A new study has found that adults may be more likely to place judgment on blunt and honest children. It is commonly thought that children are innocent and pure. They are still developing, and this earns them a “pass” sometimes when they make a mistake.
However, studies are always being done on human behavior, and that includes those that may place blame on judgment on children. They want to know which children are being judged, and more importantly, why they are being judged.
According to Study Finds, a study was done that found that blunt and honest children are judged harsher by the surrounding adults. This study was done by the School of Criminal Justice & Criminology at Texas State University, and it can be read in full here.
This seems strange to many since children are often told by adults to be honest and to tell the truth. They are told that “honesty is the best policy,” so not many would think that those same adults would turn around and judge those same children for being honest.
However, this study found that a lot of adults would actually prefer children to tell little white lies rather than blunt honesty. Children have been known to be incredibly blunt, and they say exactly what they are thinking, and it has been known to hurt some feelings occasionally.
The researchers found that children who were blunt were judged harsher by adults. An example of this would be a child who was open and honest and stated that they didn’t like a present that they got, and this was compared to children who tended to sugarcoat the truth to appease adults. This begs the question of whether we should be teaching our children “appropriate” lies, or if adults need to be careful what they wish for, and accept how children are by nature.
Researchers also state that this shows that children are getting mixed messages from the surrounding adults. They are being told to be honest, and always tell the truth, but they feel this judgment when it is placed on them. Since children are still developing, it may be up to the surrounding adults to understand what is happening, and to watch their reactions when a child tells them something. Being honest is good, but children may need to be guided on how to give that truth while being kind.
Sources: Study Finds, T & F Online