"A rigorous criterion of feeblemindedness": a critique.

Abstract

A .THOUGH critiques of scientific publications have long been thought to be of value, critical reviews of articles on the concept of feeblemindedness are seldom found in the more recent literature. Recently, this journal published an important contribution by Jastak (5) entitled, "A Rigorous Criterion of Feeblemindedness." It is believed, however, that the full significance of this article might not have been immediately apparent and that a critique would be of value.Jastak emphasizes the viewpoint that a diagnosis of feeblemindedness is warranted only when the subject's psychometric scores, representing a large number of different abilities, are in every case below the second or third percentile for persons of the subject's sex and age. He holds that the diagnosis should be entirely dependent on these psychometric scores. The purposes of this critique are: (a) to point out that other characteristics of the feebleminded were clearly implied in Jastak's article, (b) to show the relationship of these other criteria to the psychometric criterion, and (c) to discuss the significance of the psychometric criterion for a more inclusive concept of feeblemindedness.At the outset Jastak expresses alarm at the many follow-up studies on the paroled feebleminded which report these individuals to be living apparently normal community lives and earning a livelihood. Clearly, the implication here is that the feebleminded cannot do these things. Later in the article Jastak states (p. 376), "The truly feebleminded, as this writer has known them, consistently fail to manage their affairs with ordinary prudence. They fail to attain average economic competence by a wide margin." Obviously Jastak believes that the feebleminded are socially incompetent. Since he states that they never achieve social competence, he also believes that feeblemindedness is essentially incurable.In summary, Jastak states that the feebleminded are mentally subnormal and clearly implies that they are socially incompetent and that this condition is essentially incurable. Of course, there is no doubt that this condition is also developmental, i.e., it is amentia and not dementia. A synthesis of Jastak's concept of feeblemindedness as expressed in this