The Concept of Parental Praise in Parenting

Abstract

Praise is stated as a good performance resource that can increase the individual's sense of competence and motivate their new learning. When the literature is examined, the importance of communication with the child in parenting is emphasized, especially the power of the words used by the parents. Parental praise is expressed as parents' repetition of the desired behaviors in children and giving feedback that will make them feel warm and sensitive with their words and behaviors in order to indicate the satisfaction felt towards them. Studies emphasize that parental praise is an important method in child development and a method that parents use very often. It is reported that many parents prefer to use praise as a tool to build self-confidence in their child. In terms of positive discipline, it is assumed that praise creates a reward value as a result of operant conditioning and can affect behavioral acquisition in the child's development. The type of parental praise plays an important role in how children form their self-image. It is in these early relationships that children first begin to feel capable, competent, and loved. Although praise is expressed as a source of motivation when it cannot be used beneficially, it can become harmful to the child when used incorrectly or excessively. At this point, the content of the praise is important. In this study, the concept of parental praise is discussed, the content of praise, which is seen as a reference to motivation, is examined and its benefits for child development are tried to be explained.