On the Fundamentals and Necessities of Promoting Parental Competence

Abstract

Because of the hard conditions of life in the history, which for many people was the main problem to survive, the treating of the children in the families was characterised by an authoritarian and harsh style of education. The growing social security in the last decades led to a loosening and to a more respectful and related dealing with children. But yet a considerable part of the population continues the tradition of development blocking or damaging regulations by punishment and beating, and sanctions are dominating. Also the schools are sometimes burdened by old authoritarian traditions. On this background, a real emotional maturity and reflexivity cannot be reached. But in our pluralistic societies, a balanced and a self-determined life only is possible if the individual person has a sufficient emotional reflexivity. A systematic support and sponsorship for psychosocial weak families and overtaxed parents is to demand. This is especially important for the time before birth and in the first year of life, where the basis of the emotional potentials is laid. Modern brain research proves that the conditions of life in the first time of life are reflected in formations of the synapses in the brain. Therefore it is important to transfer the broad psychological developmental knowledge from the psychotherapeutic field into the field of education and pedagogy, to enable more children and adolescents to reach the aim of emotional reflexivity.