The Search for and Discovery of Self Part II
A Book For Families: A Plea For Giving Fit Parents Back Their Right To Raise Their Children As They See Fit
by
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PREFACE
Before discussing the application of therapeutic intervention using Type and Temperament theory I will describe the atmosphere of the school and community which inspired its evolution.
The small community in East LA was made up of two rival gang factions, East-side and North-side. It had been school policy to have the East-side group come to school in the morning for four hours and, the North-side come in the afternoon - to avoid confrontation and gang activities.
One fine day our well meaning principal decided he would like to combine the two groups because we were on a half-day schedule and some of the parents had complained that their children were being deprived of their education. Needless to say, we were on alert. Everything went fairly well until the last break. I was a Counselor, Psychologist, and Administrative Assistant and had yard duty during the breaks. As the bell rang and I went out on supervision, I noticed that the two gangs were confronting each other. I got in the middle and tried to calm them down - to no avail. Individual fights broke out simultaneously (Before it was over we had seven police cars answer our distress calls.). The Administrator was facing off with a charging student, the other counselor was on the ground with an enraged student trying to bite him in the testicles, and I was confronting students attempting to get them to go to their classrooms. Just as a student I was urging to go back to the classroom or be carried back was raising his arms to attack a police officer came up behind him and subdued and arrested him. The next day one of the officers came back to our school to ask if anyone had found his weapon he had lost in the scuffle. Unfortunately, no one had.
Another incident occurred with one of the residents of a Boys Home, made up of Afro-Americans placed by the Court for various crimes in the Inner City. It was felt that by moving them to the suburbs it would reduce crime in the Inner City (This added two more gang factions to our community - the "bloods" and the "cripts."). Unfortunately, Hispanics and Afro’s were at war. The event described occurred when a new Afro student from the Home was placed in our school.
Norman was a 6'3" 195 pound very athletic male ISFJ who came from a home in LA where the mother was a Heroin addict and prostitute. In the intake interview I conducted with Norman he indicated he wanted to straighten his life out. I assured him I would help him all I could. A few days later a fight erupted. I was in the office making a phone call when the secretary informed me there was a fight in the quad (an open area in the center of the school). I immediately dropped the phone and headed out for the quad where I saw several students involved in a fight. One of them was Norman. I stepped in, and with the help of the male staff, all of the fights were stopped except Norman’s. When I stepped between them the Hispanic stopped, but Norman kept attacking. I pushed them apart and when Norman came at me I put my guard up. He was startled, and shouted, "What are you doing?" I answered, "Defending myself." He shouted, "Put your hands down!" I replied, "Put your hands down!" He laughed and said "OK."
Norman participated in individual and peer counseling and was tested and found to be reading at the third grade level. He was a Junior (11th grader). I got him into our basic skills lab and he began to progress. About a month had passed when we had another riot. A neighboring school had just played a football game at our school and upon leaving to board their bus words were exchanged, tempers flared, and the fight was on. This involved a whole bus load of students and the street was full of combatants. The male staff was quick to respond and I was in the thick of it breaking up fights, when out of the corner of my eye I noticed Norman. To my astonishment he was subduing combatants and helping us restore order. I can’t tell you how much respect and admiration I felt for Norman, but I sure told him.
Norman continued to make outstanding progress, both academically, emotionally, and personally. As the year passed he was released from the Boys Home and returned to his home of origin. He asked if he could continue to come to our school because he was close to graduation. I assured him that I would see that he could, but he would have to provide his own transportation. He did. Norman got up a 5:30 AM every morning to catch the RTD bus from LA to our community, about 30 miles east. He continued to progress and work toward graduation. From the type testing it was found that he had Artistic ability and through our Community Job Services organization, we were able to get him an apprenticeship in the City Graphic Arts Department.
As graduation time approached Norman doubled his efforts and after many challenges and support from a dedicated staff, he met graduation requirements (which were the same as the comprehensive high school). He was also given a full-time job at the Graphic Arts Department. On graduation night, Norman rented a white tuxedo and a white limousine. His family attended the graduation. We were all extremely proud of him.
About three years later Norman came to see me. He had married, had a little girl, but his wife’s Hispanic parents had not accepted him and were trying to break up the marriage. I told him not to worry. When they found out what kind of a person he was, they would eventually come to their senses. About five years after that he came to see me again, just to see how I was doing. He was doing fine, had control over his life and was with his family. I will never forget him.
Finally, I can recall, at the beginning of my career, I was asked to test a Hispanic student for possible placement in the Mentally Retarded program. As Spanish was my language in my Doctorate program upon finding that Ramon spoke fluent Spanish, I tested him in his native language. He tested in the gifted range, 130+ IQ. Can you imagine what it would have done to his self image if I had labeled him "retarded," because of his language deficiency? He was placed in our regular program and the Computerized Basic Skills Lab. Although he left school to join the work force, he came to see me about ten years later. He had a good job, was married, and had two children. He thanked me for what I had done for him and wished me well. Needless to say, I love my kids, and in some instances became a surrogate father to them. Their reciprocal love and respect made me even more determined to prove a comprehensive program for them.
