The Effects of Lack of Praise on Children

Academic Performance

• Sometimes students may become discouraged when they experience setbacks in their academic pursuits. A child may not perform well when he thinks that academic material is too difficult or when he has a negative mentality about his intellectual ability, according to Carol Dwyer, Ph.D, reporting in the American Psychological Association. In such cases, teachers may praise the child̵7;s efforts so that he starts to have confidence in himself and improve his performance, adds Dr. Dwyer. This implies that, with lack of praise, the child may continue to perform dismally.

Behavior

• Some teachers use the concept of positive reinforcement, where they praise children for desirable behavior to strengthen it and ignore undesirable behavior to weaken it, to enhance their academic outcomes. When teachers ignore misbehavior for a sometime, they are more likely to increase desired behavior in children, states Christy Matta, M.A., in PsychCentral. In the classroom setting, desired behavior includes paying attention, answering questions when given permission and reading actively without disrupting others. These practices are likely to lead to positive educational outcomes.

Social Skills

• Praise strengthens children̵7;s prosocial skills such as self-control, self-discipline, restraint and resilience, reports Ruth Peters, Ph.D., on her website Ruth Peters. The characteristics help children relate well with peers and other members of the society. However, this depends on whether parents direct praise at individual traits or effort. Praising children for their efforts makes them more likely to improve, and they can cope with setbacks, adds Peters. This implies that when parents do not praise children̵7;s efforts to socialize, the chidlren may feel discouraged, and they might give up.

De-motivation

• When parents or teachers regularly praise children for their abilities or efforts, the children may get used to it. In the end, this child may learn to associate praise with goodness and interpret the lack of it as a sign of failure or badness, report Melissa Kamins and Carol Dweck, for the American Psychological Association. Therefore, the child may become de-motivated when he successfully completes a task and his parent does not praise her, according to Changing Minds.