centre of personality of a human being is in his spiritual life, and can only be developed in so far as the spirit is trained to mastery over the whole lower nature. This enthrone¬ment of the spirit . . . is not to be obtained without severe struggle; a true personality develops precisely by the control of mere individual desires. The more the lower self is granted freedom the more hopeless does the development of personality be-
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come. . . . It is pitifully superficial to suppose that the elimination of obedience and restraint sets the individual free for higher development. . . .
"There are schools in America where there is simply no discipline at all. The children do practi-cally what they like. To indulge a child's every mood, whim and weakness is called the development of the individual. Many American teachers are so terribly afraid of demanding any serious effort of self-conquest from their pupils that their only en¬deavour is to make everything easy and interesting. Such schools become kindergartens in which the only motive power is the spirit of play. . . .
"A certain impersonal rigidity and firmness in the life of a school is an extremely wholesome cor¬rective to the weak subjectivity of many children, with all its dangers in the way of one-sidedness and morbidity. Young people need hardening of this kind far more than physical hardening. . . .
"It is really remarkable that precisely in our age, when so much is being said about ' evolution,' ' pro¬gress ' and ' education,' there are so many educators who seem to have no conception of the fundamental characteristic of all education--namely, that the person to be educated shall not remain what he is, but shall be raised up to a higher level than he can attain to unaided, shall become something stronger and more universal. This cannot be done, however, without strict obedience. . . . Unless the child
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can rise above the merely personal will, which is bound up with the lower self ; unless the natural self-will can be educated to submission, there is no firm basis to be found for the work of self-education. Without reaching this higher level, a human being is so much the slave of the lower part of his nature that he never becomes really able to direct his own life. It is through obedience that we learn for the first time to rise superior to our natural self-will. Self-will will otherwise exert a narrowing influence over our whole life, without ever attaining to the power and consistency of the will inspired by spiritual interests and trained to their service. It is a Utopian dream to believe that the natural intellect alone, without disciplining obedience, is strong and pure enough to be able to master the lower instincts ; the condition of undisciplined wilfulness itself chokes the deepest springs of spiritual power, and these can only open again when the self-will has learned submission. Moreover, force, unity and concentration of will only begin to be possible when the natural self-will, with all its liability to distractions and its dependence upon the lowest sensual impulses, has learned re¬straint. Then only is the energy latent in the in¬dividual made purposeful and consistent in its action. It must never be forgotten that self-will is the greatest of all obstacles to the development of true character and independence, because it is so largely in the power of outward distractions and temptations,
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temporary whims and impulses. . . . The ex-aggerated modern belief in individual freedom for the young puts children into the way of allowing themselves to be directed by wayward impulses, moods and fancies, and in this manner develops a type of character that cannot resist outward in-fluences. No one has less independence than he who has never learnt obedience."
It is very important to remember that the tendency towards an exaggerated individual freedom is not confined to the educational world, but is to be seen in varying forms throughout the whole of society; in social life, family life, literature, art, politics, ethics and religion we perceive the disin¬tegrating effects of individualism.. We live in an age of unrest, uncertainty and division. Our moral and spiritual ideals have become vague and fluid. The whole mental atmosphere is one of tension and suspense.
It is Dr. Forster's opinion that the present laxity with regard to Duty and Discipline is in the main but one phase of a general process of social disin¬tegration which will only be checked by the recovery of a central, uniting moral and religious faith to give purpose and solidarity to our society as a whole.
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