Who is an egoist and how do you know you are not one? Check yourself off the list

Where does selfishness come from?

Children exhibit selfish behaviors at different stages of their development. Examples of these behaviors may include:

• unwillingness to share toys;
• Insisting on their opinions and refusing to give in;
• Ignoring the feelings and needs of others;
• Demanding excessive attention;
• exalting one’s interests and desires.

Why does this happen?
The manifestation of such actions can be caused by various reasons. They include:

• Lack of experience in dealing with other children;
• Low level of empathy and understanding of people’s emotions;
• Mistakes in upbringing, when parents do not teach the child to respect others and share with them.

What should be done so that the child does not grow up to be selfish?
To help a young person overcome this, mom and dad can take the following actions:

• Explain the importance of respecting other people, their feelings and emotions;
• teach friendship and communication with peers;
• encourage a willingness to share toys;
• to teach empathy and sympathy;
• show examples of friendliness, generosity and respect;
• find other ways to meet the child’s needs for attention and love.