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Nickname Know-how
Can a Pet Name Affect Your Child's Self-esteem?
By Liz Thompson
Nicknames can be cute, fun, silly or embarrassing. Some people love having a nickname; others can't stand theirs. However you feel about nicknames, it's something parents have to consider, because a nickname can affect a child's self-esteem.
Nicknames come in two basic varieties: a modified version of the child's given name, such as Dan for Daniel, or a name that has been given to the child for other reasons, such as Princess, Buddy or Slim. As a parent, you need to consider the long-term effect on your child before you give her a nickname. A child's name is part of her identity and establishes in part how she views herself. A nickname has the same effect.
We all know that people make assumptions about an individual based on her name. As Albert Mehrabian and Marlena Piercy found in their 1993 study on nicknames, "Differences in Positive and Negative Connotations of Nicknames and Given Names" (Journal of Social Psychology), given names were ranked high on the attributes of success and morality and thought more suitable for business and professional settings. In turn, nicknames were ranked high on the attributes of cheerfulness and popularity. So if you decide to call your daughter Katherine by the nickname Katie, she may find it beneficial to use her given name once she grows up and enters the business world.
This is true of many nicknames. They may be suitable for a child but need to be changed once that child is an adult. For example, Delores Fossen was named by her father after his favorite actress, Delores Del Rio. "Since my parents were already divorced before I was born, my maternal grandparents hated the name," says Fossen. "It reminded them of my dad. So, when my 2-year-old sister couldn't pronounce Delores, my grandparents highly encouraged her to use the babbled syllables 'Dody.' No one in my family calls me anything else. It was OK when I was a kid, but it just doesn't suit a grown woman."
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