McIntosh B J
Family Practice Residency Program, St Vincent's Medical Center, Jacksonville, Florida 32205.
Pediatrics. 1989 Jan;83(1):108-15.
People often speak of children as being "spoiled" and many parents worry about the possibility of spoiling their infants and children. Many pediatricians, however, are uncomfortable with this term because it is a poorly defined and derogatory expression. Some would even deny that infants and children can be spoiled. Avoiding the use of the expression spoiled can create difficulties in communicating with parents concerned about their children's behavior. In this article, the spoiled child syndrome will be defined and those patterns of behavior that characterize it will be distinguished from other patterns of difficult behavior which may be confused with it. The spoiled child syndrome is characterized by excessive self-centered and immature behavior, resulting from the failure of parents to enforce consistent, age-appropriate limits. Many of the problem behaviors that cause parental concern are unrelated to spoiling as properly understood. Such behaviors are often age-related normal behaviors, reactions to family stresses, or patterns of behavior determined by factors inherent in the child. Pediatricians can provide counseling and reassurance for such behaviors and, by helping parents understand the etiology of true spoiling, can encourage the use of behavior modification techniques for its prevention and treatment.
人们常常说孩子被“宠坏了”，许多家长担心自己的婴幼儿会被宠坏。然而，许多儿科医生对这个词感到不满，因为它定义不明确且带有贬义。有些人甚至否认婴幼儿会被宠坏。避免使用“宠坏”这个表述可能会给那些担心孩子行为的家长在沟通上带来困难。在本文中，将对被宠坏的孩子综合征进行定义，并将其具有特征性的行为模式与其他可能与之混淆的难养行为模式区分开来。被宠坏的孩子综合征的特点是过度以自我为中心和行为不成熟，这是由于父母未能实施一致的、适合孩子年龄的限制造成的。许多引起家长担忧的问题行为与正确理解的溺爱并无关联。此类行为往往是与年龄相关的正常行为、对家庭压力的反应或由孩子自身内在因素决定的行为模式。儿科医生可以针对此类行为提供咨询并给予家长安慰，通过帮助家长理解真正溺爱孩子的病因，鼓励他们运用行为矫正技术来预防和治疗溺爱问题。
