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Bruno Bettelheim Biography

Bruno Bettelheim (August 28, 1903 – March 13, 1990) was the director of the Orthogenic School for Disturbed Children at the University of Chicago from 1944 to 1973. After his death allegations of plagiarism, falsified credentials, and abusive treatment of students were raised and later substantiated.

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Bruno Bettelheim Quotes

The unrealistic nature of these tales (which narrowminded rationalists object to) is an important device, because it makes obvious that the fairy tales’ concern is not useful information about the external world, but the inner process taking place in an individual.

Important, Information, Nature, Rationalists, Taking, World

Punishment may make us obey the orders we are given, but at best it will only teach an obedience to authority, not a self-control which enhances our self-respect.

Enhances, Given, Obey, Order, Respect, Self

Not only is our love for our children sometimes tinged with annoyance, discouragement, and disappointment, the same is true for the love our children feel for us.

Annoyance, Children, Disappointment, Discouragement, Love

Play permits the child to resolve in symbolic form unsolved problems of the past and to cope directly or symbolically with present concerns. It is also his most significant tool for preparing himself for the future and its tasks.

Children, Future, Past, Play, Symbolically, Unsolved

The goal in raising one's child is to enable him, first, to discover who he wants to be, and then to become a person who can be satisfied with himself and his way of life. Eventually he ought to be able to do in his life whatever seems important, desirable, and worthwhile to him to do; to develop relations with other people that are constructive, satisfying, mutually enriching; and to bear up well under the stresses and hardships he will unavoidably encounter during his life.

Children, Encounter, Growing Up, Satisfied, Satisfying, Stress

Since there are thousands of fairy tales, one may safely guess that there are probably equal numbers where the courage and determination of females rescue males, and vice versa.

Determination, Equal, Fairy, Numbers, Vice, Vices

Television captures the mind but does not liberate it. A good book at once stimulates and frees the mind.

Book, Captures, Doe, Good, Mind, Television

Plato--who may have understood better what forms the mind of man than do some of our contemporaries who want their children exposed only to "real" people and everyday events--knew what intellectual experience made for true humanity. He suggested that the future citizens of his ideal republic begin their literary education with the telling of myths, rather than with mere facts or so-called rational teachings.

Children, Citizens, Education, Forms, Intellectual, Plato

No longer can we be satisfied with a life where the heart has its reasons which reason cannot know. Our hearts must know the world of reason, and reason must be guided by an informed heart.

Heart, Hearts, Life, Longer, Reason, World

Whoever influences the child's life ought to try to give him a positive view of himself and of his world. The child's future happiness and his ability to cope with life and relate to others will depend on it.

Children, Depend, Giving, Influences, View, Views

This is exactly the message that fairy tales get across to the child in manifold form: that a struggle against severe difficulties in life is unavoidable, is an intrinsic part of human existence -- but that if one does not shy away, but steadfastly meets unexpected and often unjust hardships, one masters all obstacles and at the end emerges victorious.

Child, Encouraging, Fairy, Life, Motivational, Steadfastly

Parents ought, through their own behavior and the values by which they live, to provide direction for their children. But they need to rid themselves of the idea that there are surefire methods which, when well applied, will produce certain predictable results. Whatever we do with and for our children ought to flow from our understanding of and our feelings for the particular situation and the relation we wish to exist between us and our child.

Children, Ideas, Methods, Parent, Results, Situation

To be a good enough parent one must be able to feel secure in one's parenthood, and one's relation to one's child. . . The security of the parent about being a parent will eventually become the source of the child's feeling secure about himself.

Children, Enough, Eventually, Feeling, Feelings, Parent

Raising children is a creative endeavor, an art rather than a science.

Art, Children, Creative, Science

The question for the child is not Do I want to be good? but Whom do I want to be like?

Be Good, Child, Children, Good, Like, Want

Creativity stands at the center of all education.

Center, Creativity, Education, Stands

The child knows only that he engages in play because it is enjoyable. He isn't aware of his need to play--a need which has its source in the pressure of unsolved problems. Nor does he know that his pleasure in playing comes from a deep sense of well-being that is the direct result of feeling in control of things, in contrast to the rest of his life, which is managed by his parents or other adults.

Children, Contrast, Deep, Life, Parent, Play

The good enough parent, in addition to being convinced that whatever his child does, he does it because at that moment he is convinced this is the best he can do, will also ask himself: "What in the world would make me act as my child acts at this moment? And if I felt forced to act this way, what would make me feel better about it?

Act, Child, Children, Feel Better, Forced, Parent

Most advice on child-rearing is sought in the hope that it will confirm our prior convictions. If the parent had wished to proceedin a certain way but was made insecure by opposing opinions of neighbors, friends, or relatives, then it gives him great comfort to find his ideas seconded by an expert.

Children, Friends, Ideas, Insecure, Opinions, Sought

The only effective way to help well-intentioned, intelligent persons to do the best they can in raising children is to encourage and guide them always to do their own thinking in their attempts at understanding and dealing with child-rearing situations and problems, and not to rely blindly on the opinions of others.

Children, Intelligent, Persons, Thinking, Way

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