Are you looking for strategies to help students who care too much about what others think? If so, keep reading.

1. Show the learner that they should be happy with personal best effort rather than expecting perfection.

2. Praise the learner for accepting errors that they make.

3. Talk with the learner to explain(a) what the learner is doing wrong (i.e., being overly critical of themselves) and (b) what the learner should be doing (i.e., being more constructive in self-criticism when evaluating themselves).

4. Reward others for accepting the errors they make.

5. Draft an agreement with the learner stipulating what behavior is required (e.g., accepting personal best effort) and which reinforcement will be implemented when the agreement has been met.

6. Assess the appropriateness of the task to ascertain (a) if the task is too easy, (b) if the task is too complicated, and (c) if the duration of time scheduled to finish the task is sufficient.

7. Praise the learner for improvement rather than expecting excellence.

8. Recognize the learner often and in several settings (e.g., hallways, cafeteria, etc.).

9. Give the learner positive feedback that indicates they are successful, competent, essential, valuable, etc.

10. Give the learner success-oriented tasks. The expectation is that success will result in more positive attitudes and perceptions toward self and the environment.

11. Give the learner many chances for social and academic success.

12. Make the appropriate adjustments in their surroundings to prevent the learner from experiencing stress, frustration, etc.

13. Select a peer to help the learner with class tasks, homework, etc.

14. Place emphasis on individual differences and that everyone has strengths and weaknesses.

15. Minimize emphasis on competition and perfection. Repeated failure may result in unwarranted self-blame or self-criticism.

16. Urge the learner to refrain from comparing personal performance to other students’ performance, and emphasize attention to personal improvement (e.g., keep records of own progress rather than comparing work to others).

17. Give the learner evidence of their capacity and ability so that they might better understand that self-blame/criticism is unwarranted.

18. Consider using an adaptive behavior management app. Click here to view a list of apps that we recommend.

19. Click here to learn about six bonus strategies for challenging problem behaviors and mastering classroom management.

20. Consider using a socio-emotional learning app. Click here to view a list of apps that we recommend.

21. Consider using an emotional intelligence app. Click here to view a list of apps that we recommend.

22. Consider using a school counseling app. Click here to view a list of apps that we recommend.