By Madelin Joseph Guilt and Atonement on the Path to Adulthood is an article written in the New York Times by John Tierney about an experiment conducted by Dr. Kochanska. This experiment was created to teach kids how to be diligent and considerate when they are adults. It is meant to teach children at a young age how to deal with guilt as well as being able to have self-control. Children tend to start developing feelings of guilt around the age of two.
In this experiment, the experimenter would give the toddler a toy and would tell them that the toy was from their childhood and that they needed to be very careful with it. What the child didn’t know is that the toy will break into pieces once they start to play with it. The experimenter says “oh my” and observes their reaction. The child sits on the floor with their arms wrapped around themselves, hands covering their faces, and avoiding eye contact with the experimenter. After 60 seconds the experimenter told the toddler that the toy could be easily fixed. Not having enough guilt can be a bad thing. For example, “sociopaths who feel no remorse, but also in kindergartners who smack other children and snatch their toys” says John Tierney. Not feeling guilty for your actions can lead to or show signs of mental illnesses. This study relates to my life and many others because everyone, at some point in their life, does something that they feel guilty about. Whether it be that they took someone’s snack or stole money, they will most likely feel guilty about their actions. I can say for myself that I have done things before that make me feel guilty later, but my parents have taught me that it is ok to feel guilty about things and that I should just make a better choice next time. For example, my friend and I had hung out all weekend and she asked me to hang out again the next day and I said I couldn’t because I had family plans, but really I lied to her because I didn’t want to hang out again. I felt guilty about what I did so I decided to tell my mom what happened and she said that next time I shouldn’t lie but to tell my friend that sometimes I just need a break and some time to myself. My mom didn’t punish me for what I did she just told me a different way to deal with feeling guilty and how to avoid it. In the article, they say how parents should focus on the sin, not the sinner. Meaning that the parent shouldn’t spend time disciplining the child for what they did but rather explain to them what they did was wrong. This study was created to teach children how to deal with guilt and that it is ok to have guilt or what children diagnose it as a “sinking feeling in the tummy.” The broken toy experiment shows kids that if they are feeling guilty there is usually a way to fix it. In Dr. Kochanska’s more recent studies, she found that 2-year-olds who showed more irritation during the broken-toy experiment went on to have fewer behavioral problems over the next five years. This is because when the experimenter told the child that the toy could be fixed they realized that the feeling of guilt can easily go away if the thing that happened can be fixed. The main message of this experiment is teaching children the difference between shame and guilt.
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Ms. Carrigan's Psych ClassWe have been reading articles about psychological studies to inform the way we live our lives. Please explore, and we hope you learn a bit about the psychology in your life! Categories
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