Criticism of Indigo children

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Main article: Indigo children

There is no scientific support for these claims.^[1]

Contents 1 Criticism 2 Criticism and scientific investigation 2.1 Non-mystic interpretations 3 References

Criticism

Psychologist Russell Barkley has said the New Age movement has yet to produce empirical evidence of the existence of Indigo children, and that the 17 traits most commonly attributed to them are so vague that they could describe "most of the people most of the time" and were reminiscent of the Forer effect. Barkley also expressed concern that labeling a disruptive child an "Indigo" may delay proper diagnosis and treatment that may help the child.^[2][3] Others have advised that many of the traits of Indigo children could be more prosaically interpreted as simple arrogance and selfish individualism, which parents with certain New Age beliefs may misperceive.^[1]

The Indigo phenomena may be the reaction of children watching television shows with an emphasis on magic and New Age-compatible language. An example of this was illustrated in a Dallas Observer article discussing Indigo children, a reporter recorded the following interaction between a man who worked with Indigo children, and a purported Indigo child:

“

Are you an Indigo? he asked Dusk. The boy looked at him shyly and nodded. "I'm an avatar," Dusk said. "I can recognize the four elements of earth, wind, water and fire. The next avatar won't come for 100 years." The man seemed impressed.[3]

”

Readers of the Dallas Observer later wrote in to inform the newspaper that the child's response appeared to be taken from the storyline of Avatar: The Last Airbender; a children's cartoon showing on Nickelodeon at the time of the interview. The editor of the Dallas Observer later admitted they were not aware of the possible connection until readers brought it to their attention.^[4]

Criticism and scientific investigation

Critics of the indigo children, which include most of established science, claim that it is not a legitimate scientific way of understanding social changes. The Skeptic's Dictionary asserts: "the main thesis of The Indigo Children is that many children diagnosed as having Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder are actually space aliens." Believers in this concept have proposed classifying it as protoscience rather than pseudoscience. Skeptics point out that no proponent of "indigo children" has ever provided a single piece of verifiable evidence to support their claims.

Alleged indigo children are often the offspring of "new age" parents. Exposed to new age thinking, it might be taken as unsurprising that the children possess a greater fluency of 'spiritual language' than earlier generations. Having been told that the vast majority of children are now "indigos", new age parents in fear of suppressing this 'special' generation may be encouraging behaviors that would otherwise have been thought antisocial. The traits listed by the authors could be interpreted as simple arrogance and selfish individualism if not backed up by evidence of above-average spiritual awareness (compassion, love, desire for harmony, etc.) by the child designated as "indigo".

Just as many people tend towards astrology because it presents believers with complimentary accounts of themselves, critics of the indigo children concept claim that parents relate to the hypothesis because it provides a more flattering conclusion about their children than that of conventional science. The schema of a very gifted person being troubled during childhood is common in Western society, and parents may prefer to believe a child who has trouble fitting in is especially gifted rather than suffering from a condition like ADD. Some claim the labeling of a child as "indigo" is irresponsible as it may keep children shielded from scientific diagnosis, and for increasing the pressure on already struggling children by unrealistically raising parental expectation. Others point out the questionable safety and effectiveness of drug-based psychological treatment (ie. psychiatry) in treating many of todays problems. These same people might note the high degree of safety and effectiveness of treatments such as meditation, tai-chi, and megavitamin therapy in treating many of these problems, and theorize that that looking beyond the psychiatric model may therefore a worthy course of action as it relates to this possible phenomenom.

Supporters of the theory point out that discussing matters of new-age spirituality with those determined to not believe in anything associated with the new-age movement offers little in the way of potential benefit. Believers point to interviews done with the "indigo" children and their parents, and observations of the children, as proof of the validity of the idea of "indigo" children. They may also point out the value of Kirlian photography as evidence.

Non-mystic interpretations

It is possible to use the traits assigned to supposed indigo Children as a weakly scientific observation of social trends, rather than as a signifier of a new race or form of consciousness. Educators, generally, have not embraced the indigo child supposition for lack of evidence. Some alternative educators have accepted the indigo concept, and have related their mission to the needs of so-called indigo children^1,4. Philosophies that resonate with indigos' supposed style of learning may include experiential education, multiple intelligence strategies, project-based learning, unschooling, and student-centered learning.

References

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