Most of the problem behaviors covered here have often been called "neurotic" types of behavior by professionals and by the public. We use the more common term insecure, which accurately describes children basically lacking in confidence and frequently feeling fearful and anxious. In the United States, approximately 10 percent of children have serious feelings of insecurity that interfere with their functioning. Behaviors covered are anxious-worrier, fearful, low self-esteem, depressed-self-injurious, hypersensitive to criticism, shy-withdrawn, and compulsive-perfectionistic. Some children are described as cowardly or being a sissy. The cowardly child is fearful, timid, lacks courage, and has little self-confidence. These problem behaviors are covered in the sections concerning low self-esteem, fearfulness, and hypersensitivity. There is a growing interest in preventing the development of insecurity. Early exposure and education helps familiarize children with potentially fearful situations. Children can be shown and taught how to cope with new situations in an assertive, effective manner.
Insecurity may be prevented by raising children in a manner that promotes self-confidence, adaptablility, and optimism. However, since all children experience some form of insecurity, the basic issue is the effectiveness of helping children cope with their feelings. Almost all children become fearful, depressed, and hypersensitive at times. When this occurs, parents try to help byt are often seen by children as being unhelpful and critical. The key is to communicate understanding and that you are truly on the children's side, not against them. You create a psychological atmosphere of relative calmness and clarity of purpose. Within this positive atmosphere, you provide children with the specific problem. The aim is to quickly and efficiently help children cope with the expected feelings of anxiety, fear, and oversensitivity. By reviewing the following sections you learn how to teach children to cope with stress, relax, focus their thinking, solve problems, be assertive, and think and behave in an optimistic and positive manner.
Insecure Behaviors Contents:
- Anxious-Worrier
- Fearful
- Low Self-Esteem
- Depressed-Self-Injurious
- Hypersensitivity to Criticism
- Shy
- Compulsive-Perfectionistic
Relevant Topic:
- Behavior Problems of Children
- Immature Behaviors
- Insecure Behaviors
- Habit Disorders
- Peer Problems
- Antisocial Behaviors
- Other Problems
