המאמר באנגלית

Family Influence on Self-Esteem in Children with Special Needs in the
Bedouin Sector
(A summary of comparative study between families from the Bedouin sector in Israel and
families from St. Petersburg, Russia)
Dr. Badia Alkashalla
Kaye Academic College of Education, Beer-Sheva
Abstract
The Bedouin society in Israel was the subject of many writings but the number of
studies about it from the psychological aspect is scarce. The current study examines the
influence of parental attitudes and family education style on self-esteem of children
with special needs and normally developing children in the Bedouin society and in St.
Petersburg, Russia.
Background – The Bedouin Society in Israel
The Bedouin society always intrigued and attracted researchers and writers, many of
whom became enchanted by it. No wonder then that even today Bedouin society is still
considered as human laboratory worthy of description and research (Ben David &
Shokhat, 2000).
In the recent years the Bedouins are undergoing far-reaching changes in all spheres of
life. However, their society also continues to preserve their ancient traditions and norms
and the Bedouin identity remains intact despite the pressure of modernization factors
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such as technology and urbanization. The Bedouin society of the 21st century combines
between traditional heritage and modern contemporary way of life (Ibid).
The Bedouin family in the Negev lives a simple life in harsh existential conditions.
Usually, the family is comprised from father, mother, grandfather and grandmother,
and quite often from a second, third and even fourth wife and many children. The
existential environment is very poor and provides little of the basic and essential human
needs.
The nature of the typical Bedouin is humble and tolerant, attributing utmost importance
to the value of honor. "Although in the Bedouin society one's material condition has an
impact, the social status is determined by his family lineage, comprised from honor and
pride (Ibid).
Honor is a product of power and control, and hence the considerable importance
assigned to these values as well by the Bedouin society. This perception is reflected in
man's role in the Bedouin family: The man is the head of the family and bears most of
the responsibility for it.
The process of socialization of the Bedouin child is affected by several factors,
including the great number of siblings, poverty, the collision between tradition and
modernization that causes difficulties in the integration of the Bedouin family in the
contemporary society by emphasizing the gap between the traditional way of life and
modernization; the desert and its hot dry climate, disconnection from water and
electricity in some settlements, intra-family and clan rivalries, Bedouin belief in
ascetics and of course the vendetta.
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Self-esteem and children with developmental disability
The social and medical rehabilitation process underwent by children with mental
developmental disability is a multi-faceted and complex one. The success of such child
is tightly linked to the learning of self-esteem by these children.
Self-esteem is a very important factor in the development of personality (Ananiev,
1980, Belobekrina, 2001, Kuhn, 1984, Stolina 1983, Skalova, 1981, Chesnokov, 1977
and others). Many studies suggest the connection between the psychological problems
of children with special needs and the environment they live in, when this connection
may lead to a deficient self-esteem. Clinical studies conducted on the behavior of
children with developmental mental disability indicate the existence of personality
development disorder stemming from biological and sociological factors (Vygotsky,
1960, Lvovsky, 1981, Lebedinski, 1985, Bioznir, 1982, Rubinstein, 1970, Zakharova,
1993).
Prof. Ananiev (1980), the founder of the Faculty of Psychology in the University of St.
Petersburg, mentioned that the aspect of self-esteem is a complex and complicated one,
used by the child as a sort of tool for regulation of his own behavior. Clinical and
development researchers divide self-esteem into three major components: cognitive,
communicative and behavioral. Research results in this field indicate a strong influence
of parenthood and family educational styles on the shaping and fostering of self-esteem
among children (Lipkin, 1976, Safina, 2003, Svinka, 1972, Alkounin, 1971, Erickson,
1971).
The socialization process is comprised from several ethno-psychological factors:
culture, religion, tradition and customs. Many studies on the connection between self3
esteem and parenthood styles and the fashion in which the parents understand the child
stress the importance of this link. Clinical literature usually describes parents with
severe difficulties in their parental functioning as lacking empathy toward their children
(Varga, 1985, Stolina, 1983, Hoffman, 1982).
The topic of self-esteem among children attracted the attention of many psychologists
and researchers (James, 1922, Ananiev, 1980, Wlizkes, 1989, Fedotova, 1985,
Gibenreiter, 1981, Skalova, 1981, Stolina, 1985, Chesnokov, 1977 and others).
