Unconditional Love

Can love be taught? A family uses a controversial therapy to train their son to love them. And other stories about the hard and sometimes painful work of loving other people. Prologue: Hard as it is to believe, during the early twentieth century, a whole school of mental health professionals decided that unconditional love was a terrible thing to give a child. The government printed pamphlets warning mothers against the dangers of holding their kids. The head of the American Psychological Association and even a mothers' organization endorsed the position that mothers were dangerous - until psychologist Harry Harlow set out to prove them wrong, with a series of experiments with monkeys. Ira talks with Deborah Blum, author of "Love at Goon Park," a biography of Harlow. (10 minutes) Love Is A Battlefield: Alix Spiegel tells the story of a couple, Heidi and Rick Solomon, who adopt a son who was raised in terrible circumstances in a Romanian orphanage, unable to feel attachments to anyone. Alix is the co-host of NPR’s Invisiblilia, which is back with its fifth season. (27 minutes) Hit Me With Your Best Shot: Dave Royko talks about the decision he and his wife faced about his autistic son's future, and whether he should continue to live with the family.  (19 minutes)