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This podcast is the narrated version of my article Why Telling People How Wonderful They Are Isn’t Always A Good Idea.
The habit of praising people has got out of hand in recent decades and little attention has been paid to its unintended side-effects. There is a way to praise children that will encourage them and increase their self belief, and a way that is more likely to inhibit them and cause anxiety. The self esteem movement has not tended to distinguish between the two.
In this episode I talk about:
- Praise and self esteem
- The unintended consequences of excessive praise
- The dangers of exceptionalism
- Counterproductive results from poorly directed praise
- How positive labels can do as much damage as negative ones
- How to handle praise elegantly
Or watch this episode of the podcast on video below:
References/Notes:
- Can the promise of reward increase creativity? Eisenberger, Robert; Armeli, Stephen; Pretz, Jean. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol 74(3), Mar 1998, 704-714.
- The Perils and Promises of Praise. Carol Dweck. Educational Leadership, October 2007 | Volume 65 | Number 2 Early Intervention at Every Age. Pages 34-39.
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About Mark Tyrrell
Psychology is my passion. I've been a psychotherapist trainer since 1998, specializing in brief, solution focused approaches. I now teach practitioners all over the world via our online courses.
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