KJ Dell’Antonia (2016) wrote an article in The New York Times, about emotional intelligence and why parents should let their children fully experience their negative emotions. Dr. Susan David, a psychologist, wrote a book called “Emotional Agility” about helping a child feel happy again does not help them in the long term, only immediate relief is felt. Research shows that when teachers help preschoolers learn to manage the emotions in class, they become better problem solvers and are better able to engage in learning tasks. For teenagers, emotional intelligence is associated with increased ability to cope with stress and have a greater self-esteem. Dr. David emphasizes that not letting children experience negative emotions can lead to failure
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412). When parents dismiss or criticize their children’s reactions of sadness or anger, children become less likely to be emotionally and socially competent (Siegler et al., 2014, p. 413). They also tend to be lower in sympathy for others, less skilled at coping with stress, and more prone to negative emotions aggression (Siegler et al., 2014, p. 413). Parents who discuss emotions, teach their children about the meanings behind emotions, the circumstances in which they should and should not be expressed and the consequences of expressing and not expressing them (Siegler et al., 2014, p. 413). A parent who is an emotional coach communicates empathetic tolerance of the child’s distress but also uses the experience as a learning opportunity (Cole, Dennis, Smith-Simon, & Cohen, 2009). Cole, Dennis, Smith-Simon, & Cohen (2009) conducted a study on preschool children and mothers about emotional strategies. In one of their tasks, they found that maternal structuring was related to strategy generation for anger, which is when mothers would redirect their child’s attention from the source of frustration, helping the child plan how long the wait would take, or labeling the situation or the child’s feeling with emotion terms. One possibility they found is that structuring enhances children’s …show more content…
David came off as not wanting the parents to let their children know when it’s appropriate to show an emotion, especially a negative emotion. She came off as saying children should feel and show emotions whenever they want, but from the textbook and the article, I don’t really agree with her. I think the best way to approach negative emotions is to help the child with finding effective strategies to ease that feeling, which she does not discuss in the article. By talking it through with the child and finding ways to resolve the negative emotion, they will be better able to regulate their emotions that will benefit them in adolescence and adulthood. However, I really liked how she mentioned that negative emotions are usually temporary, and that teaching children this will make them feel stronger and be able to respond to that emotion
412). When parents dismiss or criticize their children’s reactions of sadness or anger, children become less likely to be emotionally and socially competent (Siegler et al., 2014, p. 413). They also tend to be lower in sympathy for others, less skilled at coping with stress, and more prone to negative emotions aggression (Siegler et al., 2014, p. 413). Parents who discuss emotions, teach their children about the meanings behind emotions, the circumstances in which they should and should not be expressed and the consequences of expressing and not expressing them (Siegler et al., 2014, p. 413). A parent who is an emotional coach communicates empathetic tolerance of the child’s distress but also uses the experience as a learning opportunity (Cole, Dennis, Smith-Simon, & Cohen, 2009). Cole, Dennis, Smith-Simon, & Cohen (2009) conducted a study on preschool children and mothers about emotional strategies. In one of their tasks, they found that maternal structuring was related to strategy generation for anger, which is when mothers would redirect their child’s attention from the source of frustration, helping the child plan how long the wait would take, or labeling the situation or the child’s feeling with emotion terms. One possibility they found is that structuring enhances children’s …show more content…
David came off as not wanting the parents to let their children know when it’s appropriate to show an emotion, especially a negative emotion. She came off as saying children should feel and show emotions whenever they want, but from the textbook and the article, I don’t really agree with her. I think the best way to approach negative emotions is to help the child with finding effective strategies to ease that feeling, which she does not discuss in the article. By talking it through with the child and finding ways to resolve the negative emotion, they will be better able to regulate their emotions that will benefit them in adolescence and adulthood. However, I really liked how she mentioned that negative emotions are usually temporary, and that teaching children this will make them feel stronger and be able to respond to that emotion