Open letter to media reveals harm controlling parents can do children

A UNIVERSITY psychology researcher in Beijing released an open letter to the media, in which he attributed the psychological disorder he has suffered since childhood to his parents, who he has not spoken to for 12 years. Southern Metropolis Daily comments:

It is the straight-A students who fall prey to mental problems associated with overly controlling parenting more often than the backward students.

The man, in his 30s, is a straight-A student, who graduated from Peking University with a bachelor's degree in biology and who studied for a master's degree in psychology at a university in the United States. Yet despite his excellent academic record, he lacks the basic ability to take care of himself, and could not even peel an egg until middle school, which made him a laughing stock among his peers.

He says his lack of self-confidence is so serious that he cannot get along with other people, and this is only part of his mental health issues.
When he applied to do research in the US, the university psychologists concluded he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.

According to reports, his life was meticulously arranged by his parents, who are both civil servants in a small town in Southwest China's Sichuan province, and they brooked no adjustment or questioning of what they considered best for him.

Although his parents admit there are some problems with their parenting, they still take pride in Wang's academic record.

The incident casts light on the issue of children's development. Achieving good academic record is by no means the sole purpose of life, and it must not be taken as the only criterion to evaluate the performance of the children, whose development and learning are expected to be based primarily on their curiosity and interests.