Watch this segment live this Monday, July 30th @ 8:15am on Fox6 In The Morning.
Background:
Pursuing a dream is a normal aspect of development initiating usually
around the ages of 3 to 5 years of age. Most young children have
fantasies and dreams of becoming anything from a movie star to a
superhero based on the fact that their capacity to think is based on
magical thinking. Usually however, by the ages of 8 or 9, such
"fantastic" ideas are replaced with more "realistic" goals such as a
professional or maybe even a professional athlete. Such changes are
based on the fact that very few individuals ever become "idols" or
"famous", and to promote the normal development of self-esteem, plans
for the future become more attainable and guide the later adolescent
through high school and off to college or work in search of paving the
road for their future.
However, there is a select group of individuals who remain invested in
fulfilling a far-reaching dream and will invest their time and energy
in such a quest. In many cases, this can begin in early childhood and
usually takes full shape by late childhood (8 to 10 years of age).
Included in this category would be childhood actors, models, singers,
and athletes. Unlike many of their peers, they remain driven to reach
their "dream" and will often denounce other opportunities in their
lives to nourish normal self-esteem, such as focusing on more
attainable goals. In some cases, the investment leads to success and
glory, but in other cases, experienced hardships can lead to a bruised
ego and missed opportunities manifesting in a certain amount of
regret. So, what characteristics underly the children and adolescents
who remain persistent in sticking with an early dream? When reviewing
the histories of many celebrities who had their hearts set ear! ly on
becoming famous, the following are common components within their
histories:
Temperament: Most children and adolescents who pursue their dreams and
invest timeless hours and energy, tend to have natural outgoing
personalities. Extroversion, extensive verbal skills, spirit, and a
lack of shyness, tend to be common "inborn" personality components for
"celebrity" children. Such characteristics are constitutional
(genetic) in nature and remain fixed throughout their lives.
Talent: Most children who choose to pursue an early dream have a
certain amount of natural talent or "giftedness" in a particular area,
whether it be acting, singing, or other areas of performance.
Family Investment: Due to the fact that children and adolescents are
not capable of arranging for obtaining a talent agent or signing
themselves up for auditions, etc., parental investment is essential to
assist a child to reach for their dream. "Stage parents" are known to
be common in the entertainment industry and can be either a blessing or
a curse. In many or most cases, the stage parent has had a history him
or herself in the entertainment industry or at least, had a similar
dream for themselves earlier in their lives. Caution must be made that
the objective for pursuing the dream is the true objective of the
child, not the parent, or the child may feel as though their quest is
in service of pleasing their parent, rather than for themselves. When
cases like the former occur, it is common that the child's dream over
time will die out or even become adversive.
Self-Confidence: Children who pursue their dreams tend to have a high
level of self-esteem. Some of this comes from their inborn
temperament, and other components from gained internalizations of
previous success and external validation, often times from their
parents and family friends. For the young child, these influences set
up a generalization that the world will "like" them giving them a
certain amount of confidence when going through auditions or during
performances.
In conclusion, dreams and future aspirations are important aspects of
development. Trying to obtain them can be well intended but also have
to be tempered with an element of reality or heartbreaking results can
manifest and lead to future concerns of one's capacity to succeed.
Key Points: Characteristics of Idols
1. Extroverted of spirited temperament.
2. Actual talent.
3. Family investment/support
4. High self-confidence
Dr. Keith Kanner
Host
Your Family Matters Show
Fox6 News - San Diego
