The case of the American teenager with "affluenza" brought prejudice against wealthy families. Kids spoiled or lack of pampering?
In 2013, the teenager Ethan Couch, 16, caused the death of four people and wounded nine, while driving drunk in Texas, United States. His lawyers claimed that the young man suffered from a condition called "affluenza" to justify their non-culpability, arguing that the lack of moral values and limits was due to the permissiveness of parents. Arrested in late 2015 for violating his parole and awaiting trial, there are the views - "spoiled kid", "reflection of parental neglect" or "fault of a virus"?
The term "affluenza" comes from the English words "influenza" ("flu", in Portuguese) and "affluence" ("influence, wealth") was popularized in the 1990s and refers to young people who never have learned to be responsible or to measure the consequences of their actions. Blame it would be parents who would have spoiled young people too much. But this condition was never recognized by the American Psychological Association - "there is a set of behaviors and created the term to talk about it, but does not correspond to a clinical diagnosis, the community accepts not as such", testifies José Morgado, expert in educational psychology, in a telephone conversation with the PUBLIC.
Using this condition was one Couch's defense strategy - trying to prove the instability before a heavy crime in which the defendant is guilty is "common" - but "America has a very particular context in legal matters, with very different intricacies of our "recalls Morgado. "I'm not sure if a case with this costume would have the same end in a European country, the justice model is very different."
Morgado admits, however, that there are children and young people growing up with some deregulation in terms of values and limits. Here is something that society should not ignore, argues Suniya Luthar, a professor of psychology at Arizona State University in an article for Reuters entitled Sometimes the 'poor rich young children "are really poor rich little kids, quoted by CNN. "There is growing evidence that the children of the rich are to become increasingly troubled, irresponsible and self-destructive," Luthar argues, investigating the lives of privileged children for 25 years. José Morgado argues, however, that "there is a direct relationship between having a lot of money and have a certain type of behavior" with "one simple reason: if there was a cause-effect relationship, everyone would have the same behavior in the same condition and this is not the case. "
"More are the lifestyles that may be linked to a particular type of condition, certain types of professional practice, little familiar presence ... These styles can be reflected in the establishment of the level of education, the kids are more alone, with fewer rules, under orientation, fewer levels of communication, "said Morgado, who works directly with parents and teachers from various colleges and hear complaints of a particular type of behavior. "There's a lot missing parents, as they have money, buy the educational service, not the exercise. Not because they want to be bad parents, "he continues," but do not have time, they have demanding schedules. "
In 2013, the teenager Ethan Couch, 16, caused the death of four people and wounded nine, while driving drunk in Texas, United States. His lawyers claimed that the young man suffered from a condition called "affluenza" to justify their non-culpability, arguing that the lack of moral values and limits was due to the permissiveness of parents. Arrested in late 2015 for violating his parole and awaiting trial, there are the views - "spoiled kid", "reflection of parental neglect" or "fault of a virus"?
The term "affluenza" comes from the English words "influenza" ("flu", in Portuguese) and "affluence" ("influence, wealth") was popularized in the 1990s and refers to young people who never have learned to be responsible or to measure the consequences of their actions. Blame it would be parents who would have spoiled young people too much. But this condition was never recognized by the American Psychological Association - "there is a set of behaviors and created the term to talk about it, but does not correspond to a clinical diagnosis, the community accepts not as such", testifies José Morgado, expert in educational psychology, in a telephone conversation with the PUBLIC.
Using this condition was one Couch's defense strategy - trying to prove the instability before a heavy crime in which the defendant is guilty is "common" - but "America has a very particular context in legal matters, with very different intricacies of our "recalls Morgado. "I'm not sure if a case with this costume would have the same end in a European country, the justice model is very different."
Morgado admits, however, that there are children and young people growing up with some deregulation in terms of values and limits. Here is something that society should not ignore, argues Suniya Luthar, a professor of psychology at Arizona State University in an article for Reuters entitled Sometimes the 'poor rich young children "are really poor rich little kids, quoted by CNN. "There is growing evidence that the children of the rich are to become increasingly troubled, irresponsible and self-destructive," Luthar argues, investigating the lives of privileged children for 25 years. José Morgado argues, however, that "there is a direct relationship between having a lot of money and have a certain type of behavior" with "one simple reason: if there was a cause-effect relationship, everyone would have the same behavior in the same condition and this is not the case. "
"More are the lifestyles that may be linked to a particular type of condition, certain types of professional practice, little familiar presence ... These styles can be reflected in the establishment of the level of education, the kids are more alone, with fewer rules, under orientation, fewer levels of communication, "said Morgado, who works directly with parents and teachers from various colleges and hear complaints of a particular type of behavior. "There's a lot missing parents, as they have money, buy the educational service, not the exercise. Not because they want to be bad parents, "he continues," but do not have time, they have demanding schedules. "