Tinkler, F. C.

SEX AND TEMPERAMENT IN THREE PRIMITIVE SOCIETIES, by

Margaret Mead (Routledge, 10/6).

Essa resenha estrutura-se da seguinte forma: logo de incio, o tema geral do livro
mencionado, seguido pela exposio do problema de pesquisa. Ento, faz-se alguns
breves comentrios sobre algumas controvrsias em torno do livro, que logo seguida
pela exposio das concluses. O restante do texto lida com uma crtica bem localizada
no tratamente que Mead d ao conceito de innate disposition. Pretendemos
acompanhar essa linha geral de pensamento enquanto fazemos alguns comentrios sobre
a resenha.

Tinkler faz meno ao tema e ao problema de pesquisa em duas ocasies (itlicos

nossos):

1) Readers of Dr. Margaret Mead's book are more fortunate in that they will
scarcely have needed genius to realize that now there can be no arbitrary sex-
classification in terms of temperaments. (TINKLER, op. cit. p. 363).

2) Dr. Mead writes so convincingly and intelligently on the social determination

of behaviour that one is tempted to throw up one's hands in admiration and
endorse the publisher's opinion that this is an extremely valuable book, if not
exactly so original as they seem to think. (TINKLER, op. cit. p. 363).

Tinkler no oferece ao leitor uma enunciao mais precisa do problema de pesquisa,

ainda que Mead o tenha enunciado e reenunciado duas vezes ao longo da obra.
Levando-se em conta de que se tratava da exposio, mesmo que a um pblico
acadmico, de um livro, a omisso de uma definio completa do problema de pesquisa
dificulta o entendimento do que vira a seguir.

Ademais, Mead no estuda propriamente the social determination of behaviour, mas

sim o condicionamento da personalidade social dos dois sexos1.

Como quer que seja, a concluso exposta de maneira mais completa e clara, embora
Tinkler no cite propriamente a autora (itlicos nossos):

1) It is now becoming familiar knowledge that the attitudes and emotional

responses of two individuals confronting the same situation may be remarkably
different if they come from different social groups. (TINKLER, op. cit. p. 364).

1 Ver acima Problema de pesquisa e Concluses em fichamento de Mead, Margaret.

A Reply to a Review of Sex and Temperament in Three Primitive Societies American
Antropologist, n 39, 1937.
 2) Dr. Mead would immediately suggest that this is because the social patterns
are different and different attitudes in the individual are induced by the different
patterns (TINKLER, op. cit. p. 364).

Diferentemente do problema de pesquisa, a concluso, como o leitor pode perceber,

mais completa, embora no deixe em relevo que different attitudes o autor se refere.
Ainda mais porque aqui se trata especificamente do temperamento dos dois sexos
Introduo

Problema de pesquisa

Defeitos do texto

Concluses

Readers of Dr. Margaret Mead's book are more fortunate in that they will
scarcely have needed genius to realize that now there can be no arbitrary
sex-classification in terms of temperaments. p. 363.

Dr. Mead writes so convincingly and intelligently on the social

determination of behaviour that one is tempted to throw up one's hands in
admiration and endorse the publisher's opinion that this is an extremely
valuable book, if not exactly so original as they seem to think. p. 363.

Indeed, it would seem more profitable to use this additional evidence to

correct the focus on the problem. The main trouble is probably that a great
deal of loose thinking, largely prompted by party-politics, has been allowed
to obscure the real issue, and at this time it does seem imperative to treat
this question of the relation of the individual to his culture with that same
cool detachment and precision with which Dr. Mead herself tackles the
problem. p. 364

CONCLUSES

It is now becoming familiar knowledge that the attitudes and emotional

responses of two individuals confronting the same situation may be
remarkably different if they come from different social groups. p. 364

Dr. Mead would immediately suggest that this is because the social
patterns are different and different attitudes in the individual are induced by
the different patterns p. 364

DEVIANCE

In other cases the outer, ' peripheral' behaviour of people may differ
greatly from one society to another and yet leave their more intimate
feelings much the same. p. 364
Although Dr. Mead has done very valuable work in shewing the various
ways in which the social forms may mould or distort the personality it will be
seen that her use of the term ' innate disposition ' and her treatment of the
problem of deviants are naive. p. 364-5