Abstract
M.Ed. (Educational Psychology)
Pressure on children implies external forces making a compelling demand on their time and strength to comply with higher standards of excellence in the classroom and on the sports field. Modern society greatly admires competence and efficiency and places special emphasis on achievement, success and winning. As a result
children I s education also reflects a tendency towards intense competition inside and outside the classroom. Several underlying causes are given for the pressure on children. Conflicting values and the expectations of parents and teachers are the most important causes which create a feeling of uncertainty inside the child. It is, therefore, essential for educators to reconsider their attitudes towards children. Pressure as a result of external forces often cause feelings of anxiety in children, affecting their learning abilities, creativity and personality development. In this regard the value of intrinsic motivation must be emphasized. This will enable a child to cope with failure and respond in a positive manner to the challenges of life. The role of competition in the lives of children must be appreciated and educators need to justify their actions on moral grounds. If competition helps the child towards self-fulfilment, promotes cooperation among people, creates equal opportunities for all, recognizes human dignity, sets realistic expectations and protects the individual's health, it can be regarded as healthy competition which can be instrumental in the upliftment of a
child's self-image and self-confidence. A modular curriculum is often suggested as a solution for the problem of overloaded curricula which result in over structured
lives where children have very little time for themselves. It is the intention of this study to create a greater understanding for the problem of increasing pressures on children in modern society.