praise

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Under praise means the recognition of performance or behavior by verbal or body language means of expression (for example, facial expressions , gestures ). Praise is also the subject of learning psychology , motivational psychology and educational science considerations.

The opposite of praise is blame .

Etymology of the word

The verb praise has from the Old High German verb Lobón (= praise, praise, praise, recommend cheering) developed its grammatical root the OHG. Noun lob (= hymn, hymn, Morning Prayer, thanks, applause, honor, fame) is. This noun, which comes from Indo-European , is etymologically most likely equivalent to the noun Laub .

There was a semantic differentiation in the transition from Old High German to Middle High German . Although all the ahd. Meanings remained, the verb praise has also been used since then:

  1. speak up positively about someone
  2. something someone promise to give his word ( NHG. vow vow , vows , Auslobung )
  3. to promise a person to marry him / her (nhd. to get engaged )

Delimitation of the term

Praise must be distinguished from the following terms:

  • The term encouragement is more general and includes other acts such as encouragement.
  • The term reward colloquially denotes non-verbal behavior (for example, handing over a candy). In behavioral biology, on the other hand, “reward” refers to any positive reinforcer , i.e. H. any pleasant consequence that follows the desired behavior (e.g. praise, consideration, fee).
  • A Congratulations , tribute or eulogy to similar praise be used, but have a more formal character.
  • A compliment is used to generate interpersonal sympathy and is usually not used to consciously control behavior.
  • A flattery aims to favor the addressee who has usually more power than the flattering person.

Psychological and educational perspective

Most children and adults are highly receptive to praise and, when praised, have increased self-esteem and self-confidence. However, some people - such as autistic children and people with schizoid personality disorder - respond only slightly or not at all to praise.

Educators have repeatedly raised the question of how much and how to praise. Jacob Georg Curtmann and Friedrich Heinrich Christian Schwarz already wrote in their textbook on education , published in 1866, about the risks of improper praise: the implicit disregard of those children who have not been praised, the coupling of the child's self-esteem to the satisfaction of the educator who threatening habituation of the child, who now expects frequent praise. In order to avoid these problems, the authors recommend only after careful examination of the action to be assessed (including the underlying motives of the child) and only sparingly and in restrained words. Instead of comparing an achievement with the achievements of other children, they advise praising the progress that the child has made.

The principles of “correct” praise formulated by Curtmann and Schwarz are still widely recognized in education today. Some authors who are close to individual psychology reject praise because it relates to an action that has already been completed, but as a means of education completely and ascribe a more favorable effect to pure encouragement. Occasionally it has also been argued against praise that children should be judged not by what they do but by what they are . However, research shows that praise is effective when it relates to behavior. Praise that relates to personality traits can even be harmful. For example, children who are praised for their intelligence are more likely to give up and perform worse than children who are praised for their hard work. In a 2015 study by researchers at Ohio University , it was shown that an inordinately strong expression of parental appreciation in the child related to the child and his or her achievements promotes the development of narcissistic personality traits .

variants

Poisoned praise

Poisoned praise is praise that, on closer inspection, turns out to be “not-just-praise” or even a rebuke. Often a recipient - the apparently praised person or a third party - only understands the poisoned praise if he knows the context or background or has deciphered allusions, allusions or ambiguities. For example, apparently neutral formulations are not always neutral, but euphemistic (the testimony “Mr. XY always tried to ...” is known).

Self-praise and self-praise

Depending on the situation and culture, praising oneself is often considered presumptuous and overestimating oneself and is often criticized with the phrase “self-praise stinks”. One speaks also metaphorically of (self) - adulation .

Traditionally, self-praise can only be justified in existential emergency situations. Which is why one recommends, for example, to rely on praise from friends if the worst comes to the worst. Johann August Eberhard's dictionary of synonyms differentiates between self- praise and self-praise: Self- praise is “namely self-praise that a person attaches exclusively to himself as preference over others.” Self-praise has more positive connotations and is legitimate as a justification for an unjust accusation. In Goethe's sense, for example: “They say: vain self-praise stinks; this may be. But the public has no nose for what strange and unjust criticism has for a smell ”, or Lessing:“ Everyone can boast of his hard work. ”

Praise outside of psychology and education

In the Jewish and Christian religions , praise of God , i.e. H. boasting of God's glory, part of prayer ( doxology ). See praise and worship . In the realm of Islam there is the Fadā'il, a separate type of tradition that is dedicated to the praise of people, places and works.

