Psychologist Says Single Method Will Not Eliminate Delinquency

The problem of juvenile delinquency, said the chief psychologist of a noted guidance center last night, won't be solved by any one method, but rather "by multiple approaches in multiple areas."

"Delinquency isn't like the medical problem of isolating one type of germ to cure the disease," commented Dr. Milton F. Shore of the Judge Baker Guidance Center in Newton. "Psychiatrists have gone into slums and ignored the social problems," while sociologists have forgotten about individuals.

Not All the Same

Speaking at University Lutheran Church, Shore pointed out that there is no definite way to identify potential delinquents because "not every delinquent is the same. It's only a legal distinction that means a kid has been caught breaking the law, not a classification of people. "Why he did it' is a difficult question."

The Judge Baker Center attempts to solve this problem in spotting potential delinquents by working first through their school teachers and then with intensive observation and testing.

"The juvenile delinquent," said Shore, "seems to be trying to fill in a void in his life. If he doesn't get a feeling of worth from the community, he may try and get it through a gang."

On the other hand, the psychologist noted that the "gang" manifestation of delinquency is easy to spot of New York City's East Side, but doesn't exist in a suburban area like Newton. And where gangs are found in Boston, they differ from those of New York in a number of ways.

"Child-Centered Community"

Newton, which Shore termed "a very child-centered community," has several social agencies, such as family guidance centers, that supplement the Judge Baker Center in dealing with delinquency. The Center itself, he said, takes a "multi-disciplined" approach: "We have teachers, sociologists, counselors, psychologists, and various types of volunteer workers."

"We're beginning to select different solutions for different groups of delinquents," commented Shore. "The field is becoming very sophisticated compared to the past."