ERIC Number: EJ782697
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008
Pages: 4
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0013-1253
EISSN: N/A
Too Safe Schools, Too Safe Families: Denying Children the Risk-Taker's Advantage
Ungar, Michael
Education Canada, v48 n1 p6-8, 10 Win 2007-2008
In his work as a family therapist and researcher with children and families in educational and community settings, the author encounters children who are anxious, depressed, lacking in empathy, self-esteem and motivation, and naive in their expectations about their physical and mental abilities. They haven't been properly challenged. These kids miss exposure to sufficient amounts of risk and responsibility to help them jump what New Zealand human development researcher Terri Moffitt calls, "the maturity gap." This article explores how limiting children's exposure to danger deny them the opportunities to experience incremental amounts of risk required for good psychosocial development. The author argues that today's children are being denied the risk-takers advantage both inside and outside of the classroom. (Contains 6 notes.)
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Social Development, Cognitive Development, Self Esteem, Student Motivation, Empathy, Cognitive Ability, Individual Development, School Safety, Risk, Parent Responsibility, Psychological Patterns, Child Safety, Child Development, Student Responsibility
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: New Zealand
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A