Children's Secrets: Redefining Secrets, Privacy, and Self

Author: Fan Meinan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: This book, through phenomenological research, discovers that secrets are a key aspect of human growth—they show us how ordinary secrets in daily life help children understand and realize their gradually developing inner world and external world. This awareness, in turn, helps them form a sense of self, responsibility, autonomy, and intimacy in interpersonal relationships. This research also reveals that the ability to possess and keep secrets is a sign of children's maturation and independence; the ability to share their secrets with those closest to them is a manifestation of their growth and maturity. The book contains numerous authentic accounts of children's secret experiences, challenging the long-held traditional misconception that secrets are bad, unhealthy, or undesirable. It profoundly reveals the subtle relationship between children's secrets and their later adult lives. Written in a phenomenological style, the book is accessible and easy to understand. Since its publication in 1996, it has been translated into multiple languages, including English, German, Dutch, Brazilian Portuguese, Portuguese, and Spanish, and has had a wide impact worldwide. This book is both an academic monograph on secrets and their educational significance and a popular read about the ordinary secrets of daily life. It serves as an engaging resource for educators, researchers, teachers, child psychologists, parents, and adults closely involved in the growth of the younger generation.