Rebel Children, Successful Adults
Rebel children can become an adult nightmare. They are disobedient, rebellious and opinionated.
They are never satisfied with anything, they have tantrums and are not afraid of any punishment. In a nutshell: You manage to exhaust the patience of every adult until they burst their necks.
But not everything is negative: rebellious children also have important advantages. A study published in the journal Developmental Psychology shows that rebellious children tend to be very successful in adulthood.
They often have professional careers and make excellent earnings. But what is that due to? Find out more about this interesting topic in today’s article.
Rebel children are successful!
Mostly we assume that obedience, calm, dialogue and respect are success factors. But in the study mentioned, scientists came to a completely different and very surprising result. The key to social and financial success therefore lies in the rebellious character!
This study began in 1968 and was not completed until 50 years later. It examined the behavior of 12-year-old children.
The results are really amazing. Everything indicates that the earlier whirlwinds are more successful in adult life than “educative, well-behaved” children.
The study took into account academic results, the family’s financial situation, a brief behavioral report, the child’s intelligence quotient (IQ), and a questionnaire about habits and social skills.
More than 3,000 children took part in the research study. The result proves that figuring out the IQ is not enough to predict future success. The ability to break rules in childhood seems particularly important.
Rebellious children who give rebellious answers and who are restless or disobedient have achieved the most important jobs over the years and therefore also made more money than those who were calmer or less conspicuous in childhood.
However , the report, published in the journal Developmental Psychology , also suggests that success does not depend solely on rebelliousness. The quality of the professional and academic training as well as the child’s sense of responsibility and compromises also play an important role.
Other interesting data to emerge from the study
On the basis of the analyzed variables, the researchers assume that the key to the financial success of the rebellious children lies in selfishness. Because these children have better developed the ability to look to their own interests and ignore those around them.
So rebellious children often develop into successful adults, but do not follow conventional rules to create balance and harmony. They work towards expanding their own goals, personal standing, and scope.
Also, this trait, already present in childhood, is very useful for negotiating a raise, because innate nonconformity makes her want more and more.
There is definitely a relationship between the pre-puberty undesirable behaviors and the hefty future income!
How does psychology explain the success of rebellious children?
This polemical study came to the conclusion that most rebellious, nonconformist children had a lot of responsibility in their profession and consequently a particularly high income. However, children who were neither stubborn nor rebellious were not rewarded in adulthood.
Protests, persuasiveness and non-conformism in childhood lead in adulthood not to bother with low salaries. After all, good training has to be rewarded!
But some psychologists point out the “weaknesses” of this study. What was perceived as “rebellious” years ago can now no longer be defined in a less strict and indulgent upbringing. On the other hand, the potential professional benefits have not been obtained in an ethical manner.
But the study shows that rebellious and stubborn children who question their parents’ authority and break norms had better career opportunities and were better paid than submissive colleagues.
Presumably, this is largely due to the fact that these children were in school longer due to school failure and were therefore able to acquire deeper knowledge and thus also complete a higher education.
So you shouldn’t despair if your child constantly challenges you. That’s not as bad as it might seem. They develop an ambitious personality and have prospects for a prosperous future in which they will take advantage of their rebellious character.
Mothers and fathers should therefore always keep in mind that all this is not lost when they behave inappropriately. On the contrary: the child has a chance of a prosperous future!
When your child has exhausted all of your patience and you feel miserable, remember: there is a glimmer of hope! In the future, the hard times could be rewarded because your child could become a big breadwinner.
