The Importance Of Emotional Education In Childhood And Adolescence
It is clear that practically all human beings experience emotions. Regardless of whether we externalize it more or less or whether we experience them in a very intense or moderate way, emotions are a basic component of our daily lives.
Of course, this is not a bad thing; On the contrary, our emotional side is there because it has been indispensable for the survival of our lineage for hundreds of thousands of years. However, it is one thing to experience emotions and another to know how to manage them so that we get the most out of them… and this is something we can learn to do at almost all stages of our lives.
In this sense, emotional education in childhood is a fundamental process to develop a good relationship with our emotions from our childhood, and that is why it is becoming more and more important in all educational areas, from schools to parenting by parents.
Let’s start by defining the concept of emotional education: it is the human activity of training in informing about the theoretical and practical aspects related to emotions, both in their detection and recognition and in their management and expression.
That is to say, being an emotionally educated person means having a certain mastery in identifying and managing emotions, something that can be applied both to oneself and to dealing with others
It is true that human emotionality is very complex and that the management of emotions has a limit; However, that does not mean that emotional education is impossible or that it cannot be applied to children and adolescents. Part of this educational process involves recognizing one’s own limitations and not trying to totally control our emotions and those of others; and on the other hand, the way in which they are educated always implies taking into account their age and degree of maturity.
That is why emotional education is very important already in early childhood, so that the little ones in the house have a guide and support from their first contacts with the management of emotions.
Benefits of emotional education in childhood and adolescence
The emotional equation applied to childhood is not an incomplete or defective version of emotional education for the simple fact that a boy or girl does not have a great capacity for abstract thinking or reasoning; On the contrary, precisely because Children have fewer resources to understand how they feel and what they can do with their emotional states it is important to help them in this process of self-discovery that they will carry out anyway, with or without our support.
Taking that into account, the main benefits of emotional education are the following.
1. Helps prevent dysfunctional or psychopathological ways of managing emotions
From what we have seen so far, it is clear that the fact of dealing with a very young child is not an excuse to dispense with emotional education; The fact of having only a few years of life is, in any case, one more reason to make an effort to educate the child emotionally
Ultimately, the learning done in childhood will greatly influence their subsequent physical and psychological development, and the influence of the way we manage emotions at this early stage extends to adulthood.
2. It helps them differentiate emotions
Knowing how to distinguish emotions from each other is essential to knowing how to give them an outlet in an appropriate way, without adopting problematic strategies which not only do not help relieve tension but can even increase discomfort or discomfort at certain key moments.
3. It provides support when empathizing
It is one thing to empathize with someone and another thing to do so without misinterpreting their emotions and feelings. emotional education helps them connect better with their friends, avoiding misunderstandings
4. It helps them reinforce their self-esteem in moments of vulnerability
Emotional education implies knowing oneself vulnerable to certain painful experiences, and that it does not speak ill of oneself to feel very bad in those contexts. Therefore, this process protects self-esteem and prevents younger people from feeling guilty for believing themselves too “weak”
5. It predisposes them to not give in to tantrums
From childhood it is possible to learn not to explode through anger at any setback. Knowing how to accept disappointment and not let frustration paralyze them completely Every time it occurs it will help them accept a good part of the unpleasant moments of the day by focusing on problem solving.
You may be interested: “Children’s tantrums: why they appear and how to manage them”
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