What are The Significant 7 Skills and Perceptions?
Developing Capable Young People (DCYP) program was designed to create respectful relationships in homes and schools. Their programs and resources help parents and teachers guide children and youth to become responsible and effective in their lives overall.
The book, Raising Self-reliant Children in a Self-indulgent World (Glenn & Nelsen, 1988) is as important now as when it was first introduced in 1988 by authors H. Stephen Glenn and Jane Nelsen, and included Nelsen’s Positive Discipline approach.
I became a trainer of the Developing Capable People program in the very early 1990s. Across all the years since then, I continue to rely on Glenn’s seven key principles in my work as a parent, professor, mentor, human development specialist, and board member. My overarching goal across all my roles is to help people find ways and opportunities to be the best at who they are. This book, the Developing Capable People program, and the actions of Positive Discipline help adults to help children become responsible humans.
The Significant 7 is a list of beliefs that a child forms about themself over time. How does that happen? Caring adults provide opportunities for children to take responsibility and then talk together about how it went, what worked, and what it felt like to contribute in a responsible way. In this approach, children are seen as capable, they are included in family and classroom conversations, and encouraged to take increasing amounts of responsibility as they grow up.
For example, one of the stories Dr. Glenn relayed in our train-the-trainer program, was about a child who lived on a farm. The child asked his grandfather how he could help plow the fields. Rather than sending the child away, the grandfather asked the child how he thought he could be helpful. The child replied that he’d noticed that sometimes the tractor made furrows that weren’t totally straight all the way across the field. The child suggested that he be allowed to sit in the tractor cab and be a second look-out so that Grandpa could drive the tractor completely straight ahead, like he did when he was a younger man. Of course, Grandpa agreed - having straight furrows was important for growing and maintaining successful crops!
The Significant 7 capabilities and beliefs (perceptions about oneself) are the outcome of being raised as a self-reliant child:
Perceptions of Capabilities
I am capable of facing problems and challenges and gaining strength and wisdom through experience.Perceptions of Significance
My life has meaning and purpose who I am and what I have to offer is of value in the scheme of things.Perceptions of Influence
My actions and choices influence what happens.Intrapersonal Skills
The tools to respond to feelings effectively, self-assessment, self-control, and self-discipline.Interpersonal Skills
The tools to communicate, cooperate, negotiate, share, empathize, resolve conflicts, and listen effectively when dealing with people.Systemic Skills
The tools of responsibility, adaptability, and flexibility necessary to deal with the environmental family, social, legal, and other systems in which we live.Judgement Skills
The tools to set goals and/or make decisions, judgments, and choices based on moral and ethical principles, wisdom, and experience.
For more information on this program and resources, you are invited to explore the Positive Discipline website and The Developing Capable Young People e-book download page.
This article is part of our Newsletter 2024 Issue 2. See all articles.
