Russell Barkley Rationalizing Oppressive Control

Barkley (1981), a man who has done more to suppress America s children than perhaps any other psychologist, stated, Although inattention, overactivity, and poor impulse control are the most common symptoms cited by others as primary in hyperactive children, my own work with these children suggests that noncompliance is also a primary problem (p. 13). In other words, an underlying primary problem with these children is their refusal to comply with adult authority. They are disobedient  

What does Barkley suggest as his approach to disobedience Not improved disciplinary practices and unconditional love to guide the children and to win their cooperation. Barkley uses his observation as an authoritarian justification for oppressing and controlling children with drugs. 

It is not surprising that many children are noncompliant with Barkley. Although not a medical doctor, he has been a leader among those who minimize adverse drug effects while exaggerating their benefits. He not only pushes medication he exclusively blames the children for conflicts they are having with family and school. As he put it, There is, in 

While this free pass may relieve some parents and teachers of feeling guilty, it undermines their sense of responsibility and efficacy in the lives of the children. By making parents and teachers believe that they have no control over the lives of the children in their care, drug advocates like Barkley disempower them. Mistakenly convinced that they cannot exert influence over the children in their care, parents and teachers more readily abandon them to authoritarian diagnosticians and drug pushers like Barkley. 

To the contrary of Barkley s oppressive attitudes toward children, any adequate, rational, and caring approach to helping children must view them in the context of the family and the school. Only by looking at the whole picture of the children s lives can we understand why they are distressed or distressing and how we, as responsible and caring adults, can better meet their needs. 

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