Indigo children

Indigo children, according to a pseudoscientific New Age concept, are children who are believed to possess special, unusual and sometimes supernatural traits or abilities.^[4] The idea is based on concepts developed in the 1970s by Nancy Ann Tappe^[5] and further developed by Jan Tober and Lee Carroll. The concept of indigo children gained popular interest with the publication of a series of books in the late 1990s and the release of several films in the following decade. A variety of books, conferences and related materials have been created surrounding belief in the idea of indigo children and their nature and abilities. The interpretations of these beliefs range from their being the next stage in human evolution, in some cases possessing paranormal abilities such as telepathy, to the belief that they are more empathetic and creative than their peers.

Although no scientific studies give credibility to the existence of indigo children or their traits, the phenomenon appeals to some parents whose children have been diagnosed with learning disabilities and to parents seeking to believe that their children are special. Critics view this as a way for parents to avoid considering pediatric treatment or a psychiatric diagnosis. The list of traits used to describe the children has also been criticized for being vague enough to be applied to almost anyone, a form of the Forer effect.

Origins

The term "indigo children" originated with parapsychologist and self-described synesthete and psychic Nancy Ann Tappe, who developed the concept in the 1970s. Tappe published the book Understanding Your Life Through Color in 1982 describing the concept,^[6] stating that during the mid-1960s she began noticing that many children were being born with "indigo" auras^[7][8] (in other publications Tappe said the color indigo came from the "life colors" of the children which she acquired through her synesthesia^[9]). The idea was later popularized by the 1998 book The Indigo Children: The New Kids Have Arrived, written by husband and wife self-help lecturers Lee Carroll and Jan Tober.^[10] In 2002, an international conference on indigo children was held in Hawaii, drawing 600 attendees, with subsequent conferences the following years in Florida and Oregon. Several films have also been produced on the subject, including two English feature films in 2003^[11] and 2005, and a documentary in 2005 (both the latter were directed by James Twyman, a New Age writer).^[12] A 2008 film was released in Russia as well.^[13]

Sarah W. Whedon suggests in a 2009 article in Nova Religio that the social construction of indigo children is a response to an "apparent crisis of American childhood" in the form of increased youth violence and diagnoses of attention deficit disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Whedon believes parents label their children as "indigo" to provide an alternative explanation for their children's improper behavior stemming from ADD and ADHD.^[7]

Claimed characteristics

Descriptions of indigo children include:

• the belief that they are empathetic, curious, strong-willed, independent, and often perceived by friends and family as being strange;
• possess a clear sense of self-definition and purpose;
• exhibit a strong innate subconscious spirituality from early childhood (which, however, does not necessarily imply a direct interest in spiritual or religious areas);
• a strong feeling of entitlement, or "deserving to be here."

Other alleged traits include:^[8][10]

• a high intelligence quotient, an inherent intuitive ability; and
• resistance to rigid, control-based paradigms of authority.

According to Tober and Carroll, indigo children may function poorly in conventional schools due to their rejection of rigid authority, being smarter (or more spiritually mature) than their teachers, and a lack of response to guilt-, fear- or manipulation-based discipline.^[12]

According to research psychologist Russell Barkley, the New Age movement has yet to produce empirical evidence of the existence of indigo children, as the traits most commonly attributed to them were akin to the Forer effect (i.e., so vague they could describe nearly anyone). Many critics see the concept of indigo children as made up of extremely general traits, a sham diagnosis that is an alternative to a medical diagnosis, with a complete lack of science or studies to support it.^[8][14] The lack of scientific foundation is acknowledged by some believers, including Doreen Virtue, author of The Care and Feeding of Indigos, and James Twyman, who produced two films on indigo children and who offers materials and courses related to the phenomenon. Virtue has been criticized for claiming to have a Ph.D., despite this being awarded by California Coast University, a then-unaccredited institution sometimes accused of being a diploma mill.^[12]

Indigo as an alternative to diagnosis

Retired professor of philosophy and skeptic Robert Todd Carroll notes that many of the commentators on the indigo phenomenon are of varying qualifications and expertise, and parents may prefer labeling their child an indigo as an alternative to a diagnosis that implies imperfection, damage or mental illness.^[15] This is a belief echoed by academic psychologists.^[14] Some mental health experts are concerned that labeling a disruptive child an "indigo" may delay proper diagnosis and treatment that could help the child.^[8][12] Others have stated that many of the traits of indigo children could be more prosaically interpreted as simple unruliness and alertness.^[14]

Relationship to attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder

Many children labeled indigo by their parents are diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)^[14] and Tober and Carroll's book The Indigo Children linked the concept with diagnosis of ADHD.^[10] David Cohen points out that labeling a child an indigo is an alternative to a diagnosis that implies imperfection, damage or mental illness, which may appeal to many parents.^[14] Cohen has stated, "The view in medicine is that ADHD is a defect. It's a disorder. If you're a parent, the idea of 'gifted' is much more appealing than the idea of a disorder."^[14] Linking the concept of indigo children with the distaste for the use of Ritalin to control ADHD, Robert Todd Carroll states "The hype and near-hysteria surrounding the use of Ritalin has contributed to an atmosphere that makes it possible for a book like Indigo Children to be taken seriously. Given the choice, who wouldn't rather believe their children are special and chosen for some high mission rather than that they have a brain disorder?"^[15] Stephen Hinshaw, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, states that concerns regarding the overmedicalization of children are legitimate but even gifted children with ADHD learn better with more structure rather than less, even if the structure initially causes difficulties. Many labeled as indigo children are or have been home schooled.^[8]

A 2011 study suggested parents of children with ADHD who label their children as "indigos" may perceive problematic behaviors emblematic of ADHD to be more positive and experience less frustration and disappointment, though they still experience more negative emotions and conflicts than parents of children without a diagnosis.^[16]

Relation to autism

Crystal children, a concept related to indigo children, has been linked to the autistic spectrum. Proponents recategorize autistic symptoms as telepathic powers, and attempt to "[reconceptualize] the autistic traits associated with them as part of a positive identity". Autism researcher Mitzi Waltz states that there may be inherent dangers to these beliefs, leading parents to deny the existence of impairments, avoid proven treatments and spend considerable money on unhelpful interventions. Waltz states that "Parents may also transmit belief systems to the child that are self-aggrandizing, confusing, or potentially frightening".^[1]

Commercialization

The concept of indigo children has been criticized for being less about children and their needs, and more about the profits to be made by self-styled experts in book and video sales as well as lucrative counseling sessions, summer camps, conferences and speaking engagements.^[12][17]

References

External links

• Indigo children on the Open Directory Project