Belobirkina (2001), for instance, mentions that self-esteem has a profound influence on
children behavior. Other researchers wrote about culture, customs and ethnical factors
and the degree of their influence on the development of the child's personality (Cole,
1977, Coppersmith and Burns, 1986). Rogers saw the tendency for fulfilment as natural
human inclination that drives the person toward development and self-fulfillment,
subjugating his other needs and desires to its cause. The tendency for fulfillment also
exists when the person fails to distinguish clearly between activities that promote his
development and those that delay it. Therefore, the individual is the best authority to
define what the desired direction of change for him is. The role of the therapist is not to
analyze the patient's history, but rather to be a listening ear for his problems
Many studies of parenthood and family education styles examined the connection
between the attitudes of the parents and children behavior and self-esteem (Zakharova,
1981, Litchko, 1986, Idmiller, 2000, Yusticky, 1992, Memichuk, 1995, Hoffman, 1992
and others). Parental attitudes and family education methods play an important role in
the provision of the child's needs and in his process of socialization and personality
development (Brodishkina and Babkina, Nishirot, 1978, Tishenka, 1979, Valentines,
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1986). Family ties are divided into three types: cognitive, emotional and behavioral,
with the emotional bond proven to play a crucial role in the child-parent relations
(Budelev, 1977, Stolina, 1983). Psychological literature emphasizes the connection
between parenthood styles and the relations within the family and the shaping of the
child's personality (Stagner, 1985, Allport, 1998, Adler, 2002, Varga, 1985, Longmayr,
1984, Mitchuk, 1992, Shapira and Bilale, 1994, Klimov, 1969, Merlin, 1986,
Gavrilova, 1988).
Ethnic and cultural factors were at the center of many studies in the field of
Humanities, psychology and sociology (Mead, 1953, 1960, Lexinson, 1986, Kauckohn,
1951, Herskovits, 1967, Campbell, 1977, Bryce-Williams, 1977, Levi Strauss, 1980,
Wahid Suliman, 1997, Wahib, 1996, Almagrashi, 2000, Dogrova, 1987 and others).
Russian psychology showed interest in ethno-psychology since the 1960's and many
researchers studied the degree of influence of the ethnical factors on the behavior and
development of the child (Broniev, 1969, Beltonov, 1990, Bochiboth, 1993,
Stepanenko, 1999, Vygotsky, 1960). Comparative studies proved that ethnic factors do
have an influence on the development of personality in children (Kuhn, 1987,
Berstamm, 1988, Zaharan, 1988 and others).
The subject of self-esteem in children with special needs attracted the interest of
researchers, psychologists and pedagogues in several countries (De Greiff and
Vygotsky, 1983, Leonardi, 1993, Rubinstein, 1970, Brichajan, 1984, Tereshechina,
1997 and others). Clinical literature reveals that self-esteem in children with special
needs is inadequate in comparison to their normal peers (De Greiff and Vygotsky,
Rubinstein, 1979, Leonardi, 1993, Brichajan, 1984. Vygotsky (1984) emphasizes the
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significance of high self-esteem in children with mental retardation and sees it as sign
of low appreciation on the part of society and the environment these children live in.
Rubinstein (1979) points toward inadequate self-esteem in children with special needs
on the background of frustrations and failures in their daily lives. This lack of maturity
in their personality has a detrimental effect on their self-esteem (Brichajan, 1984,
Memichuk, 1997, Tereshechina, 1997, Leonardi, 1993).
Research Objectives
The purpose of this study is to compare between the influence of parenthood styles and
family education methods on self-esteem of children with normal development and
children with special needs in two groups from different cultures: the Bedouin society
and in Russia.
Research Missions:
1.
Analyze the self-esteem in normal children and children with light mental
retardation in both groups.
2.
Analyze the self-esteem in normal children and children with learning disability
in both groups.
3.
Analyze the parental attitude and parenthood and family education styles toward
normal children and children with special needs.
4.
Analyze the influence of parental attitude and parenthood and family education
styles on the shaping of self-esteem in normal children and in children with
special needs in both groups.
5.
Analyze the connection between parental attitude and parenthood and family
education styles and self-esteem in children with special needs.
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6.
To develop recommendations for psychological treatment in order to develop
adequate self-esteem in children with special needs.
Target Population
Pupils in ages of 8-11 with special needs, light retardation and learning disabilities,
learning within the frameworks of special education in the Bedouin city of Rahat in
Israel and in the city of St. Petersburg in Russia, and children with normal development
learning in regular schools.
Research Subject
Self-esteem features in respects of both level and structure; parental attitude,
parenthood styles, family education styles for normal and special needs children in both
groups from the different cultures: families from the Bedouin sector and from Russia.
Research Hypotheses:
-
In comparison to children with normal development, children with special needs
have a disorder in their self-esteem components, in both level and structure.
-
Both groups (Bedouin and Russian) differ in the nature of parental esteem of the
intellectual, communicative and emotional characteristics of normal children and
the nature of their evaluation of the same characteristics in children with special
needs.
-
Parental attitude and family education styles have a profound influence on the
building of self-esteem among children in general and among children with special
needs in particular. The ethno-psychological factors have a strong impact on these
processes and can characterize the self-esteem in level and quality alike.
Research Results
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The results indicate that normal children in both groups evaluate themselves in similar
fashion in cognitive, emotional and communicative respects. Normal children in Russia
tend to esteem themselves higher than their Bedouin peers in Israel. It was found that
40% of the Russian children esteem themselves very highly and 30% highly, in
comparison to 25% and 20% in the Bedouin sector, respectively.
It was found that the self-esteem of children with learning disabilities was high in both
groups. This finding testifies about inadequate self-esteem and can point toward low
esteem on the part of society and the environment (Vygotsky, 1983).
