Loners

by Sula Wolff

Some children seem different, detached, disinterested in the games of other children. They prefer their hobbies to friends of their own age and if forced into community activities, as they often are at school, can become aggressive and difficult. In Loners , Sula Wolff describes a childhood personality syndrome that has frequently been neglected. Often using children's own words, their lives and problems become real as she unwraps their stories from first referral to adulthood. Some have become talented and successful adults, whilst others are less fortunate in later years. Carefully documented and meticulously researched, this study makes compelling reading.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction

204 pages, Paperback

First published August 17, 1995

Reviews

[Elisabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book reads like a 200 page long "Results & Discussion" section of a primary research paper. It tries to do a lot with a little, because there is not much similar research on life outcomes of "loners." The writing style is scientific, and while it does give end-paragraph summaries it is only at the end of thorough comments on the statistics and findings after analysis. Most prominently, it is a statistical exploration in to the most appropriate diagnostic label for these "loners," personal life outcomes of schizoid boys and girls (mostly marriage and employment), risks of later psychiatric illness (suicide, schizophrenia), links to familial autism, schizophrenia, and giftedness, and suggestions for the most appropriate treatment for the best future achievement. There are short case-study vignettes of a number of schizoid boys and girls, and control boys and girls, mixed in throughout, but these are not extensive.

The most important thing to remember is that the populations studied here are children that were referred to a psychiatric clinic. Many of these children had conduct disorders or other antisocial personality features, with aggressive behaviors or delinquency. Interestingly, the schizoid children were more likely to be referred for treatment for purely personality reasons and being "loners." Still, the schizoid children referred to the clinic would be significantly more disturbed than the general population of schizoid children who do not require psychiatric treatment. As such, it is sort of a "worst case scenario." That's actually relieving. There are many positive findings here that should put parents at ease: risk of suicide is low, risk of schizophrenia is low, and independence is often achieved, leading to marriage and family. When parents stop trying to force their child to change and conform, prospects improve. Adolescence is the most difficult time, and support and acceptance through these years allows these schizoid/Aspergers children to get through it until they can finally exit school and be themselves. Things tend to improve after that point.

This is a very long statistical foray in to the question of: What happens to these loners (who fall in to the schizoid/Aspergers spectrums) when they grow up?

As is often repeated, this cannot really be predicted on an individual level. There are certain factors that predict particularly negative outcomes, but overall it is a toss of the dice. There is nothing to fear. I gave only 3 stars because I wanted more extensive case studies in to their personal worlds. This book admits its bias where applicable and instill doubt in their findings where there is significant uncertainty in validity, and I appreciated the honesty.

[Clivemichael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very thought provoking