Dibs in Search of Self by Virginia

Dibs in Search of Self by Virginia Mae Axline is such a profoundly interesting book because it demonstrates one of the most challenging cases I've ever encountered within the realm of child psychology and an effective yet, gradual method of dealing with this case. Dibs to me represents a child stifled and overcome with emotions. He is so choked with emotions he's become almost completely uncommunicative. He did not socialize with other students in his class, and would not engage with any adults except by way of hysterics or tantrums. Dibs in many respects had checked out of life and out of all social situations: he would not speak, but would hide under tables or in isolation from the groups. Axline makes this apparent from the start of the book; the example that she uses in this case is extremely well representative of the behavior that Dibs engages in as a whole: "It was lunch time, going home time, and the children were milling around in their usual noisy, dawdling way getting into their coats and hats. But not Dibs. He had backed into a corner of the room and crouched there, head down, arms folded tightly across his chest, ignoring the fact that it was time to go home" (Axline, 1967, p.13). As the reader continues on, it becomes apparent the intensive challenge that Dibs presents to his teachers, is something that they're simply not equipped to deal with: attempting to get Dibs to put on his coat or even consider the idea of going home is absolutely out of the question. Dibs refuses unequivocally, raging a tantrum with his tiny fists.

At the start of the book it is unclear what his underlying issues are: if it's intellectual impairment or if he's just stuck in a deep emotional labyrinth. Luckily, the adults in Dibs' life send him to play therapy where Virginia Axline, the play therapist and author of the book records his time there. The book is remarkable in the sense that it shows accurately and without any unnecessary drama, just how Axline was able to tease out a bit more of Dibs' personality from him each week.

One of the fascinating aspects of the book is how Dibs slowly reveals his sense of self over time and how play therapy is able to unlock the painful emotions that Dibs was unable to process. Some of the more poignant moments of play therapy were when Dibs buried the father doll and then locked up the mother and sister dolls. As a reader one is also able to appreciate the simply way that Axline engages in reflection of Dibs: whenever Dibs asserts that he has done something, the therapist confirms it (1967, p.161).

There are times when Axline has a tendency to over-explain some of Dibs' actions. For example, when Dibs buries the father doll in the sandbox and essentially creates a little prison for him, it's all too apparent what is going on. Dibs even asserts that he is punishing the father doll for being so mean. However, from the standpoint of play therapy, Axline is able to very cleverly demonstrate a solid technique to bring a certain amount of resolution and closure to the situation. Dibs acts out how the boy doll (which represented him) saves his father from the prison that he put him in. Axline is able to narrate this happy ending in a manner which gives Dibs a stronger sense of closure and which relieves him from his emotional asphyxiation. Axline states to Dibs, "The boy rescued his father and the father said he was sorry for everything he did that had hurt the boy… he said he loved Dibs and needed him" (Axline, 1967, p.181). This simple sense of clarity demonstrates how simple reinforcement of familial bonds can do wonders in helping a child process their feelings. This simple element of clarity helps Dibs to better understand his own needs and the specific dynamics which are going on in his head and heart and the fundamental elements of his bond with his father. Furthermore, the reader can clearly see how this exchange leads to Dibs opening up even further about what is going on at home, and how he recently spent time with his father, and what that time encompassed. Helping Dibs to clarify his feelings is something that Axline is able to do consistently, so that his progress is measured and stable through what one might argue is a person-centered approach to therapy (Mearns, 2003).