THE INFERIORITY COMPLEX

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 53, Issue 3827, 30 October 1936, Page 3

THE INFERIORITY COMPLEX

PSYCHOLOGY AND THE, CHILD. “The attitude of general disapproval with little children is fatal to the natural growth of the child’s spirit. To keep on saying to a child, ‘You can’t do it better than that’ means it won’t do so,” writes the Rev. Ernest G. Braham, M.A., Ph.D., in his book, “Psychology and the Child.” “‘You never do anything well’ constantly repeated to the child means ‘it never krill’ while such people, have its training in hand. Children respond to encouragement. I shall never forget the surprised look on a boy’s face, when I was teaching in a day school, who had been thoroughly repressed at home and by a certain teacher in a previous class. His work was certainly poor. There was, however, a slight improvement. I said to him, ‘There is a real improvement in your work, William’ (he was only eight years old). The response was exactly a revelation of what the child thought -of himself, as a result of the unfortunate treatment he had received. He said pathetically, ‘Sir, I thought it was worse.’ The attitude of general disapproval always induces in the child the sense of inferiority. Do not withhold praise from children.”