'Free Play' For Children, Teens Is Vital To Social Development, Reports Psychologist

A new theory about early human adaptation suggests that use of "free" self-organized play for children, teens and even among adults is a key element in the development of cooperative social skills. Psychologists suggest that the self-centered actions that led to the current economic collapse may, in part, be symptoms of a society that has replaced what used to be known as "play" with more competitive activities that require a drive to win.