Growing Up Happy and Confident in a Society

1745 Words7 Pages
In today’s society it seems that all kids want is more, more, more. Children aren’t satisfied with the simple toys and games that were so novel to the previous generation. When the world is filled with war and depression, how are kids supposed to be happy? This paper will discuss some techniques used to help children attain positive emotion. This paper explores different techniques and beliefs in positive psychology as it pertains to child-rearing. Some of the issues this paper discusses are found in Authentic Happiness, where Seligman discusses positive emotions in children and how to foster these emotions and help them grow. This paper will also investigate the merits of different views on how to raise adolescents into happy confident adults. John Bowlby’s attachment theory suggests that if children have a secure base that they are more likely to go out from that base and explore their surroundings. So if a child feels safe and loved by his or her mother, that child is better able to learn. (Bowlby 1988) Seligman discusses how this exploration leads to mastery. If a child is feeling safety and love, positive emotion, that child is better equipped to explore, which leads to mastery, which in turn leads to more positive emotion, which starts the whole process over. Seligman refers to this idea as an “upward spiral of good feeling” (Seligman 2002). Bowlby and Seligman agree that with a secure base to start from, children will be more adventurous and explore their surrounding more readily. This in turn leads to more creative and open-minded thinking. Seligman proposes eight techniques for building the positive emotions that foster exploration and learning in children. The first of these techniques is sleeping with your baby. One of the main components in Bowlby’s attachment theory is the concept of safety. Seligman makes the point that when a baby
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