New Dialogue on Psychological Conflicts of Primary School Students

Author: Zhang Huai Chun, Lu Xiang Zhi / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-06-01
Features: What psychological problems might second children face? Although children are young, they have already left home to enter school and are in an environment where family, school, and society interact. Additionally, the academic burden on primary school students remains heavy in recent years. Moreover, parents have only one child, and all their expectations are like a gamble placed on that child, leading to a generally urgent desire for their child to succeed. Furthermore, with increasing social competition and societal transformation, traditional values are being fiercely challenged by foreign cultures, resulting in a widespread sense of spiritual confusion in society. This atmosphere undoubtedly affects children. All of this can bring various psychological troubles to children, impacting their physical and mental healthy development. After reading the following specific psychological problems of primary school students, you may realize: (children have so many diverse problems), (children's behaviors stem from psychological reasons), (these usually troublesome behaviors can be resolved). Of course, we should not become overly sensitive, but at least when children exhibit similar psychological issues, we will be able to recognize them well. These problems can be categorized into the following types:
First, adaptation problems upon entering school. Newly enrolled children face the need to quickly adapt to the formal curriculum of school, learn to follow school discipline, adjust to new teachers, classmates, and the new collective, and mentally adapt to their new social roles, improve self-control, and address other adaptation issues.
Second, learning problems. These are common psychological issues among primary school students. For example, school avoidance, unwillingness to do homework, disliking certain teachers and thus refusing to learn certain subjects, or having no interest in learning at all; exam anxiety, extreme fear of exams, becoming extremely nervous and helpless when faced with them; fear of learning difficulties, retreating when encountering challenges; carelessness, being careless with studies; inappropriate learning methods; cognitive deficits such as attention, thinking, and imagination issues; poor learning habits, etc.
Third, behavioral problems. These are the most common issues among primary school students. Some children are aggressive,、 ( provoking or irritating others), and resort to verbal or physical attacks upon conflict. Some are overly domineering, believing themselves to be the leader in class and bullying anyone they dislike. Others are too timid, retreating in the face of challenges and often becoming targets of bullying. Some deliberately cause trouble at school, saying, “I can’t learn, so everyone else can’t either; if something happens, they’ll pay attention to me.” Some become obsessed with the internet, abandoning their studies, even developing “online gaming syndrome.” Some struggle to concentrate in class, can’t sit still, forget or fail to complete homework assigned by teachers, and struggle to meet basic learning tasks. Some rebel under parental pressure, saying, “The more you tell me to study, the less I’ll study; why should I listen to you?” Some children get angry at the slightest dissatisfaction. Additionally, issues like truancy, lying, and picky eating exist.
Fourth, interpersonal and social interaction problems. Some have social anxiety, blushing and sweating when talking to others, or fear interacting with the opposite sex. Others refuse to interact due to being bullied, fear strangers, or are overly self-centered, picking faults in others, gossiping, or giving orders, making it hard to find close friends. Some are overly (low self-esteem), feeling inferior to others, suspecting others are speaking ill of them, or believing everyone dislikes or opposes them. Some overly domineering children form cliques, isolate others, and demand that others treat only them well. In relationships with teachers, some oppose restrictions, defy teachers, or constantly find fault with them. Others are overly nervous in front of teachers, saying nothing, or are overly (compliant). Some struggle to adapt to new teachers, while others cannot tolerate being ignored by teachers, envying their attention to other students, etc. These issues can lead to poor teacher-student relationships. Some only let parents handle their affairs and wrongly believe parents must obey them. Others have tense relationships with parents, refusing to talk to them or deliberately opposing them, even viewing parental care as a constraint.
Fifth, emotional problems. Joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness are universal. The key to understanding children’s emotional issues is to grasp whether their emotions are “sufficiently intense or subdued, strong when strong, and weak when weak.” Some children are extremely cold, lacking warmth even toward their own family, like emotionless beings. Others, at a young age, lack enthusiasm for anything, being passive, (negative), and indifferent. Some often get upset over minor things, crying for small setbacks, becoming discouraged, and staying in a low mood. Some suddenly burst into tantrums over minor disappointments or become overly excited over good news. Some are overly anxious, either worrying excessively or suspecting they are ill. Others are overly (timid), fearing open spaces, crossing streets, or small animals, even being afraid to go out.
Sixth, personality problems. This often manifests as severe lack of self-reliance, complete dependence on parents in daily life. They refuse to listen to any opinions from others, viewing everything through their own lens, with (prominent) self-centeredness. Or, they are overly sensitive, holding grudges, unable to tolerate others, and unable to control frustration and anger when their desires are unmet. They often harbor suspicion or annoyance toward others, viewing others’ strengths and progress as threats or hindrances. They are overly emotional, suspicious, timid, avoid challenges, fail to see their own strengths or advantages, and constantly feel inferior.
Seventh, other psychological problems. These mainly include: psychological health issues of children with intellectual disabilities or physical defects; the troubled emotions of children who have lost loved ones; poor psychological responses of children whose parents have divorced; the negative impact of poverty on children’s psychological development; psychological problems of abused children; the negative influence of poor community factors on children; the impact of harmful culture on children; gender identity issues (e.g., boys acting like girls or vice versa); psychological harm caused by parents’ poor personalities; children who touch their private parts; the psychological confusion girls face during their first menstruation; appropriate gender interactions for children; certain diseases in children being linked to psychological factors; children sometimes harming themselves. And so on.
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