I have one more case, even though it saddens my heart to discuss it. John was a small student with considerable artistic ability, and never a problem at school. He was a INFP (Artist) and participated in Peer Group and Individual Counseling. John’s problem was that he lived on the wrong side of town (he was a member of a rival gang for his own protection). He had been attacked in the streets several times. Consequently, he started carrying a weapon. Unfortunately he was caught, arrested and sent to prison. In Folsom he was involved in a gang riot in which several inmates were killed. He went from a 5 to 10 year felony to two life terms and was sent to Pelican Bay, the highest security prison in the US.
I have been communicating with John for 15 years. He sends me beautiful Christmas and birthday cards he has created himself. I sent him GED materials so that he could get his high school diploma, and encouraged him to study and make use of his time, so that if and when he should get relea
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About the Book
The Search For And Discovery Of Self
The book is dedicated to sharing the experience of the Author, Dr. Lester M. Halstead, Ph.D as Head Psychologist for Clark Co. Juvenile Court, Las Vegas, and a Counselor, Psychologist, and Administrator in a very violent educational environment (Alternative Placement School) in East LA County, California in which Dr. Halstead worked with returning Juvenile Criminals from camp in which the crime and violence rate was reversed, from 85% recidivist rate to an 86% success rate.
The book discusses the methods and techniques that were used by Dr. Halstead to develop the ability in young people to solve problems/conflicts by peaceful means (Conflict Mediation/Negotiation), to reduce their violent, aggressive, antisocial behavior, and get back on a positive track leading to a happy, productive, successful life.
The importance of early identification of Passive, Aggressive and Asocial tendencies and different learning styles and gifts and talents in young people is discussed; and new tests (The Halstead Polarity Test and Type Test) for accomplishing this goal are introduced for implementation and application in the Criminal Justice and Educational systems
Dr. Halstead discusses the ADS (Affection Dysfunction Syndrome) and its detrimental effect on the development of the ability to form intimate, trusting, affectional relationships with significant others, and its relationship to a personality void of conscience, a sense of right or wrong (Anti-Social/Psychopathic personality); and effective interventions.
The book is a must for anyone who wishes to effectively intervene in redirecting the antisocial, sociopathic, violent, criminal individual. It explicitly identifies the problems leading to the breakdown of the values and principles associated with character and effective interpersonal relations in our society; and the importance of Character Education in the schools and giving back the right to "Fit Parents to Raise their Children as They see Fit."
After a hundred years of Psychology/Psychotherapy our society is in much worse condition than when it started. Crime and violence, homicide, immorality, and dissolution of the family is occurring rampantly throughout the world, in our homes, schools, and communities. This is partially related to "misinformation and misunderstanding" regarding parent’s right to discipline their children using corporal punishment, when all else fails, on the premise that it leads to aggressive behavior. Four decades of "enlightenment" postulated by psychological theory and the Criminal Justice System, which is unsupported by empirical evidence, has resulted in a deadly increase of violence and aggression in our homes, schools, and communities throughout the world. This work is a plea for a return to "reality" and a reversal of the degeneration of our families, children, and society.
About the Author
Dr. Halstead's thirty-years of educational experience include working in East Los Angeles Co. with gang members as an administrator, counselor, and psychologist; and as Head Psychologist for the Clark County Juvenile Court in Las Vegas Nevada.
In 1996, he received a $21,000 grant on School Violence Reduction and became the director of the Conflict Mediation Program for the school district and the community of Baldwin Park.
In 1998 he assisted in writing and received a $96,000 grant for Drug/Alcohol/Tobacco Education (DATE).
In 1999 he pursued a grant for a Basic Skills-Inter-Active Computerized Learning Program for those students who are unable to achieve through traditional teaching techniques.
Although Dr. Halstead has retired he is presenting a class on Classroom Behavior Management at Southern Utah University (SUU) through the Distance Learning program which is available on the Internet internationally (classroombehaviormanagement.suu.com).
He is also doing volunteer work with Adult Probation and Parole (APP) as a Mentor assisting returning parolees’/probationers’ to make a smooth transition back into the community utilizing his Functional Conditioning (B=∫n S-R±) Type and Polarity Testing, and Diversified Treatment with considerable success.
Dr. Halstead obtained his B.S. from Brigham Young University in Psychology and Social Psychology in 1960, a M.S. from the University of Utah in clinical and Social Psychology in 1963, and a Ph.D. in Education, Psychology, and Special Education from the University of Southern California in 1976. He is a Nationally Certified Diplomate of Clinical Forensic Counseling specializing in Domestic Violence, Criminal Offender (Adult & Youth) Counseling, Clinical Evaluation and Counseling, and Child Custody Evaluation.
He can be reached for information regarding the programs/testing/diagnostic reports outlined in this book at his e-mail address: lmhphd@hotmail.com, 435-477-1396, and 435-701-5533 (pager).