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Many parents claim that understanding a child's psychology is no easy feat. However, armed with a few simple tricks, parents will find themselves in much greater harmony with their children.
In our daily lives, numerous fascinating psychological phenomena occur, often unnoticed. By grasping and applying them to child-rearing, parents will be pleasantly surprised by the effectiveness. Below are renowned psychological effects applicable to parenting, aiding in children's cognitive and emotional development:
The Barrel Effect
The Barrel Effect implies: The capacity of a barrel to hold water is not determined by its longest staves but by its shortest ones.
The capacity of a barrel to hold water is not determined by its longest staves but by its shortest ones. (Illustration)
A child's academic achievement is akin to a barrel; each subject is a stave contributing to its construction. A child's academic success cannot rely solely on excellence in a few subjects but must depend on the nature of all subjects, especially determined by the weakest ones. Hence, when a child shows weakness in a particular subject, timely reminders are necessary to focus the child's time on that subject.
The Pygmalion Effect is named after an ancient Greek myth, featuring a skilled sculptor named Pygmalion. With hammer and chisel, he crafted a perfect statue, the most beautiful woman ever seen. Pygmalion couldn't help but admire it daily, conversing and caring for it as if it were a living entity. And one day, a miracle occurred, the statue transformed into a real woman.
This effect applies quite effectively to human education: Assigning positive traits gradually transforms individuals positively. Children tend to perform, complete tasks when they are expected, trusted, and respected by adults/parents/teachers. Therefore, wise parenting instills in children belief and self-expectation.
The Superfine Effect – The Secret to Smart Discipline
This effect stems from a story as follows: A famous writer attended a sermon at a church. Initially, he found the sermon very good, very moving, and he was planning to contribute money. But after 10 minutes, the preacher hadn't finished preaching, he began to lose patience, so he decided to donate only a small amount of money. After another 10 minutes, the preacher still continued to preach, so he thought he wouldn't donate anymore.
This psychological phenomenon is called the 'overload effect,' meaning that when stimulated too much, too strongly, and for too long, it leads to extremely unpleasant and resistant psychology.
Applying this to family education is very effective. Parents should stop at a certain level when criticizing and disciplining their children, avoiding repeated scolding that transitions children from sadness and anxiety to impatience, even hatred, and triggering a resistant psychology of 'next time I'll do the same thing again.'
The Ebb and Flow Effect – Effective Praise Technique
Smart salespeople often grasp this psychology when weighing items for customers: they always start with a small amount on the scale and then slowly 'add more and more' to reach the desired quantity for the customer without starting with a large amount and then 'taking away' from it, even though the final amount of goods given to the customer remains the same.
The evaluation of children is similar. 'Praise first, criticize later' is not as ideal as pointing out their mistakes first and then encouraging them. Children perceive when parents evaluate them, the 'affection' for them 'constantly increasing' makes it easier for them to accept and correct.
The Threshold Effect
This effect is quite effectively applied in requesting and persuading children.
The threshold effect is based on a common psychological phenomenon: When you ask someone to do something, if you start with too high demands right away, it's easy to be met with refusal. Conversely, if you start with small requests first, after they agree, then increase the demands, it will be easier to achieve the goal. Therefore, parents, when assigning tasks to children, should start with low demands. When the child has done it correctly, received encouragement and praise from parents, then gradually increase the difficulty of the requests, which will make the child happier to perform.
Source: webtretho
