Encouraging kids to dream big while being realistic about their aspirations is a delicate balance.
Accepting and embracing who they currently are may be healthier than fixating on a specific future self.
Deep dives
New Opportunities: Hypnosis opens doors to future selves
The principal of Northport High School in Florida, George Kenny, discovers the power of hypnosis and begins using it to help his students reach their future selves. Students like Mike, who wants to join the Marines, and Eric, who wants to improve his SAT scores, see immediate improvements after hypnosis sessions. However, tragedy strikes when two students, Wesley and Brittany, take their own lives. The parents of the deceased students sue the school and hypnosis is questioned. The story explores the dangers of pushing kids to specific future selves and the impact of failed aspirations.
The Complexity of Future Selves
Daphna Oyserman, a psychology professor, highlights the delicate balance of encouraging kids to dream big while also being realistic about their aspirations. The story delves into the tension between elevating aspirations and potentially setting kids up for disappointment. The concept of future selves is challenged, suggesting that it may be healthier for individuals to accept and embrace who they currently are rather than fixating on a specific future self.
Negative Consequences of High Expectations
The story follows the experiences of Wesley, Brittany, and their families after encounters with hypnosis and high expectations. Wesley's death and Brittany's suicide are seen as tragic results of not achieving their desired future selves. The pressure to achieve specific goals and the fear of failure can have severe consequences on mental health and well-being.
The Importance of Acceptance and Support
The story prompts reflection on the role of parents and educators in shaping future selves. It highlights the need for supportive environments that allow for exploration and growth, emphasizing that self-acceptance and finding one's own path may be more valuable than rigidly pursuing a predetermined future self.
What do you want to be when you grow up? This is a question we ask children, and adults. In American culture the concept of the future self is critical, required. It drives us to improve, become a richer, more successful, happier version of who we are now. It keeps us from getting blinkered by the world we grew up in, allowing us to see into other potential worlds, new and different concepts, infinite other selves. But the future self can also torture us, mocking us for who we have failed to become. We travel to North Port, Florida, where the principal of a high school did something extreme and unusual to help his students strive for grander future selves - a noble American experiment that went horribly wrong. If you or somebody you know might need help, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24/7 at 1-800-273-8255 or at suicidepreventionlifeline.org.