James W. Prescott

We should be breast-feeding children up to 2 or 3 years of age.

— James W. Prescott

The issues of human violence and human pleasure are pivotal to any theory—scientific or religious—of moral behavior. Violence and pleasure are reciprocally related, that is, the presence of one inhibits the other, and certain critical early sensory experiences during the formative periods of development provide the neurobiological substrate and properties for either violence-seeking or pleasure-seeking behaviors.

— James W. Prescott

The effects of "maternal-social" deprivation, institutionalization, hospitalization, and of parental abuse, neglect, and indifference, upon infant and child development have been well described by many investigators.

— James W. Prescott

The somatosensory system... mediates emotional behaviors.

— James W. Prescott

Sensory deprivation during the formative periods of development leads to a high demand and need for stimulation later in life.

— James W. Prescott

The brain is highly immature at birth and is dependent upon sensory stimulation for normal growth, development, and function. Sensory stimulation is like a a nutrient—without it the brain does not develop or function normally.

— James W. Prescott

The abnormal social and emotional behaviors that result from parental and social (somatosensory) deprivation are directly related to impaired brain functioning.

— James W. Prescott

The pleasure-prone personality has a low capacity and tolerance for violent-aggressive behaviors. Conversely, the violence and aggression prone personality has a low capacity and tolerance for pleasure and for sensuous behaviors. As one goes up, the other goes down.

— James W. Prescott

Stimulation of brain pleasure centers can eliminate feelings of rage, fear, and depression.

— James W. Prescott

An infant or child is not "free" to select the nature of his sensory environment but is dependent upon adults for the quality of his sensory environment and, thus, [for] his neurobiological development and psychobiological predispositions for certain kinds of behavior. From this perspective, it is evident that before a child can reason and before reason can establish principles of moral behavior, the course of an ethical and moral life has already been set.

— James W. Prescott

When and if we choose to rear our infants and children in an affectional environment of positive reinforcements, then... by the very nature of that environment we will be free and dignified.

— James W. Prescott

Unfortunately, violence is often offered as a solution to violence.

— James W. Prescott

The causes of violence lie in our basic values and the way in which we bring up our children and youth.

— James W. Prescott

Recent research supports the point of view that the deprivation of physical pleasure is a major ingredient in the expression of physical violence.

— James W. Prescott

Most of our 'pleasure' activities appear to be substitutes for the natural sensory pleasures of touching.

— James W. Prescott

The deprivation of physical sensory pleasure is the principle root cause of violence.

— James W. Prescott

Laboratory experiments show that... When the brain's pleasure circuits are 'on,' the violence circuits are 'off,' and vice versa.

— James W. Prescott

Certain sensory experiences during the formative periods of development will create a neuropsychological predisposition for either violence-seeking or pleasure-seeking behaviors later in life.

— James W. Prescott

The contributions of Freud to the effects of early experiences upon later behaviors and consequences of repressed sexuality have been well established. Unfortunately time and space do not permit a discussion here of his differences with Wilhelm Reich concerning his Beyond the Pleasure Principle.

— James W. Prescott

Cultural anthropologists have gathered exactly the data required to examine this hypothesis for human societies—and their findings are conveniently arranged in R. B. Textor's A Cross Cultural Summary.

— James W. Prescott

Those societies which give their infants the greatest amount of physical affection were characterized by low theft, low infant physical pain, low religious activity, and negligible or absent killing, mutilating, or torturing of the enemy.

— James W. Prescott

Societies which inflict pain and discomfort upon their infants tend to neglect them as well.

— James W. Prescott

It appears that the beneficial effects of infant physical affection can be negated by the repression of physical pleasure (premarital sex) later in life.

— James W. Prescott

The detrimental effects of infant physical affectional deprivation seem to be compensated for later in life by sexual body pleasure experiences during adolescence.

— James W. Prescott

The percent likelihood of a society being physically violent if it is physically affectionate toward its infants and tolerant of premarital sexual behavior is 2 percent (48/49).

— James W. Prescott

When high self-needs are combined with the deprivation of physical affection, the result is self-interest and high rates of narcissism. Likewise, exhibitionistic dancing and pornography may be interpreted as a substitute for normal sexual expression.

— James W. Prescott

Punitive-repressive attitudes toward extramarital sex are also linked with physical violence, personal crime, and the practice of slavery.

— James W. Prescott

The world has only a limited time to change its custom of resolving conflicts violently. It is uncertain... how many future generations it will take to transform out psychobiology of violence into one of peace.

— James W. Prescott

Body pleasure is very different from promiscuity, which reflects a basic inability to experience pleasure. If a sexual relationship is not pleasurable, the individual looks for another partner. ...Affectionately shared physical pleasure... tends to stabalize a relationship and eliminate the search.

— James W. Prescott

Contrary to Dr. Benjamin Spock, it is harmful for a baby to cry itself to sleep. ...we not only teach the child distrust... but also establish patterns of neglect...

— James W. Prescott

The competitive ethic, which teaches children that they must advance at the expense of others, should be replaced by values of cooperation and a pursuit of excellence for its own sake.

— James W. Prescott

Modern technologies of warfare have made it possible for an individual or nation to bring total destruction to large segments of our population. And the greatest threat comes from those nations which have the most depriving environments for their children and which are the most repressive of sexual affection and female sexuality. We will have the most to fear when these nations acquire the weapons of modern warfare. Tragically, this has already begun.

— James W. Prescott