social unit among all kinds of peoples is probably the family. The members 

 of this group are usually bound together by affection. The stronger members 

 protect and help the weaker. Each one exerts himself according to his special 

 abiUties or talents. And each one receives according to his special needs. The 

 "equality" within the family does not consist of giving young and old equal 

 quantities of milk or meat, or giving everybody shoes of the same size. It 

 consists of assuring each an equal chance to get what he needs or what is best 

 for him — within the limits of the common resources — and of assuring each an 

 equal chance to assert himself as a distinct person. 



Human Possibilities Each one of us discovers some things that he can 

 do with satisfaction. But each discovers that there are more things which 

 he cannot hope to master. Is he going to get his satisfactions out of what is 

 possible, or will he draw his misery out of what is beyond him? If one is too 

 easily satisfied, he will get relatively little out of his life; he will fail to get 

 the regard of others and of himself in proportion to his capacity to do and to 

 enjoy. On the other hand, if he attempts the impossible, if he is too am- 

 bitious, he not only will be disappointed, but will make himself ridiculous. 



It is not easy to find our way in the swirling currents and countercurrents 

 to which our own strokes or flounderings contribute. Human life need not 

 be the kind of struggle that goes on in the jungle, but it is still a struggle, and 

 probably always will be. The struggle now, however, is not for each one to 

 dig from the earth and to grasp for himself the bare necessities. Cold and 

 hunger can be met much more simply. The struggle is between one's own 

 feelings and desires — ^as a person, as one among others — and the demands and 

 pressures put upon him by others. 



We have seen that a frustrated infant becomes angry. The individual who 

 is constantly frustrated becomes permanently angry, resentful, full of hatred. 

 And he turns these feelings aggressively against others — against weaker per- 

 sons, against those he envies or those he holds responsible for his difficulties, 

 against institutions, against all society. A child who fails to make a satisfactory 

 impression upon others feels humiliated. He is tempted to withdraw from 

 others; he wants to be let alone. But at the first chance he may try to make 

 up for his troubles by bullying or attacking weaker children. 



Individuals may make a satisfactory adjustment within a small group but 

 find it impossible to fit into a larger community. A club may be merely a 

 group of congenial persons who have something in common and like to be 

 together for carrying on some special activity. There are many social clubs 

 or hobby clubs. On the other hand, the members of such a group may have 

 little to share with the larger community. They may become a "gang". The 

 individuals in such a group have to get the approval and applause of their 

 fellows. But sometimes they do so in ways that are quite objectionable to 

 the rest of the community. 



668 



