Arthur Poghosyan: The virtual environment very often forever deprives child from the joy of real beautiful and sensible way

YEREVAN, MAY 17, ARMENPRESS: “Armenpress” news agency spoke with professor of California University, psychologist Arthur Poghosyan about the influence of Internet on children, parent-child relations.

- What must a parent know, with which he/she must be guided during upbringing not to bother, divert the child and guide him/her in a right way?

- First of all a parent must be aware to what type of parents he/she belongs. First “authority” parent who considers that a child must without caprices and immediately do everything what the parent will say. Such parents more frequently bring up such people who during the whole life are waiting what they will be said to do or when they will show their will for moving forward. The second group includes such parents who are more closely cooperating with children: they “cooperate” – they do not demand indirect obedience, they hear them and guide them, explaining and letting the child choose. This demands greater time and efforts, patience. There are also parents of the third type who are not dealing with the development of children, letting him/her do what he/she wants. Usually in this case the roles change and the child starts dictating his/her wish or what must be done. Here the parent becomes child’s hostage whom the child forces to do what he/she wishes: this finally harms the parent and the child. The fourth group includes parents who are not dealing with the upbringing of children as they are violating laws or for some other issues: such children are growing under care of grandparents, uncle or other people or institutions. The enumerated types are usually not fixed: parents incessantly pass from one type to another choosing the most convenient one for that moment.

- The Armenian parents, having big expectations from their children, overburden them may be more than the child can bear. How dangerous is this phenomenon?

- It is peculiar not only to Armenian parents. In the USA, working with people of different groups, I see this phenomenon among representatives of small nations. It is good when education is being highlighted, it would be good if all have higher education. But, at last, it is not a sign of good-breeding which is much more important. Also if we press the child and he/she according to our wish, and with overstraining strength reaches some position he/she will never feel convenient and happy. The same is in the opposite case as well, when the child is left completely free and does not use its potential according to his/her wish, during the time he/she sees that in some point he/she could have become a realized personality, worthy of some status, bus failed. In this case he/she feels incomplete during the whole life as understands that he/she has unused potential. Thus our goal must be to find the potential of our children, force them to use it and they will consolidate in what they have chosen and not in our imagined completeness. In that case we will have completely happy people of different professions.

- How does Internet influence on the development of a child?

- Internet has dual impact – positive and negative. Usually the anti-American association of pediatricians claims that till three years old child must not bear the impact on any of mass media as it may have a negative impact on his/her development. Near the many times registered positive impact of the Internet the harms must also be mentioned like in Mozart theory. Some time ago researches have been presented according to which the child who listens Mozart in future has higher IQ-Intelligent content. Economically in respect of sale of Mozart music it was beneficial for some people and different CDs and videos have been quickly sold and after it Bach became another part of economy, followed by other composers. In future, already recently, it was rejected and it was stated that the child does not display mental abilities from listening to the music, vice versa it loses its own imagination…which develops in child when he/she gets an opportunity to recognize, disclose the world on his/her own: it happens when he/she contacts with nature. It is also important to read fairy-tales for children.

- Is the bothered development of imagination the only obvious negative side of the Internet?

- Internet is territory without borders. A person and particularly a child, needs borders and when he/she appears in a place where there are no borders, he/she confuses. Child needs parent to guide and explain that here is this border, from here the phenomena changes. If a child is making use of Internet without the oversight of the parent, sooner or later he/she visits web sited where he/she may see pictures, phenomena which may trouble his/her soul. The virtual environment very often forever deprives child from the joy of real beautiful and sensible way. My impression is that Armenia is making the first small steps on the way to taint for which we would like to remind the parents that children must not use Internet without oversight.