Your mindset drives your behavior and how you react to others. The same is true for children. As the adult, you can assist young people by the pictures you help create for them.
Here’s how mindsets specifically relate to discipline and behavior. If you view irresponsible behavior to be deliberatively disruptive, then you’ll likely employ coercive discipline approaches, such as imposed punishments, rewards, or telling/lecturing. As a result, chances are that you’ll experience poor relationships with the children you’re interacting with and lots of stress.
In contrast, if you perceive that the behavior is the youngster’s best attempt to solve a frustration or problem, then you’ll naturally view the situation as an opportunity to help and use noncoercive discipline approaches, such as guided choices and reflective questioning. In the process, resistance and resentment are reduced, and effectiveness is increased.
Your mindset toward the child and the behavior is the key to your response.
Remember, external motivators (as in coercive discipline techniques) are used in attempts to change behavior. The fact is that significant and long-lasting behavior is changed through desire, rather than through manipulation and coercion.