In chess composition , “praise” is a standardized form of recognition.

Karl Friedrich Wilhelm Wander has collected around 250 proverbs for praise and praise in his five-volume German Sprichwort Lexikon (see Wanders Deutsches Sprich emphasis Lexikon ).

The history of literature knows, for example, the Middle High German poet Heinrich von Meißen, who was nicknamed " Frauenlob ".

See also

literature

Web links

Wiktionary: Praise  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations
Wikiquote: Praise  - Quotes

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Dieter Lenzen (Ed.): Basic pedagogical concepts . Rowohlt, Stuttgart 1989, ISBN 3-499-55488-7
  2. ↑ a b Word Stories University of Tübingen
  3. ↑ For example, effectively rewarding children . (PDF; 187 kB)
  4. ↑ Interview on compliments with Woman magazine
  5. ^ RJ Riding, Stephen Rayner: Self Perception , 2001 ( limited online version in Google Book Search - USA )
  6. ↑ With autistic children there is no need to please the teacher: Bryna Siegel: Helping children with autism learn: Treatment approaches for parents and professionals , 2003, p. 110 ( restricted online version in the Google Book Search USA ); Even people with schizoid personality disorder are often indifferent to praise or criticism: Ronald J. Comer: Abnormal Psychology , 2010, p. 515 ( limited online version in Google Book Search - USA )
  7. ↑ limited online version in the Google Book Search USA
  8. ↑ For example Ferdinand Klein, Friedrich Meinertz , Rudolf Kausen: Heilpädagogik: Ein pedagogisches Lehr- und Studienbuch , 10th edition, 1999, p. 140 ( limited online version in the Google Book Search USA )
  9. ↑ Holger Przybyla: KinderKram: Child education begins with self-education , 2017, p. 49 ( restricted online version in the Google Book Search USA ) ISBN 978-3-8334-9261-7
  10. ↑ Kevin Leman: Transform Your Child in 5 Days: How to Change Your Child's Views, Behavior, and Character in Five Days , 2008, p. 79 ( limited online version in Google Book Search - USA )
  11. ↑ CM Mueller, CS: Praise for intelligence can undermine children's motivation and performance . In: Journal of Personality & Social Psychology , 1998.75, pp. 33-52.
  12. ↑ Eddi Brummelman et al. a .: Origins of narcissism in children , PNAS, Volume 112, 2015, Issue 12, pp. 3659-3662 abstract
  13. ↑ a b The praise - definition. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on August 7, 2014 ; accessed on November 23, 2014 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.helpster.de
  14. ↑ Internship references: Poisoned praise. Retrieved November 23, 2014 .
  15. ↑ Definition of self-adulation. Retrieved November 23, 2014 .
  16. ↑ Plutarch : How do you praise yourself without being offensive? In: Plutarch: Moral Treatises. Translated from the Greek by Johann Friedrich Salomon Kaltwasser . Vol. 4. Johann Christian Hermann, Frankfurt am Main 1789, pp. 598-633.
  17. ↑ Francis Bacon : About Friendship. In: Francis Bacon: Essays or Practical and Moral Advice. Translation by Elisabeth Schücking. Edited by Levin L. Schücking. Reclam, Stuttgart 1986, pp. 88-97, here p. 96f.
  18. ^ Synonymous concise dictionary of the German language 1910 by Johann August Eberhard.
  19. ↑ Praise God. Retrieved November 23, 2014 .
  20. ↑ Cf. Afsaruddin 2002a, 26f.
  21. ^ Codex for Chess Composition. Retrieved November 23, 2014 .
  22. ↑ German Proverbs Lexicon. Retrieved November 23, 2014 .
  23. ^ Heinrich von Meissen, called Frauenlob. Retrieved November 23, 2014 .
  24. ↑ Bert Nagel:  Frauenlob. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 5, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1961, ISBN 3-428-00186-9 , pp. 380-382 ( digitized version ).