Montessori

Montessori

Essay 1a
“The 8 human tendencies as developed by Maria Montessori and how they are displayed in children through the 3 main stages of development”.

Compulsion, proclivites, predispositions, predilictions; these are some of the words we use in place of tendencies. The Oxford English dictionary defines a tendency as thus; ‘Tendency •n. (pl. Tendencies) 1 an inclination to behave in a particular way’. They are innate behavioural patterns that govern who we are, what we do and why we do them. A subconscious directional force.
On a fundamental level we are the same as early man, we like they, have a driving force. Maria Montessori spoke of this force and of a person’s will – the ‘horme’. ‘A vital force is active within him, and this guides his efforts towards their goal’ – M. Montessori, The Absorbent Mind (1995); 83. And it is here that tendencies are stored. Without it, we would not have progressed as a species to such an evolved extent. She felt however, that this force was more than just “will-power” as that was too aware and restrictive a term, and believed that the horme belonged to ‘life in general, to what might be called the divine urge, the source of all evolution’ - M. Montessori, The Absorbent Mind (1995); 83.
It is vital to consider a child’s tendencies when guiding their education. I strongly believe that a child should have the freedom to explore where his tendencies lead him, unrepressed; unhindered in this way, they grow into the person they are born to be, and a directress should have the respect and foresight to allow a child this. Any repression or discouragement of one’s tendencies can be a catalyst for psychological issues later in life. My close friend is an example of this; throughout her childhood and teenage years she was a highly creative and inwardly reflective individual, wanting to express herself through visual creativity and fashion – her parents felt that this was unsuitable and curtailed her self-expression at many...

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