Adultcentrism: what it is and how it affects the little ones and society

From the first human societies and civilizations until just three centuries ago, childhood and adolescence had the Consideration of differentiated stages and of great importance for the correct development of the human being, but that children and adolescents were considered as young adults in training, having practically the same obligations, thus nourishing the perspective of the adultcentrism.

Adultcentrism is a concept referred to the social hegemony of people who are within the adult stage, so they are the ones who have control and political, economic and social power. In turn, they are considered as the reference group and those at the top of the social hierarchy.

In this article we will see in more detail what the concept of adultcentrism consists of and what its origins are.

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What is adultcentrism?

The concept known as anthropocentrism refers to the social supremacy of adults over children and adolescents, being able to be developed even above the youth and the elderly, within a society.

It has to do with the idea that adults are the ones who have the power in a hegemonic way and are also the reference group around the social and cultural vision of the environment in which they live.

In general, adultcentrism holds a vision of the world and of society in general that is deeply rooted in some values according to which the group of adults has the right to possess power and, therefore, they are considered the group of people who are at the top of the hierarchical pyramid of society, with all that this entails.

In this sense, the other social groups, classified by age, that are not within the adult stage, have been excluded from the central thought of societies with a structural and hierarchical system adult-centered.

From the vision of adultcentrism, the adult stage is considered the representation of those people who make up a well-formed and successful model to which the youngest should aspire, so, according to this model, children and adolescents should prepare for be successful adults who fulfill their work and the aspirations that their society sets to be considered as such.

That is why adultcentrism takes advantage of political power, the Church or other religious institutions, and the media. of communication to instill their values ​​in all citizens, ensuring that they are also transmitted from parents to children.

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What is the origin of adultcentrism?

Adultcentrism has been present throughout much of human history, since For many years the concept of childhood was not what we know today, but children were treated as "little adults" in the process of development that they normally had to work and help with the same tasks as adults. In turn, boys and girls used to dress in a very similar way to that of adults, since the children's fashion did not manage to impose itself at least until the seventeenth century, reaching even more late.

If we look at literature, the genre of children's stories and books did not appear until just three centuries ago. And it is that before the stage of development of children and adolescents was not considered, as today, a phase that required special attention, due to the great relevance of a correct development in the later adult stage.

On the other hand, several historians and sociologists affirm that the stage of the industrial revolution was key to advances in the consideration of children and adolescents, being largely Partly thanks to technological advances that gave children the possibility of being expendable at work, so that they could have more time to play, have fun, explore, learn and, above all, interact with other people of the same age, all these activities and others of the same type being very relevant in the correct development in childhood and adolescence.

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Adultcentrism and rights in childhood

In 1959, the Declaration of the Rights of the Child was approved by all the States belonging to the United Nations (UN), which represented an important advance in consideration and recognition of children's rights to develop and grow up in good health, for which they should receive special attention and care, the right to a school education and many others also important for the correct development of children and also of teenagers.

Today the vast majority of the population agrees that children should receive a fundamental school education and also in the fact that society and the The state must provide them with a series of facilities and benefits, as well as special protection, this special consideration lasting until they comply with the majority of the age.

However, despite these great and important advances in this field, in many cases, even indirectly, There is still a social vision from adultcentrism, because it is frequent to continue taking adults as a reference and it is not strange that there are cases in which children are valued more for what they can become when they are adults than for what they are as children.

It is also frequent that this vision of adultcentrism influences interpersonal relationships and it is that all, or almost all, will have heard any of the following phrases: "when adults are talking, children are silent," I am, right because I am the adult and you you are still a child ”,“ stop behaving like a child ”,“ you will understand when you grow up ”and many of the same, without actually hearing the child's opinion; so that this way it will be more difficult for the child to learn to express himself assertively while respecting the opinion of others.

Of course, children must respect their parents and obey them when they are looking for is always the best for them, but what we are referring to here is those situations where children they do not feel heard by adults and their opinions carry less weight, when it should be important that their opinions are taken into account, so that they learn to dialogue and express their opinions without coming into conflict thanks to the fact of having developed a dialectic from the childhood.

Adultcentrism tends to take into account the perspective and opinions of adults over younger people, which tends to condition social relations in all areas, so that it is frequent that there are parents who do not listen to the opinions of their children or even that within a company does not take into account the ideas of the youngest although perhaps, being more innovative, they could be what the company needs to move along. However, it is common that the opinion of the adult is always chosen over the younger person.

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Its relation to the authoritarian educational style

Adultcentrism It can help adults who have this vision to play an authoritarian style when it comes to the education of their childrenIn such a way that parents dictate the way in which things should be done, but from a rigid and inflexible position, so the children must abide by them without being able to express their opinion.

Under this prism of adultcentrism, parents do not conceive the possibility of listening to the opinion of their children with regarding certain issues that concern them and it is also common for parents to be demanding with their children and little affectionate.

Therefore, the adultcentrism in the educational style is reflected in those parents who they express little of their affection explicitly, they are not very open to dialogue and to listen to the opinions of their children and, in addition, they tend to impose rigid rules and limits, being able to severely punish their children when they break the rules.

According to the studies carried out on the educational styles, it has been found that children who receive an authoritarian educational style tend to have low levels of self-esteem, immaturity, inability to make their own decisions, little capacity for self-control, high levels of impulsivity and little tenacity or persistence when it comes to fulfilling their objectives.

On the contrary it is democratic educational style, in which parents are more affectionate with their children, maintain good communication, so that their children can express their opinion and their parents explain in a reasoned way why they should behave in a certain way, as well as the limits, rules and regulations are explained and reasonably justified. restrictions.

Following a democratic educational style, it has been seen that children feel supported and safe when communicating with their parents; They will also have good self-esteem, correct behavior and a good dialectic, thanks to a correct development of social and communication skills.