Conclusions

Celebrity children respond to life stress as do other children. There is no paradoxical nature to these children; the talent that placed them in the limelight does not include special resistance to stress, and they do not specially thrive on pressure and competition. The notion that they are somehow immune to pressure, toughened by habituation, or psychologically compensated by the benefits of their success may make the phenomenon of child celebrity more palatable to the public; however, the present findings indicate otherwise. Conversely, the present findings also indicate that the environment of the entertainment industry is not necessarily toxic to normal development. Instead, the results support the well-established theory that good parenting serves as a buffer for life stress. These individuals, like others, can be inoculated to stress as children by parents who are warm, truly empathic, and encouraging of their autonomy within sensible limits.

Home Page

Send mail to with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: December 13, 1998