Habits may develop as entertainment for a bored child, or as a coping mechanism to soothe an anxious one. Biting nails or twirling hair might be one way a child relieves tension, just as a parent might try to relax by having a cocktail or exercising. Studies also suggest that nail-biting may have a strong genetic component. Other habits may be holdovers from infancy, such as thumb sucking as a common self-comfort behavior that has pleasurable associations with feedings and cessation of hunger.
The behavior may linger into childhood because of its positive associations. Hair twirling, too, may be an attempt by a child to regain the feelings associated with close contact with the mother’s body or clothes. Still other children will engage in habits to attract attention or as an attempt to manipulate their parents. If your child feels that you are ignoring him, he may engage in the annoying habitual behavior because he knows that it will provoke a reaction from you.
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