Glossary / Lexicon

Deutsch: Überbehütung / Español: Sobreprotección / Português: Superproteção / Français: Surprotection / Italiano: Sovraprotezione

In the psychology context, overprotection refers to a behavioral pattern in which a caregiver, often a parent, excessively shields their child from potential risks, failures, or challenges, more than is developmentally appropriate or necessary. This behavior can limit the child's ability to develop independence, resilience, problem-solving skills, and confidence in their own abilities. Overprotection is often rooted in the caregiver's anxiety or fear about the child's safety and well-being, but it can lead to unintended negative consequences for the child's emotional and psychological development.

General Description

Overprotection can manifest in various ways, including but not limited to, making decisions for the child that they are capable of making themselves, avoiding situations where the child might experience failure or discomfort, and intervening in conflicts or challenges the child could navigate on their own. While the intention behind overprotective behaviors is usually to prevent harm or distress, they can hinder the child's development of autonomy and competence.

Application Areas

The concept of overprotection is relevant in several psychological fields, such as:

• Developmental psychology: Studies the impact of overprotection on child and adolescent development.
• Clinical psychology: Addresses the consequences of overprotection in therapy, particularly when it contributes to anxiety disorders, dependency issues, or low self-esteem in clients.
• Educational psychology: Examines how overprotection affects learning and socialization in educational settings.

Well-Known Examples

Research studies on parenting styles often highlight the effects of overprotection. For instance, studies comparing authoritative (high warmth, high discipline), permissive (high warmth, low discipline), and overprotective (high warmth, low autonomy granting) parenting styles have found that overprotection can lead to higher levels of anxiety and lower levels of social competence in children.

Treatment and Risks

The risks associated with overprotection include delayed emotional maturity, increased anxiety and fearfulness, decreased coping skills, and challenges in social interactions. Intervention often involves counseling or therapy for both the child and the caregiver. For caregivers, therapy may focus on addressing their anxieties and learning to adopt more balanced parenting strategies that encourage independence while providing appropriate support. For children and adolescents, therapeutic goals might include building self-efficacy, resilience, and social skills.

Summary

In psychology, overprotection is a parenting or caregiving behavior that, despite being well-intentioned, can adversely affect a child's psychological development. It involves excessive shielding from potential challenges, leading to limitations in the child's ability to develop independence, resilience, and self-confidence. Addressing overprotection requires a nuanced approach that balances the caregiver's concerns with the child's need for autonomy and growth.

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