Saturday, April 21, 2018

The True and the False Self



The School of Life explains something that many (but not all) parents know instinctively: that children need freedom to flourish and the security of unconditional acceptance before they can learn to be their true selves. There will be plenty of time as they grow to teach empathy, social norms, and the rules of civilization. British psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott tells us that young children who don't get the chance to be normal selfish kids may end up paying for that deprivation later in life. A transcript of this video can be found at The Book of Life. (via Laughing Squid)

3 comments:

Daniel Van Riper said...

What a bunch of horsecrap. Letting little kids act like total brats is how we produce adults who are nasty brats that never grow up. Where do you think that thing in the White House came from?

Miss Cellania said...

You civilize them gradually, as they grow. If you don't civilize children at all, you get that.

Barbwire said...

I really disagree with the basic premise of needing to be totally wild and self-centered before one can become mature.