2/1/2014. EARLY CHILDHOOD Personality and Sociocultural Development. Early Childhood Personality and Social Development. Theoretical Perspectives

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1 Three main theoretical perspectives help explain emotional and social development of early childhood 2/1/2014 Chapter 7 EARLY CHILDHOOD Personality and Sociocultural Development Early Childhood Personality and Social Development Theoretical Perspectives Psychoanalytic/psychodynamic Freud and Erikson Social-learning Bandura Cognitive-developmental Piaget and Vygotsky 1

2 Brief Review of Three Major Theoretical Perspectives Let s take a closer look! Coping with Feelings and Emotions Fear and anxiety One of the fundamental tasks of young childhood is learning to regulate emotions Fear and anxiety are normal, and can serve a useful purpose Learning to cope with fear and anxiety is especially important Children's specific fears are influenced in part by their culture Emotional Regulation 2

3 Defense Mechanisms Emotional Regulation Young children freely express positive emotions like pleasure and joy, but by age 6 they often begin to restrain even these Guidelines for Parents When a young child is experiencing an especially stressful situation, parents and other caregivers can often help their child cope with stress by following some basic guidelines: Learn to recognize and interpret stress reactions in children. Provide a warm, secure base to help children regain confidence. Allow opportunities for children to discuss their feelings; shared trauma is easier to handle. Temporarily allow immature behavior, such as thumb sucking, cuddling a blanket, fussing, or sitting on laps. Help children give meaning to the event or circumstance by providing explanations appropriate to their age level. 3

4 Sensuality and Sexual Curiosity At age 3 or 4, children usually express curiosity about their genitals Sensuality and sexual curiosity They may engage in sexual play and masturbation They quickly learn not to display such behavior in front of adults Different cultures respond to children s developing sensuality in various ways Aggression and Prosocial Behavior Types of Aggression 4

5 Average Amount of Time Spent by U.S. Children Age 0-6 in Various Activities Television and Violence Television and other media are pervasive in children s lives Many studies have shown that exposure to media violence is linked to aggressive behavior and desensitization towards violence The media also models prejudicial and insensitive behavior, and encourages stereotyping Parents can control viewing In the majority of homes the TV is on more than half of child s waking hours. During some of those hours, children pay close attention to this form of socialization. Video Clip Discusses recent research on the effects of violent media on aggression in children and the controversy surrounding what to do about it: 5

6 Prosocial Behavior Prosocial behaviors Intended to benefit others Develop early and depend on cultural and societal norms Promoted by role playing Prosocial Behavior Signs of empathy Understanding another s feelings Reacting to seeing others in need Developmental Conflict: Initiative versus Guilt Erikson s third stage: initiative vs. guilt (ages 3-6) Initiative: purposeful behavior as they learn and explore their surroundings Guilt is triggered by emerging conscience Young children are torn between their desire for independence and their dependence on their parents Parents who discourage child s curiosity and exploration or set unrealistic standards contribute to an unhealthy sense of guilt 6

7 Peers, Play, and the Development of Social Competence Play is the work of children By age 4, children begin to engage in social pretend play Many children create imaginary companions, and those who do tend to be more creative and to be more sociable Cultural and social aspects are embedded in play Pretend play offers the opportunity for children to share their knowledge, negotiate appropriate activities, and jointly construct the play sequence. The Development of Play Social Competence Social competence Emotional regulation (especially important) Social knowledge Social skills Social disposition Social competence is ability to initiate and maintain satisfying reciprocal peer relationships 7

8 Characteristics of Popular Kindergarten Children Understanding Self and Others Social concepts and rules: Internalization Central to development of social concepts and rules Contributes to incorporation of values and moral standards of society into self understanding Evolves into incorporation of social concepts and empathy Understanding Self and Others Clear understanding of friendship not acquired until middle childhood Some 4 and 5 year olds can maintain caring friendships Social concepts in friendships With development, children s understanding of social concepts expands, allowing them to develop closer, more personal relationships with their peers and with others Ability to develop friendships also indicates a growing understanding of themselves as their self-concepts form and become better developed 8

9 Self and Gender Gender is a particularly important dimension of self-concept By the age of 2 and ½, children can readily identify people as boy or girl Gender They exaggerate and conform to genderrole stereotypes They develop gender schemes as a part of cognitive development By the age of 5, they develop gender constancy Children are intrinsically motivated to engage in gender-consistent behaviors through self-socialization The Development of Gender Schemes Video Clip Interviews with children to demonstrate the development of an understanding of gender identity: 9

10 Many family dynamics affect development during early childhood These include Parenting styles Parental discipline techniques Number and spacing of children Interactions among siblings Family Dynamics Four Parenting Styles Styles vary according to two dimensions: control and warmth According to Diana Baumrind Authoritative Authoritarian Permissive Indifferent Parenting Styles Based on Warmth and Control 10

11 Effects of Different Parenting Styles Parenting style effects Authoritarian parents tend to produce withdrawn, fearful, dependent, moody, unassertive, and irritable children Permissive parents may also be rebellious and aggressive, as well as self-indulgent, impulsive, and socially inept Indifferent parents tend to engender destructive impulses and delinquent behaviors Authoritative parents are most likely to produce children who are self-reliant, self-controlled, and socially competent Discipline and Self-Control Discipline As parents set limits and children assert their independence, conflicts are inevitable Productive discipline involves the following characteristics of authoritative parenting: Setting reasonable rules that are fairly enforced Establishing a warm, caring, & consistent environment Keeping two-way communication as open as possible Parents and children often can reach an agreement on shared goals resulting in a more harmonious family life Discipline Advice to Parents 11

12 Sibling Dynamics Sibling relationships vary widely Siblings Siblings are likely to have different personalities Few, if any, consistent personality differences result solely from birth order First born children tend to have higher IQs, likely resulting from increased attention from parents Only children also tend to be high achievers Average differences in IQ based on birth order are small Family structure and income can have strong effects on IQ and achievement At any age, an abusing parent destroys a child s expectations of love, trust, and dependence that are essential to healthy development Physical abuse most often occurs at the hands of the child s parents. Child Maltreatment Abuse and Neglect Younger children sustain more serious injuries Many who survive suffer traumatic brain damage Reported Cases of Child Maltreatment, 2010 FIGURE 7-2 Reported Cases of Various Forms of Child Maltreatment, 2010 note: that percentages exceed 100% because some cases involve multiple types of maltreatment. Source: Child maltreatment, 2010, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, and Children s Bureau. 12

13 Abuse and Neglect Neglect is often associated with poverty and involves failure to provide for child s basic needs Neglect can have severe, long-term consequences Over 60% of child maltreatment cases involve neglect Ninety-five percent of sexual abuse is committed by men Stepfathers are five times more likely to abuse female children than are biological fathers Forms of Psychological Child Maltreatment Effects of Child Abuse Abused children may Self-isolate and express aggressive behaviors Have more school-related problems Be at greater risk for depression, alcoholism, drug abuse, and suicidal efforts Have trouble controlling their emotions Be less socially competent Engage in defiance and manipulation in others to escape maltreatment Learn to expect interpersonal relationships to be painful 13

14 Causes of Child Maltreatment Multiple forces usually converge to cause child maltreatment Parents may Have been abused themselves Have unrealistic expectations of children s behavior Be socially isolated or experiencing severe stress Have especially demanding children Ecological Influences in Child Maltreatment 14