Department of Psychology
Wendy Grolnick
2010 Media Events
Inside the Ski Racing Mind:
Don't Praise Your Children!
SkiRacing 11/11/2010
"...Children develop a sense of competence by seeing the
consequences of their actions, not by being told about the consequences of their
actions.... Rewarding effort also encouraged them to work harder and to seek new
challenges. Adds the Clark University researcher Wendy Grolnick: ‘Parental
encouragement of learning strategies helps children build a sense of personal
responsibility for—and control over—their academic careers.' The value of this
research to ski racing is, I think, pretty clear."
Putting stress to the test
The Bend Bulletin (OR) 10/8/2010
Getting into a good college. Thinking about
family money issues. Trying out for the team. Dealing with friend drama.
Studying for finals. Teenagers face all sorts of stress every day.... Parents and
kids are both feeling very pressured these days, according to Wendy Grolnick,
psychology professor at Clark University in Massachusetts and author of
‘Pressured Parents, Stressed-Out Kids.' She says the environment has grown more
competitive. Parents feel pressure for their children to do well and in turn end
up pushing that stress onto their kids..."
Civic-minded teen shows character beyond his years
Wenatchee World 10/1/2010
"As a
second-grader, Blake Delaplane was giving away his ‘Star Wars' figurines to
foster children. At 14, the Gold River, Calif., resident signed up for the
two-year Congressional Award program that's part public service, part personal
development and all challenging... Focusing on a child's autonomy, competence and
connectedness, instead of pressuring and controlling children, is key to
maximizing success, said Wendy
Grolnick, a psychology professor at Clark University in Worcester, Mass."
Hot button: Walking to school solo
Ladies' Home Journal 10/1/2010
"Annie Perkins, a public relations account manager in Andover, Massachusetts,
didn't want her 11-year-old son, James, to walk a mile from school to a new
youth center. ‘I was concerned about older kids on the street who I didn't know.
And parts of the street have no sidewalks,' she says. But her husband, Bill,
reasoned that James was confident, smart, and a seasoned overnight camper
complete with cell phone. ... But she
also has to feel comfortable, says Wendy Grolnick, Ph.D., professor of psychology at Clark University in
Worcester, Massachusetts, and author of Pressured Parents, Stressed-Out Kids. ..."
Over-scheduled kids: How much is too much?
New England Cable News 9/2/2010
"When kids are over-scheduled during the school year, it puts stress on both
children and their parents. So, how much is too much? Joining
NECN for a discussion is the co-author of the book "Pressured Parents,
Stressed-Out Kids," Wendy Grolnick.
Wendy is also a professor of psychology at Clark University, a parenting expert
and a mom."
Letter to the Editor
New York Times 8/23/2010
Clark
Professor of Psychology Wendy S.
Grolnick and her research
partner, Kathy Seal, submitted a letter to the New York Times about "Surviving
the Long College Goodbye": "Articles repeatedly single out egregious examples of
overinvolved parents but rarely describe healthy parental connections with
college-age children. This obscures an important aspect of parenting: that you
shouldn't let go completely when your children go off to college. College
students thrive, the research shows, when their parents support them without
impinging on their autonomy."
Ambitious, civic-minded and 16
The Sacramento Bee 8/17/2010 "
... Many parents of so-called singletons
often say they are chastised by family and even strangers for not having a
second child, but researchers have found that "only children" are high achievers
across socioeconomic lines because there is no dilution of resources, be it
money or time.... ‘Focusing on a child's autonomy, competence and connectedness,
instead of pressuring and controlling children, is key to maximizing success,'
said Wendy Grolnick, a psychology professor at Clark University in
Worcester, Mass."
Here comes high school: A guide to your Freshman year
TMSSpecialtyProducts.com July
2010
Even though there are a lot of good memories to be had during your first year in
high school, it is also chock-full of stress.... ‘It is daunting,' says Wendy Grolnick, author of
‘Pressured Parents, Stressed Out Kids' (Prometheus Books, $18.98) and professor
at Clark University. Grolnick says high school is bigger, more impersonal and
harder to negotiate."
Got a Sore Loser
Boston Parents Paper 4/8/2010
..."Anyone who's been to a Little League game knows that some kids – and
adults – handle losses better than others... ‘If your child has a hard time
losing, then parents need to help them focus less on winning,' says Wendy
Grolnick, a professor of psychology at Clark University in Worcester and
co-author of Pressured Parents, Stressed-Out Kids: Dealing With Competition
While Raising a Successful Child. Parents can do this by changing how they
discuss the outcome of a game...."
Are Parents Too Involved With Their Children?
Miller-McCune.com 4/6/2010
..."While being involved in your children's lives and studies is
intuitively (and statistically) smart, some techniques are better than others....
When psychologists Wendy Grolnickand Richard Ryan interviewed mothers of third-graders, for
example, they found as Jeynes did that the more involved the parents, the better
the kids' academic achievement and behavior. ... (Grolnick and the author of this article coauthored Pressured Parents,
Stressed-out Kids: Dealing with Competition While Raising a Successful Child.)..."