The Interrogation Mark

Mark, a lad of eleven summers, was referred to the Psychological Clinic because of failure to pass a grade and for unsatisfactory school conduct. His social history revealed that he was the youngest of a motherless Jewish family of four. The balance of the family comprised three sisters and an orthodox father. His medical history was negative; conditions at birth and subsequent babyhood normal. At the time of our contact, he was repeating fifth grade work and incidentally making life miserable for his teacher and principal. The psychological examination resulted in a visual memory span of seven digits; auditory, six, with seven digits on two repetitions. Mark's mental age was twelve years, eleven months, and his Intelligence Quotient 115. On the performance tests, he demonstrated adequate discrimination, planfulness, and good trainability. The diagnosis was "normal mentality, slightly superior," and it was recommended that the boy be given clinic teaching with strict discipline at home and school, with sufficient outside interests to occupy his spare time and attention. A school visit followed the psychological examination and a consultation held with the school principal. He complained that Mark "hasn't himself under control and does not concentrate." Although not willing to label Mark as stupid, it was yet evident that he was unwilling to admit the presence of any superior traits. The boy's grades for the previous school year had been "6's" almost entirely, and consequently the school was loathe to promote him. However, the father made such a strong plea in behalf of his ?wn son it was decided to grant him a trial in the sixth grade. The work was so unsatisfactory that, at the end of the first month, he was demoted. Permission was obtained from the principal for Mark's early dismissal from school once weekly so that he could report to the Clinic for diagnostic teaching. He had come regularly for his