Anger: Our theme for December and January
Are you familiar with the seven basic emotions? Paul Ekman, an American psychologist, identified them in the 1970s: joy, anger, disgust, fear, contempt, sadness and surprise. They are not culturally learned, but genetically determined.
Anger. Biologically, it serves to protect us. It releases energy, increases alertness and prepares the body for action. Anger is a survival programme. In everyday life, however, it rarely feels useful. When children see red and parents raise their voices, anger has a destructive effect. Yet it usually arises from stress, excessive demands or helplessness.
In the dossier «Anger», psychologists Stefanie Rietzler and Fabian Grolimund explore how to prevent outbursts of anger in children and defuse critical situations. They also present four uncomfortable truths for fathers who believe they must respond to their child's outbursts of anger with harshness and severity.
Have you ever wondered whether children of confident parents are automatically confident themselves? And whether children of anxious parents are anxious? My colleague Sandra Markert wanted to find out for sure. Her conclusion: it's not that simple. Personality skills are a fragile matter; you can work on them your whole life. The best place for parents to start is with the questions: How is my own self-esteem? And how does my self-esteem affect how I interact with my child?
«Neurodivergent brains – how can we nurture, protect and strengthen them?» is the title of a lecture by neuroscientist Barbara Studer as part of «Kosmos Kind». The lecture series – an initiative of the «Akademie. Für das Kind» (Academy for Children) and the Elternsein (Parenting) Foundation – is entering its next round.
Dear readers, you should mark 8 September 2026 in your calendars today: developmental psychologist Lieselotte Ahnert will talk about the role of fathers in parenting. She will answer questions such as: What do fathers do differently from mothers? And what effect does this have on children?
I wish you, dear reader, a peaceful Christmas. Have a good start to 2026. And stay hopeful.
Yours sincerely,
Nik Niethammer