Children with learning disabilities in Russia tend to attribute higher self-esteem to their
abilities in comparison to their Bedouin peers. It was found that 60% of the Russian
children with learning disabilities esteem themselves very highly and 30 highly, in
comparison to 40% and 30% among their Bedouin peers, respectively.
Children with light mental retardation in both groups evaluate themselves higher in
comparison to children with learning disability and the normal ones. This is an
inadequate self-image, which can point toward low esteem on the part of the
surrounding society (Vygotsky). It was found that 80% of the Russian children with
light mental retardation esteem themselves very highly and 15% highly, in comparison
to 40% and 30% in the Bedouin sector, respectively.
It was found that self-image among children with special need is inadequate (i.e., very
high) in both the Bedouin and the Russian group. According to Vygotsky, this finding
can point toward compensation these children activate due to lesser appreciation on the
part of their environment.
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Overall, very high self-esteem and inadequate self-image were found more in high
percentages among children with special needs than among normal children.
In the group of Russian children it was found that 80% of 8-10 year olds evaluated themselves
inadequately, the same as 50% of the 10-11 year olds. Among the Bedouin we see that 60% of
the 8-9 year olds evaluated themselves inadequately; 50% of the 9-10 year olds and 40% in
ages 10-11.
Russian parents hold their normative children in high respect in the mental, social and
personality aspects, a finding that was absent in the Bedouin families.
Bedouin parents tend to evaluate their special needs children quite lowly, in comparison
to the Russian society which evaluates them higher. Bedouin parents also show less
appreciation to their cognitive and communicative abilities of their children, mainly in
families with children with special needs.
Bedouin parents are more inclined to evaluate the external and happiness aspects higher
than other facets of the self-image. On the other hand, their evaluation of the mental
and social aspects is negative.
The fact that Bedouin families ignore the needs of the child has a detrimental effect on
the development of self-esteem. In comparison to the Russian society, the Bedouins
tend to frustrate children with special needs, and the result is lowered self-esteem.
Interviews with Bedouin families with special needs children, and mainly those
suffering from retardation, revealed that the child with special needs is perceived as an
obsolete burden. The obligation to treat him is an artifact of their religious belief,
according to which the "special" child is a sort of test sent by God, which they should
cope with successfully. Moreover, the customary perception is that such child inflicts a
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stigma on his family, which in its turn may exert negative influence on the family as a
whole and its status in the clan and among other families. This phenomenon was absent
in the Russian society.
The research shows that the mental side in self-esteem is very important for normal
children in both groups, and is positively correlated with the aspects of health and
overall self-esteem. On the other hand, for children with special needs the health and
external sides are more important. These children in the Bedouin sector respond only to
the positive aspects of self-esteem.
According to "Idmiller" Test, Bedouin families with special needs children displayed
prominent styles of education characterized by minimal punishments, placing the child
in the center, scarce prohibition, stressing the importance of the connection with the
child and parental insecurity. The families with normal children displayed other
educational styles, in which the child was not put in the center, was subject to multiple
demands, punishments were inflicted and a lacking fulfilling of needs was found.
According to the "Idmiller" Test Russian families with special needs children showed
prominent educational styles characterized by placing the child in the center, satisfying
his needs, abstaining from punishments and the fear to lose the child. The prominent
characteristics in families with normal children were: satisfaction of needs, scarcity of
punishments, prohibitions and demands, placing the child at the center and parental
insecurity.
Conclusions
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The research discovered a disorder in the self-esteem components among children with
special needs in comparison to normal children, in both level and structure.
Among the normal children it was found that with advancing age these children
develop a tendency to lower their self-esteem in all its components: cognitive,
emotional and communicative.
Bedouin parents tend to lower the evaluation of the intellectual and communicative
aspects in their children in comparison to Russian parents, a phenomenon more
prominent in parents with special needs children.
Russian parents highly value the emotional and motivational sides of both normal and
special needs children, while such evaluation was completely absent in the Bedouin
sector.
Bedouin families displayed a dominating tendency for an authoritative and coercive
approach; it also was found that these parents inflicted more punishments and
prohibitions on both normal and special needs children.
In the Russian society the families with children with special needs tend to be much
more lenient, focus on the child's needs and increase the supervision over him, thus
creating a detrimental effect on his independent development.
Parenthood styles in the Bedouin society, with characteristics like "high expectations
from the child" and "emotional rejection" lower the child's self-esteem. In the Russian
society we have found a positive connection between the "putting the child at the
center" style and his self-esteem, mainly in aspects like the mental one. The health
aspect on the other hand was found to be in negative correlation.
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Therefore, psychological therapeutic work with the family is the best treatment method
we have to improve the self-esteem in children in general and among children with
special needs in particular.
The field of psychology in the educational system in the Bedouin sector is one of the
most neglected and undeveloped in this sector. We hope that this research would create
a breakthrough and would encourage further studies and contribute to the development
of the field.
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