Grades no guarantee of success, as troubled children of the rich show
A US psychologist says giving children a balanced view of what success means is a better avenue to self-fulfilment than simply pushing them to achieve top grades. Outwardly, the teens...
Outwardly, the teens seem to have perfect lives: they're high achievers with caring parents who provide them with the latest tech devices, fancy clothes and exotic experiences that others can only dream of. Yet many young people from affluent families wind up feeling miserable and uncomfortable in their own skin.
That's what US psychologist Madeline Levine has found in decades of working with troubled teenagers from privileged families.
Top grades and admission into Ivy League schools are no indicators of how well a teenager will do in the future - in their careers and, more importantly, in leading happy, fulfilled lives, she says.
Levine's message to parents - to maintain a balanced view of what success means for their children - found a warm reception in Hong Kong, where she gave talks to senior financial executives and concerned families.
"Material success does not buy happiness," says Levine, author of best-selling parenting book The Price of Privilege, who was in town at the invitation of the charity Bring Me a Book Hong Kong.
Levine, who has worked with many children of high-powered CEOs, wealthy bankers and White House politicians over the years, has seen academic high-fliers suffer nervous breakdowns simply because they failed to secure an "A" in an exam. Others, stressed about not living up to their parents' expectations, resort to different forms of substance abuse.
