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Causes of Math Anxiety

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Anxiety Cure (Home) > Anxiety Types & Related Disorders > Causes of Math Anxiety

Causes of Math Anxiety
July 25, 2008

It may seem strange but math anxiety is a commonly occurring problem, not just amongst children but among adults as well. Mathematics, for many, is way too complicated a subject to handle.

Let's try and find a few causes for math anxiety

1. Mathematics as a subject is perceived to be difficult, obscure and the prerogative of the supremely intelligent. It is almost as though it is normal that one is afraid of math or is no good at the subject. Often, this perception causes people to suffer from math anxiety just because they believe it's tough whereas in most cases it is seen that this is a mind block and one could be really good at math if he put his mind to it.
2. Often the problem is psychological. If a person starts believing he is no good at the subject he will continue believing in it. Suppose he was incapable of getting his sums correct at the first shot and his teacher told him that he'd never be able to do math. This could be reason for the child to forever believe that he will never be any good at math no matter how hard he tries,, and hence he stops trying.
3. Math anxiety often stems from the worry over getting the right answer. If a child is afraid of not being able to get the right answer, he may stop trying completely.
4. Sexist behavior has been regarded as a major cause for the development of math anxiety. Girls are often told that "Math is not for girls". This eventually leads to the girl behaving that maybe she should spend her energy in bettering herself at something like English or History, and just forget about math.
5. It is oft-said that being good at math is hereditary. Nothing could be more untrue. Being good at math is not inborn, but something all of us are equally capable of. Children often believe this myth. If they know that their parents were bad at math, they just stop trying and develop math anxiety because in their minds they believe that no matter how hard they try they will never be any good at math because they just weren't born with it!

There may be many different reasons for math anxiety developing in a person, but what could we do to help overcome this anxiety? Recognize your anxiety or help your child recognize it and understand that math anxiety is nothing but an emotional response to the subject. Figure out the reasons for this anxiety. They may be because of the causes stated above or they maybe for completely different reasons.

Once done, begin by slowly but surely practicing more and more sums and you will definitely gain in confidence. If the sums are all wrong initially, do them all over again. If need be, ask someone to help you if you get stuck while practicing. Practice is what makes perfect, especially where math is concerned.

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