LUCKNOW: Changing lifestyle causing depression in children and further their nature get aggressive which is warning signs for our traditional society. Some recent incidents like a girl of class 6th standard attacked a boy of 1st standard in state capital as she wanted a holiday, while a 16-year-student murdered a 2nd standard student to defer an approaching examination and a parent teacher meeting in Gurgaon, indicates that in the fast forward life style, young generation putting more attention to secure their future, by keeping all values and culture aside.
According to psychologists experts, anthropologists and internet researchers thinks that, when children from five to fifteen attempts to commit a crime, which shakes the entire society, it forced us to think that increasing problems of children are inpired from or outcomes of westernisation, fast forward life, ignorance of our culture and heading towards glamour and internet.
Renowned anthropologist and head of Anthropology School of Lucknow, Professor Uday Pratap Singh told UNI that our culture which was enriched with harmony, equality, love, brotherhood and cordiality is getting affected with materialism these days.
“The tendency to consider material possessions and physical comfort as more important than spiritual values and tradition is diverting us from our basic roots of culture which was base of religion also” he pointed out.
“Industrialisation, urbanisation have disintegrated our family relations and promoted competition among youth for migration towards big cities for more income and better jobs” Mr Singh said adding that “nuclear families in compliance with flat culture doesn’t have time for their growing kids which is creating a big problem”.
Proximal and distal personal relationships were foundations of our cultured society, Professor Singh said adding that father, son and daughter relations were among proximal while distance uncle aunty and relatives were under distal personal relationship. In current scenario maids, crèches are playing role of paternal and maternal grandfather due to scarcity of time which parents fail to give their child, which is a major reason behind depression among the children.
Renowned anthropologist said grandmother stories, which were conveyor of old tradition are being replaced by technology. Children below five year age have great attraction towards smart phones, computer games providing such content that they should not know in that age which is resulting declination in tolerance among them.
‘Culture lag’, social change with respect to culture and original nature, causing problems, Professor Singh said adding that now devotion of teachers towards students and trust of parents on teachers is based on money.
Describing the recent violent incident committed by school children, renowned Child psychologist and Head of the psychology department, Lucknow University Professor PC Mishra said that parents have their way of interpreting their child’s abilities and skills, or lack of those. When they don’t understand their children, they may misinterpret or misjudge them. Sometimes, these misinterpretations can be harmless, but most of the times it develops arrogance and depression in child.
“Studies have proved that children are directly affected by the amount of time a parent invests in their development. So, it is important for parents to educate themselves about the different aspects of child psychology and development so that they can contribute meaningfully towards the child’s emotional and mental growth” Professor Mishra pointed out.
Apart from that, Professor Mishra also said there are lot of factors linked to child aggression. One of biggest factors is children attracted towards violent video games. Recent studies have shown a correlation between violent video games and the behavior of young children. Violent video games influence children's behavior and their attitudes become more aggressive. These games are easily avaialble in market, and childen while palying think that same rules applies in real life which provokes them to commit crime.
In many cases child can be angry if he/she thinks that he was not considered as important as adults, his feelings and emotions were taken for granted. To emit their aggression many of them try to behave like an adult and violently, Mr Mishra pointed out adding that proper communication with the children is as much important as fulfilling their needs for instance. Recent incident when a girl of 6th standard stabbed a boy of class 1st standard as she wanted to postpone the examination. She chose to coomit crime instead of approaching her parents regarding her studies.
Further, Professor Mishra said that television programmes contained adult materials which provoke children to follow the glamorous trails and availability of everything on internet make it more worst. Children gets easily addicted with smoking, drinking and other harmful substances as they take it as part of glamorous life and when they don’t have access to these thing after being addicted they even don’t hesitate to commit any crime, he added.