In this blog post, we will look at how children’s ability to delay gratification is formed through the marshmallow experiment and how it affects their long-term life.
Psychologist Michelle conducted an experiment on children’s self-control. She took a group of 4-year-old children into a room, gave them each a marshmallow, and told them that if they waited until she came back without eating it, they would get another one as a reward. Some children ate the marshmallow as soon as the teacher left, some ate it halfway through, and some waited until the end. When the children who participated in this experiment were seen again 15 years later, those who waited longer showed higher academic achievement and greater satisfaction with life. Dr. Mischel called the behavior exhibited by the children in this experiment, namely, the ability to delay immediate gratification or rewards and endure the frustration that arises in the process, “delayed gratification.”
Delay gratification ability means more than just self-control. It plays an important role in various aspects of life and is directly linked to an individual’s ability to achieve long-term goals. In modern society, we are constantly tempted to seek instant gratification, and in such an environment, the ability to control oneself and pursue long-term goals is becoming increasingly important.
Psychoanalytic theory suggests that the ability to delay gratification arises when the reality principle of the ego, which considers usefulness, prevails over the pleasure principle of the id, which follows impulsive desires. During development, the ability to delay gratification is shaped by the strength of the ego’s desire to suppress impulses rather than by cultural influences. As children mature and develop spontaneous self-control, their ability to delay gratification develops. Parents and teachers also play a very important role in this process. They can provide children with consistent rules and boundaries and help them grow by offering positive reinforcement and support.
Cognitive development theory explains that children choose immediate rewards because they are unable to consider the value of delayed rewards. This theory views the strengthening of the ability to delay gratification as a reflection of children’s cognitive growth. In other words, when faced with a choice between a small immediate reward and a larger reward after a certain period of time, children’s cognitive ability to consider both aspects simultaneously, that is, their ability to structure events and understand reality, has improved. Through this, children learn to control their current desires for long-term goals.
So how does social learning theory view the ability to delay gratification? According to this theory, children learn through social reinforcement that delaying gratification is more valuable and appropriate. In particular, the expectation or confidence that delayed rewards will be realized depends largely on past experiences of promise fulfillment. In addition to direct personal experience, the ability to delay gratification can be learned by observing the behavior of social models such as peers, parents, and teachers. The role of social models is very important in this process. By demonstrating positive behavior to children, they enable children to imitate and internalize it.
Studies on the ability to delay gratification show that the foundation for an individual’s academic achievement and social adaptation is formed at an early age. In today’s society, which is full of harmful stimuli, it is important to educate children to control their impulses and internalize future-oriented and achievement-oriented values. Therefore, the ability to delay gratification can be said to be a developmental task that must be developed in childhood. In order to develop children’s ability to delay gratification, consistent education and guidance are necessary both at home and at school. Through this, children will learn self-control and, furthermore, be able to lead successful and satisfying lives as adults.
