Is The Children's Revolution Coming? Psychologists' Comments On Greta Thunberg - Society

The speech of 16-year-old Greta Thunberg at the UN summit interested many. The authors of the journal "Our Psychology" expressed their opinion on the psychological aspects of this event

Mark Sandomirskiy, practicing psychotherapist, trainer at the Institute of Group and Family Psychology and Psychotherapy, member of the Committee on Modalities of PPP, EAP, holder of the European certificate of psychotherapist, Ph. D. n., c. m. n.

The event that attracted public attention (or a newfangled hype) was the speech of Greta Thunberg at the UN summit on climate change. In her landmark speech, "Change Is Coming Whether You Want It or Not," Thunberg blamed the world leaders who allegedly stole her childhood.

Indeed, change is coming, or at least coming to a head. What kind of changes are we talking about? Not only ecological, but also psychological. About that psychological revolution, which is quietly making its way into the mass consciousness. About the revolution … children.

In fact, the speech mentioned is an open challenge, slightly disguised by environmental specifics, which a generation of children throws down to a generation of fathers. A challenge in which children rebuke and accuse elders from a position of moral superiority.

Soon we will live in a society where children are in charge, who tell adults how to live correctly. In a pedocracy society

Alexandra Varshal, medical psychologist, researcher at the Institute of Physiology and Fundamental Medicine (NIIFFM)

Indeed, today there is a bias towards pedocracy. But all the same, power will always be with those people who provide life for children, that is, adults who earn money, feed them, dress them, and so on.

Of course, the world is very different. Previously, adults did not have such an insane amount of time to deal with children's problems. Now this freedom has appeared. In addition, children change, they become more complex. In my opinion, the rational will still prevail over the irrational. And adults, who for the most part assess risks and chances sensibly, will rule this world. Talking about the revolution of children in modern society is a bit of an exaggeration, but the dynamics, indeed, can be traced.

I will add that Greta reminded me of the heroine from Game of Thrones - Lyanna Mormont. Despair, sincerity, and faith command respect

Yulia Vasilkina, child and family psychologist, sociologist, author of books for parents

I don't know what I can say here "as a psychologist."

As a person, I can tell that an event happened. A short description of the event from me: one brave Swedish girl with her five-minute speech was able to attract a lot of attention to the environmental problem around the world.

Do I welcome drawing attention to environmental issues? Greetings. Most likely, I myself will become more attentive to this topic in my daily life.

Do I applaud a 16 year old girl doing this? Greetings as much as if a 70-year-old African were doing it.

How do I feel about those who are involved in cyberbullying, seeking out Greta's "diagnoses" and devaluing the topic that she has been immersed in for five years, since she was 11 years old? I treat these people in such a way that I would never want to have anything to do with them.

I work with teenagers and young people, and their problems are often different: they are not cognitively motivated, immersed in bright toys and are infected with the consumption virus. Therefore, if Greta and her speech propel young people to the idea that at the age of 16 you can be so deeply involved in your topic as to speak at a world congress, where the hall of adults will applaud you, that will be a lot.

Am I afraid of the fact that the girl says to the adults, "How dare you"? No. Do I think this is unethical? Also no. And I (as a psychologist) would be interested in the personality profile of an adult to whom this fact is alarming and unethical.

And - yes, I have four eco-bags, I sort the trash according to the possibilities that are available, and I welcome eco-initiatives