The Self-Driven Child: The Science and Sense of Giving Your Kids More Control Over Their Lives

by William Stixrud and Ned Johnson

star4.32

Stixrud, a clinical neuropsychologist, and Johnson, a teen coach, argue that the best antidote to the stress epidemic among children and adolescents is giving them a greater sense of control over their own lives. They draw on brain science and self-determination theory to show that autonomy reduces the harmful effects of chronic stress on the developing brain and builds the internal motivation needed for lasting success.

Published:: 2018
Pages:: 384

Buy on Amazon

In the Conversation

In this collection, The Self-Driven Child: The Science and Sense of Giving Your Kids More Control Over Their Lives references 4 other books.

It draws on Mindset, Flow and Drive.

Scroll down to read the exact passages where other authors reference this book and what they say about it.

What This Book Draws On

The books Johnson references and why each one mattered to the argument.

Stixrud and Johnson cite Dweck's growth mindset research extensively, showing that focusing on effort rather than ability helps children develop a healthy sense of control over their own learning outcomes

References

Mindset

by Carol Dweck

Buy

Stixrud and Johnson discuss Csikszentmihalyi's flow research to illustrate how the right balance of challenge and skill gives children practice with focused attention, intrinsic motivation, and the self-directed engagement essential for brain development

References

Flow

by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Buy

Stixrud and Johnson draw on the autonomy research from Deci and Ryan's self-determination theory, the same body of work Pink synthesized in Drive, to argue that children need to feel in control of their lives to develop healthy motivation

References

Drive

by Daniel Pink

Buy

Stixrud and Johnson reference Sapolsky's stress research to explain how chronic stress from overcontrolling environments damages the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, compromising children's learning and emotional regulation

References

Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers: The Acclaimed Guide to Stress, Stress-Related Diseases, and Coping

by Robert Sapolsky

Buy

What Other Authors Say About It

No books citing this title yet.

Intellectual Lineage

How ideas flow through the citation network. Ancestors are books this title builds on; descendants are books that build on it.

Builds on (2 layers deep)

Directly cites

Mindset

Flow

Drive

Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers:...

2 steps back

Good to Great

Built to Last

Emotional Intelligence

Man's Search for Meaning

Nicomachean Ethics

The Selfish Gene

Unexpected Connections

Books from completely different categories that share citation overlap with this one. These are the reads you would not find by browsing a single shelf.