Self-Reliant Youth

Raising Self-Reliant Children in a Self-Indulgent World. H. Stephen Glenn and Jane Nelsen. Rocklin, California: Prima Publishing & Communications, 1988. 243 pp. $16.95 hardcover.

Every person is born into this world with only the potential to become capable, not with the capabilities themselves. Thus, Glenn and Nelsen choose "habilitation" to describe the process of developing these capabilities in young people. With this modification of the concept of "rehabilitation," Glenn and Nelsen begin their latest collaboration to explain how we can actively parent to raise healthy, capable young people.

Like others, Glenn and Nelsen recognize that American society has experienced vast changes. Society and families are in transition, and in the process, we've eliminated critical dialogue and communication between parents and children. Schools at one time helped develop critical life skills in children in concert with families, but since the advent of the baby boom, increased class size has forced the elimination of such teaching in favor of covering the material. Accordingly, "there is only one antidote to the steady diminishment of dialogue and collaboration at school. That is the increase at home of these activities designed to encourage growth and learning in young people."

Many in Extension are already familiar with Glenn's other works, which have been quite useful to those in home economics and 4-H. This latest book brings together some of the best of the past as well as some of the newest material from his workshops and seminars. Central to Glenn's theories on raising children for success are the "significant seven" - three beliefs and four skills that are the sense of fully functioning human beings:

1. Perceptions of personal capabilities.

2. Perceptions of personal significance (I can contribute in meaningful ways and I am genuinely needed).

3. Perceptions of personal power or influence over events (I'm not at the mercy of fate or luck, but can influence what happens to me).

4. Intrapersonal skills (the ability to understand personal emotions to develop self-discipline and self-control).

5. Interpersonal skills (the ability to get along with others and develop friendships based on closeness and trust).

6. . Systemic skills (the ability to respond to the limits and consequences of everyday life responsibly and with integrity).

7. Judgmental skills (the ability to evaluate situations and make decisions based on a value system).

Each of these skills is described in detail by the authors as well as the barriers that hold us back from developing the significant seven. Interestingly, research indicates that people who become chemically dependent become deficient in all seven areas. Rehabilitation occurs by going through a rebuilding process in all these same areas.