Wrongdoing hurts: Wolf feels guilt
Complex unpleasant emotions: GUILT
| Author | Tatjana Gjurković, Tea Knežević |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Jelena Brezovec |
| Original Title | Pogrešno ponašanje boli: Vuk osjeća krivnju |
| ISBN | 978-953-8008-84-9 |
| Format | softcover |
| Pages | 24 |
| Size | 22x22 cm |
| Age range | Early learning (2 – 6), Beginning readers (5 – 7) |
| Category | Guilt |
|---|---|
| Tag | Complex unpleasant emotions |
WRITTEN BY EXPERTS IN CHILD PSYCHOLOGY
Little wolf and his friend beaver decided to make a bridge over the creek using sticks and branches. When the bridge was finished, they counted to see who could run over it faster without falling into the water. Little mole also wanted to cross the bridge. She had a bad eyesight, so she was crossing the bridge slowly and carefully. Excited little wolf couldn’t wait his turn, so he ran past the mole, and she stumbled and fell into the creek. When she saw what had happened, rabbit made little wolf feel guilty.
To learn how to function in a community, or society, children explore and learn about relationships with others through socialization and play. Learning about relationships comes with experiencing various emotions, some of which are very unpleasant for the child which is why they’ll need help from adults to learn to deal with those feelings.
Guilt is one of the so-called complex emotions, and some also call it a social emotion because the function of guilt is to make it easier for us to live together with others and integrate into society.
Children will most often feel guilt when they receive criticism of their behaviour from their parents or another authority figure. When parents want to direct their child’s behaviour, they must clearly let them know what is okay to do and what is not. Criticism is a technique used to prevent unwanted behaviour in a child and it’s necessary, but it may cause them to feel guilty and sometimes ashamed. It’s extremely important for a parent to know the difference between criticizing a child’s behaviour and the child as a being.
It’s okay for a child to feel the emotion of guilt, but it’s parents’ responsibility to explain to the child why a certain behaviour is undesirable and what are the consequences of such behaviour. It is also the responsibility of parents to help their child work through their feelings of guilt and find another way to act in future situations.
At the end of the picture book, there are advice for parents and adults on how to better manage their child’s behaviour and how to help them cope with the emotion of guilt.
Author: Tatjana Gjurković
Tatjana Gjurković has a master’s degree in psychology, she is certified psychotherapist, certified child play therapist (RPT), Certified Transactional Analyst (CTA), Teacher and Supervisor of Transactional Analysis (TSTA). She works individually with children and adults and holds educational programs for specialists in fields of child play therapy and transaction analysis. She is author of a book “Play Therapy with children” and 28 therapeutic picture books. She continuously promotes the importance of mental health in children and adults through Centar Proventus which she co-founded with her colleague Tea Knežević.
Author: Tea Knežević
Tea Knežević has master’s degree in psychology, she is certified psychotherapist, certified child play therapist (RPT) and Certified Transactional Analyst (CTA). She provides play therapy with children, psychotherapy with adults, parent consultations, and conducts numerous training courses for professionals in Centar Proventus which she co-founded with her colleague Tatjana Gjurković. She has written 28 picture books with therapeutic stories for children. In addition, she is the author of several manuals related to psychological resilience, gifted children, and anger management.
Illustrator: Jelena Brezovec
Jelena Brezovec has a master’s degree in social studies. For a long time, drawing was just a hobby, until 2008 when she became a co-founder of the publishing house Evenio and decided to study digital illustration, with the focus on children’s illustration. So far, she has illustrated more than 40 picture books and many other publications. She is the winner of the Grigor Vitez “Bird” Award, a special praise from the children’s jury. She has illustrated the most popular children’s book series in Croatia – Mrljek & Prljek. Her illustrations have been part of many exhibitions throughout Croatia. She lives and works in Varaždin, Croatia.
