From forced patience to support and the risks of permissiveness: The case of the Serbian pendulum
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33910/2686-9527-2026-8-1-9-17Keywords:
upbringing, child viability, self-regulation, parenting style, socio-emotional learning, emotional support, cultural narrativesAbstract
Introduction. This article compares historical and contemporary paradigms of upbringing in Serbia, from late socialist Yugoslavia (1970s–1980s) to the present, focusing on child resilience as adaptability supported by relationships and institutions.
Materials and Methods. The first part analyzes school and family practices of discipline, teamwork, and respect for authority, while the second discusses the normative shift following the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child and the development of intersectoral child-protection protocols.
Results. The study demonstrates that the earlier model of upbringing, in which child resilience was understood as tacit endurance of difficulties with limited emotional support, masked power asymmetries and could impose long-term psychosocial costs, including reduced self-esteem, suppressed affect, and normalized shame. The empirical context is illustrated by local materials shedding light on the child’s value status and changing attitudes between 1987–2012. The cultural perspective is explored through the poetic novel Deca (‘Children’) by M. Marković (Markovich 2021), which reveals the dynamics of traumatic experience and highlights protective micro-factors such as a grandmother, teachers, and friendship. Contemporary practice, despite achievements, tends to drift towards excessive protection and blurred boundaries, limiting self-regulation and responsibility. The digital context and literature on generational shifts suggest moving beyond the ‘more/less screen time’ logic towards focusing on interaction quality and restoring space for unmediated and autonomous experience. The author proposes a framework of balanced adaptation combining secure, predictable relationships with clear, consistently applied boundaries and gradual expansion of autonomy. This approach translates children’s rights into practice, reduces re-traumatization, and fosters resilience in both the child and surrounding environment without reverting to harsh discipline or unstructured permissiveness.
Conclusion. The article concludes with recommendations for family policy and schools, including strengthening psychological and pedagogical services, integrating social and emotional learning, and closer cooperation between education, healthcare, and social protection sectors.
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