Page 33 - SB-Little Prince

There are definite payoffs to this type coping (Demandingness) as you will see in the story. These payoffs correspond to the irrational beliefs, dysfunctional emotions and inappropriate behaviors demonstrated by the Little Prince.
An example of such a payoff of Demandingness is that it will allow you to avoid certain discomforts such as cleaning your room, missing a televisions show to study, apologizing for poor behavior. The ultimate consequence of this avoidance is that you will not
be competent to cope with many real life adult difficulties and frustrations. A most frequently heard phase by parents is “That’s not fair.” This demanding that life should be designed for their comfort and convenience is a major contributor to their need for drugs and alcohol. These chemicals help them deal with a reality that does not match their irrational expectations.
As indicated earlier, the Demandingness of children seems very natural and in some children more so than others. The “Wizard” in the story represents the naturally occurring reinforcements, which often occur. The Wizard never told the Prince to think or behave as badly as the Prince chose to think and behave. But his influence was enough to reinforce these dysfunctional tendencies, which seem to abide in all of us.
When confronted by the doctor in our story, the Prince at first considered changing his eating habits. With minimal encouragement from the Wizard, the irrational belief, “I should be able to have what I want, when I want it and anyone who frustrates me is an evil person and should be... (punished, disliked by all, ignored) This irrational thinking generates high-energy emotions like anger and desire for vengeance.
30