Too much encouragement. L’Engle’s contention that too much parental encouragement can be an obstacle to the development of a child’s talent makes sense on two counts: In the first place, praise tends to heighten self-consciousness, which in turns interrupts the flow experience; thus it is important to reserve whatever praise one wants to give until the child’s episode of involvement with the talent area is over. Second, and more important, is the fact that parental encouragement often takes the form of heightening the child’s awareness of extrinsic rewards, thereby undermining the intrinsic
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