When we talk about self-control we are referring to the ability to control oneself. In other words, it is the ability to control one’s own impulsesemotions, desires, actions, among others.
What’s more, self-control is a capacity that allows us to achieve a series of benefitssuch as:
- A better expression
- Take into account the points of view and opinions of others
- Think more clearly
- Improves self-esteem
- Causes a feeling of less vulnerability
- Greater ease for
- Making better decisions
So that, self control It is a capacity that can be acquired over the years. Specifically, the most effective procedures commonly used to acquire self-control are: on the one hand, self-instruction procedures and, on the other hand, self-reinforcement procedures, or a combination of both.
- As to self-instructionwe refer to that procedure in which the individual gives instructions or orders to himself, with the purpose of regulating his own impulsive behavior.
- Again, as to self-reinforcementwe refer to that procedure in which the individual offers himself, after performing a certain behavior, a series of reinforcements or positive consequences.
To acquire self-control behaviors in childrenit is common to use techniques based on metaphors and Children’s Stories adapted to the age of the individual, as is the case of the turtle technique, the volcano technique, the Arthur the bear technique, among others. Thus, metaphors and stories are a great tool to promote the possibility of change, both at a behavioral and cognitive level.
The turtle technique begins with the story of the turtle:
A long time ago, there was a beautiful young turtle named Clota. Clota had just started classes, she was exactly X years old (X is equal to the age of the child to whom the story is read). Clota didn’t like going to school too muchHowever, she preferred to stay at home to be with her little brother and her mother. She didn’t want to go to school to learn new things, she just liked to run, play, etc.
It seemed very complicated and very tiring for him to solve worksheets, copy what the teacher wrote on the blackboard and/or participate in activities with his other classmates. He also did not like to listen and pay attention to what the teacher explained., she found it more fun to make noises imitating the sound of car engines, and she never remembered not to make those noises while the teacher was talking. Clota used to play pranks on her classmates and mess with them. Therefore, going to school was a very difficult situation for Clota.
Every day, when Clota was on her way to school, she told herself that she would behave in the best way possible so as not to mess with her classmates. But even though she promised all this to herself, it was very easy for her to be thrown out of control by something and, in the end, she always ended up punished, getting angry and fighting. So, Clota had a very bad time, she often thought “I’m always getting into trouble, if I continue down this path, in the end I’m going to end up hating the school and all my classmates and teachers.”
On one of his worst days, when he felt bad, He came across a wise old turtle, the largest he had ever seen in his entire life. It was a very large turtle in every sense, it was more than 300 years old and as big as a mountain. Clota was a little scared, she was addressing the old turtle with a small and embarrassing voice. But after a short time, Clota realized that the gigantic turtle was very nice and friendly, and she seemed willing to help Clota on her bad day.
Then the old turtle said to Clota: “Hey! Did you know? I’ll tell you a little secret that will help you: you carry the solution to solve your problems with you, on you.” Clota did not understand him, and she looked at him expressing that she did not understand anything with her curious look. “Your shell is the solution! Don’t you know what your shell is for?” Clota continued looking at him with an expression of knowing more. “The power of your shell is that you can get inside it and hide whenever you have feelings like rage, anger, etc. So, for example, you can hide whenever you feel like breaking things, screaming, hitting something or someone, among others. When you hide inside your shell, you can take advantage of that moment to rest, and wait until you’re not so angry. That’s why I recommend that the next time you get angry, get into your shell.”
Clota thought it was a very good idea. She was very happy and wanted to try it and, thus, try to control your anger at school. The next day of class he already practiced it, when suddenly, one of his classmates accidentally hit him on the back. At that moment, Clota began to get angry, so much so that she almost lost her temper and hit him back. But suddenly, she remembered the old turtle’s wise advice. She then gathered, as quickly as she could, his arms, his legs and her head into her shell and stayed there until her anger passed.
Clota realized that it was a very good idea, since He loved being able to feel so good inside his shell., where no one could bother her. When she got out of there inside her, she was amazed to see that her teacher was looking at her with a big smile on her face, happy and proud of what Clota had done.
Therefore, he decided to continue using that trick for the rest of the year. She used it every time a classmate or something bothered her, but she also used it when she felt like hitting or arguing. After a while, she managed to always act this way, a very different way than she acted before. She felt very happy and proud of herself. And all his classmates admired him for how he did it and were very curious to know what his secret was.
The turtle technique is one of the impulse control techniques to educate boys and girls and change bad behavior.
The turtle technique was devised and created by Marlene Schneider, with the purpose of promoting self-control behaviors to alleviate impulsive behaviors in children in the classroom.
In order to capture children’s attention regarding the turtle technique, it is recommended to tell them a story (like the one you will find in the previous section), in children’s story format adapted according to the age of each child.
The idea is that, through the story of the turtle, children identify with the turtle small and young, so that they can extrapolate the turtle’s decisive behavior to their daily situations in the classroom and be able to control their own actions, emotions and disruptive feelings. That is why it is important to emphasize to them, at the end of reading the story, that when they feel angry or upset, wanting to scream, hit, etc., they can do the same as the little turtle did.
Thus, it is a emotional self-control technique metaphorical, in which the turtle is the character that represents the situation in which the children find themselves. Specifically, the turtle technique or turtle story is made up of four phases:
- Phase 1: the child must recognize your emotions and stop to think (getting into your shell), and breathe calmly to be able to think of possible solutions. In order to simulate the shell, the child can also gather his legs by surrounding them with his arms, so that he is more collected and protected by himself.
- Phase 2: maintain posture tensely for about ten seconds.
- Phase 3: In this phase, the child must go releasing the tension in your bodyand relaxing until your body is completely relaxed.
- Phase 4: the final phase is where the child should be congratulated for their effort and their result. It is a good way to ensure a greater chance of increasing the appearance of this self-control behavior. It is also important, in this phase, for the child to explain what made him feel angry and how he felt using the turtle technique.
In the following article you will find other strategies for .