Observations on Elective Mutism in Children

There is a distinct variety of mutism in children which Tramer (6) and others call “elective,” i.e. partial, occurring vis-à-vis certain persons only. The children are “sensitives” in Kretschmer's sense, i.e. they are timid, shy, susceptible to teasing and irony, and come from an insecure milieu; the abnormality is often familial.