"Successful man" syndrome deprives modern children of happiness, – psychologist

The modern world is developing: new cures for diseases appear, high technologies make life better, however, our children suffer more frequently from neuroses and depressions every year, said psychologist Ekaterina Melnikova in a commentary to the GolosUA correspondent.

"Unfortunately, this is true: modern children are times unhappier than those kids who lived 20 years ago. It should be noted that gadgets or knowledge of psychology have nothing to do with this trend. Moreover, most children do not even realize that they have depression, but very clearly describe its symptoms, and the growth of alarming statistics began almost 40 years ago," the expert said.

According to E. Melnikova, the first reason for this situation is perfectionism. In recent years, the level of social pressure has increased widely, and even a "successful man" syndrome has appeared. Over the past decades, the number of divorces has grown, social inequality has increased, which cannot but have a negative impact on children’s psyche.

In addition, the general pursuit for success has led parents to increasingly "load" children with expectations and responsibilities, which also does not contribute to psychological well-being.

"As the modern world increasingly focuses on achievements, knowledge and successes, the emotional side of life remains overboard. Psychological experiences of children, who feel the world more acutely than adults, become worthless. Moreover, sometimes children even feel guilty for being able to feel and experience," the expert added.

The psychologist also stressed that in the current situation, parents should pay more attention to the upbringing issue: pay due regard to emotions, desires, views of their children, do not criticize their child, do not demand super success from him/her and, first of all, love the child for uniqueness and originality.