Withering or Thriving
As reported in the April Psychological Science, the genetic and behavioral data are consistent with the orchid child model of susceptibility. That is, certain variations in the children’s CHRM2 gene appear to interact with parental negligence to produce the most undesirable teenage behavior. But the nature of that interaction is what is most important: the genetic variant that combined with lousy parenting to produce the worst aggression and delinquency also combined with the most attentive parenting to produce the best teenage outcomes. Put another way, the kids who ran the highest risk of developing bad behaviors in bad homes were least likely to struggle when living in healthy, nurturing homes.
Although the scientists studied parental monitoring or awareness, this measure is most likely a proxy for a teenager’s environment more generally. That is, adolescents who scored low on parental involvement are probably more likely to live in unsafe neighborhoods and to hang out with friends who tend to get into trouble. Some kids—the dandelion children—might do okay in such a world, but these stresses may be enough to tank the genetically sensitive orchid children.
If CHRM2 does turn out to be an orchid child gene, some earlier findings might now begin to make sense. For example, the gene has also been linked to serious depression in some studies and to cognitive ability in others. But the gene does not appear to code for these outcomes directly, nor do all these outcomes necessarily show up in all genetically at-risk teenagers. Indeed, CHRM2 may not be a gene “for” anything—other than the tendency to follow life’s fortunes or misfortunes.
This article was originally published with the title On the Trail of the Orchid Child.
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8 Comments
Add CommentFascinating study.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWouldn't weeding out delinquent behavior and unhappy individuals in the past have also eliminated the sometimes crucial contributions to society's continued survival?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhat kind of humanity are we intending to engineer? Who really knows what's best for us?
An interesting study to be sure, but I take issue with the criteria they used to "measuring parental nurturing, indifference or neglect." I had the greatest parents in the world - loving, nurturing, infinitely supportive - but they didn't know every detail of my life, and didn't feel the need to insert themselves into my business unnecessarily. They didn't always know how I spent my money, or what I was doing with my time, but that certainly wasn't a sign of indifference or neglect on their part, rather quite the opposite. I had many activities I enjoyed doing with my parents, we spent a fair amount of time together, had great discussions about a variety of topics, and they were always interested and supportive if I did happen to talk about my personal life. I was just intelligent, mature, and private by nature, and they loved and more importantly trusted me to, for the most part, run my own life. This made for a lovely relationship that fostered trust, independence, and mutual respect. Better by far, I noted at the time, than teens raised by parents determined to know what they were doing and with whom every moment of the day. (I actually oftentimes noted this kind of behavior specifically lacking a positive correlation with "quality" parenting.) I think I would have been much more likely to have "withered" under the stress of an overly intrusive parenting style.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI know without a doubt that I received the absolute highest quality of parenting growing up - a perfectly nurtured (if slightly modern) childhood which unfortunately would not be represented accurately within the parameters of this paper. Hopefully future developmental behavioral studies will find a more accurate way to measure the complex issue of what it means for a parent to best "nurture" their child.
@esm90: One example does not a study (or its interpretation) make. Peace.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI'm pretty sure that abusive and neglectful parents can easily be weeded out without dire consequences for humanity. An Orchid Child will likely be far more creative and productive with a good environment than any child from a bad environment. While the definition of "good parent" is certainly subject to a great variation in definition, some things are pretty widely accepted as bad parenting. Eliminating true abuse and neglect goes a long way toward eliminating crime and thus makes the world a much better place.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSo? You are not a broad based study. You are 1 example. If you have a comment on the study or its results that is based in science then feel free to comment. If you want to try to spin your narrow minded interpretation of second hand information with no evidence to back you up, don't expect too many people to be overly impressed. My own childhood was similar to yours but the outcome was very different. This doesn't mean that my life validates or invalidates this study in any way.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisOn a personal level, the results touch me. Though I've suffered depression since I was age 7 and was emotionally neglected or made to feel wrong about myself as well as being trapped in the wrong type of body, I've survived. I haven't thrived. I look forward to the day I will no longer have to survive.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisGood points!
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