The 'world of abnormal rearing' (WAR) refers to rearing in which a child does not learn basic interpersonal skills. Under a condition of WAR, children do not learn how to have their needs meet through acceptable behavior. They either receive confusing messages about how their needs can be met or learn unacceptable behaviors for meeting their needs. Children must also learn that they are responsible for their own actions. It is not uncommon under WAR for children to have to bear responsibility for their parents' behavior, in that the parents attribute their own moods and behaviors to what the child has done or not done. The WAR also gives children little practice in creative problemsolving, since they are not given a structure of options for rational decisionmaking. Such children are also convinced they cannot trust others, and they are shown daily that feelings and actions are one and the same, such that there is a sense that one's life cannot be managed without acting on every feeling. If these children grow up without therapeutic intervention and become parents themselves, another WAR is created for another child. 22 references.