Perils of Praise

"Praise junkie" may just be an expression, unless you pay attention to the recent research of Dr. Robert Cloninger. His studies show that young kids who have been praised too often, develop a chemical need for constant reward. "A person who grows up getting too frequent rewards will not have persistence, because they'll quit when the rewards disappear," Dr. Cloninger concludes. For a few decades, it's been noted that a large percentage of all gifted students severely underestimate their own abilities. Those afflicted with this lack of perceived competence adopt lower standards for success and expect less of themselves; they underrate the importance of effort, and they overrate how much help they need from a parent.

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