Ben Mewhinney
Week 9 Context Presentation – Psychology of moving as a child
Moving is often thought of as one of the most stressful situations someone is placed in. This is stress is only compounded upon when you are a young child, thought to be abandoned by your mama and moving from New York City to a wealthy suburb. While the stress levels are apparent I would like to dive deeper into the psychology of children when they are moving.
Deming is faced with an incredibly difficult situation, his mother never returns from work one day, leaving the young child to think he has been abandoned. One can only imagine the levels of anxiety this would bring on. Moving can ruin important friendships and disrupt a balance that a child may being to form in their life. This effect is even worse for children who, “are introverted and those whose personalities tend toward anxiety and inflexibility” (Darling 2010). Deming certainly faces these issues which only get worse when he moves upstate. Moving is often times something that one cannot control, similar to his mothers disappearance. These types of rash and sudden changes make it difficult for one to form any sort of identity. Moving during childhood raises the chances of mental health problems by nearly three times (Thriveworks 2018). Changes like these tend to make children less resilient and mores sensitive. Stability is vital to a young child, something that Deming is clearly deprived of during his young teenage years. These situations lead to fewer high quality relationships, lower life satisfaction, and lower sense of personal well being (Thriveworks 2018).
Deming not only faces the stress of moving to the suburbs during The Leavers. He also faces the added stress of his missing mother, continued pressure to forget his cultural roots, and discrimination within his new community. Regardless of the situation before the move, this sudden change in Deming’s life certainly affects him on a scale that you may have not already assumed.
References:
Darling, Nancy. “Moving Is Tough for Kids.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 11 July 2010, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/thinking-about-kids/201007/ moving-is-tough-kids.
Guest. “Moving Is Tough for Kids and Can Potentially Impact Their Mental Health: Here’s How You Can Make It Easier for Them – Thriveworks.” Counseling and Life Coaching – Find a Counselor, 3 Feb. 2020, thriveworks.com/blog/moving- tough-kids-impact-mental-health/.