Preacher's kid

The phrase "preacher's kid" (often "PK") is commonly used to refer to a child of a preacher,
pastor, deacon, or other similar church worker. Although the phrase can be used in a purely descriptive way,it is often used pejoratively or stereotypically. It is mainly used in the United States.

Children of church leaders are often subjected to greater scrutiny by the community than other children. People around them,including their parents, often set higher moral and behavioral standards for these children. Due to the greater visibilityof these children, their mistakes are magnified and given extra attention. In addition, these children often sense that theyare treated differently from others and react in various disruptive ways.

All of these factors lead to a preacher's kid stereotype. There are two general stereotypes of preachers' kids.

Stereotype one:Preachers' kids act as if they are "holier-than-thou." They preach their beliefs to anybody they encounter.They do not like to be wrong about what they preach, even in the opinions of others.

Stereotype two:Preachers' kids start out as good, faithful children, but anywhere from their preteen years to their adult life,they rebel. They do anything they can to avoid the church and its practices. They may deny their parents outrightor they may be rebellious behind their parents' backs.

Famous examples

*Vincent Van Gogh
*Friedrich Nietzsche
*Carl Jung
*Alice Cooper
*Denzel Washington
*Condoleezza Rice
*Marvin Gaye
*The Wright Brothers
*Malcolm X
*Harriet Beecher Stowe
*Ingmar Bergman
*Tori Amos
*Nicola Tesla
*Nat King Cole
*Jessica Simpson
*Phil Jackson (both parents)
*Mark Few
*David Tennant

External links

* [http://www.ministerskid.com/ MinistersKid.com - A Networking Community]
* [http://www.preachers-kid.com/ Preachers-Kid.com]
* [http://www.preacherskids.com/ Preacher's Kid International]
* [http://www.erin.utoronto.ca/~Hitachi/pks.htm Douglas F. Campbell, "The Clergy Family in Canada: Focus on Adult PK's"] , read at the annual meeting of the Association for the Sociology of Religion, Washington, D.C., August 18-20, 1995.
* [http://www.fredtexas.com/ The Fred Books: the story of a PK.]
* [http://www.pkvoices.org/ PK Voices, Inc. (A Nonprofit organization for PKs)]