Childhood Impressions: How Early Influences Shape Perceptions of Docto
Psychological attitudes formed in childhood have a significant impact on how we perceive doctors. If a child hears insecure or even frightening comments about doctors and medical procedures from their parents from an early age, an unconscious sense of fear toward medical care may develop.For example, as noted in one of the sources, parents may unwittingly transmit their own attitudes that evoke fear:"Scientists emphasize the influence of parents' incorrect attitudes, which can cause children to fear visiting the doctor. After discussing with the parent what and how he says things to his son or daughter in a given situation..." (source: link txt).Additionally, an ambiguous image of medical workers is formed when they are contrasted with parents—people whom a child associates with love and care. In this case, doctors may be perceived as "others," potentially dangerous figures:"Anyone can be bad—a nasty doctor, an unpleasant aunt who gave an injection on the finger—but mothers and fathers can never be bad. Hence, the first problem: the direct opposition of good (mothers, fathers) to evil (doctors and nurses)..." (source: link txt).These attitudes, if not corrected with positive experiences and proper information about the role of doctors, can dominate an individual's consciousness, causing fear of medical care to outweigh any possibility of perceiving doctors with benevolence or trust. Thus, through early family communication, emotional responses are instilled that may shape one's attitude toward doctors in adulthood.Supporting citation(s): "Scientists emphasize the influence of parents' incorrect attitudes, which can cause children to fear visiting the doctor..." (source: link txt) "Anyone can be bad—a nasty doctor, an unpleasant aunt who gave an injection on the finger—but mothers and fathers can never be bad..." (source: link txt)