To label a child as lazy is dangerous

 

To label a child as lazy is dangerous

Putting labels means simplifying. Noticing a child reduces it to one word. This can be both harmful and dangerous. This article explains why.

We often ignore the dangers of stamping a child. Yes, how many times have we actually said things like "He's such a troublemaker", "She's lazy", "My son is shy" or "She's so intense, she just can not stop".

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In schools in parts of Europe, children are obsessed

Stamping usually occurs when parents see certain unwanted behaviors in their children. This leads to them talking without really thinking, without realizing what harm they can cause. In fact, labeling a child with a specific label often means that it begins to follow them.

If a child starts to get upset, it is not "bad", it just behaves badly. If a child does not pass the math, it does not mean that he is "lazy". Maybe it's late in development. Alternatively, the learning method used may not be suitable for the child. In fact, we could cite many other examples. However, this article focuses on the more specific cases where children are labeled as lazy. Stamping a child can cause the Pygmalion effect

The way you relate to the world and how your attachment figures see you, especially at an early age, greatly affects your self-perception. In other words, when parents stamp a child, they impose on it characteristics that can be completely wrong. However, they have an unfortunate tendency to become self-fulfilling prophecies.

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In 1965, Robert Rosenthal introduced the term Pygmalion effect. This refers to the phenomenon where beliefs and expectations of a person affect their performance. For example, if a child has difficulty studying and is labeled as lazy, it will eventually take on that role and become lazy.

A self-fulfilling prophecy is an assumption or a prediction that, as a result of having been made, causes the expected or predicted event to occur and thus confirms its own correctness. ”

-Paul Watzlavic-

The dangers of branding a child as lazy

The child may feel undervalued. This affects its identity and self-esteem. In addition, it can lead to feelings of anxiety and discomfort

The child takes on the role of his "label" (the Pygmalion effect). It believes in etiquette and will be limited to performing the associated behavior.

Stamping reinforces the behavior that parents want to avoid. Their belief in the child becomes self-fulfilling prophecy.

Parents may overlook certain learning aspects that may affect their child's development.

It does not take into account the child's feelings. Is the child motivated? Could there be an underlying problem that is not obvious? Does the child understand the idea of ​​studying and the consequences of not doing so?

Stamping focuses only on a part of a child's character. Other elements are forgotten.

Motivation

A child who is labeled as lazy can hide certain difficulties he has. However, this can only serve to make it appear even lazier. In fact, there are many learning disabilities that cause a lack of motivation. Therefore, you should always keep this in mind. Regardless of whether the child has learning difficulties or not, the motivational aspect should always be taken into account.

Motivation drives and maintains a person's behavior towards specific goals or purposes. Because motivation gives energy and direction to behavior, it is considered to be the cause of the behavior. Therefore, motivation greatly affects children's learning and growth and will determine their development.

What can you do if your child lacks motivation?

Here are some tips:

Watch out for expectations. High expectations can actually be counterproductive. In fact, your child may not even try because he is so afraid of failure. This is because children are extremely sensitive to the expectations placed on them.

Remember that it is dangerous to label a child as lazy. Therefore, avoid this at all costs. Labels are powerful and very influential.

Make sure you positively enhance every little achievement in your child. Also, continue with encouragement to keep its motivation going.

Focus on the process and not the end result. Count each day of study and effort as a small step on the road to success. See every day as a new challenge.

Get in touch with professionals. They will be able to assess your child and discover if there are any underlying learning difficulties.

Encourage communication. Avoid screams and negative words. Instead, use confidence and positivity in your conversations. How you communicate determines its purpose. For example, if you want your child to share their feelings with you and you scream at it, it probably will not explain how it feels at all.

Strengthen your child's study technique. Find out which methods are best for you and focus on these.

Establish educational standards and promote your child's independence. It is important that the child understands that his behavior has consequences, as well as that he must take responsibility for his actions. In fact, it must realize that its daily chores are his or her and he or she must perform them himself or herself.

Final notes

As you can see, you can take many steps to make children work harder. But calling them or treating them as lazy definitely does not help them to improve in any way. In fact, it will only diminish their motivation. Consequently, they will show less initiative and willingness to take on all kinds of challenges.

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