Chapter 10

1. Chapter 10 Psychosocial Development in Middle Childhood

2. Self Concept • Around 7-8, begins development of self-concept • Judgments of self become more conscious, realistic, balanced, comprehensive as form representational systems (broad, inclusive self-concepts that integrate various aspects of the self) • Begins to compare real self with ideal self

3. Self-Esteem: Erickson- Stage 4 Industry vs. Inferiority (5½ - 12 years) • Latency stage • Must submit to controlling its exuberant imagination and settling down to formal education. • Develops sense of industry and learns the rewards of perseverance and diligence. • Hazard: child may develop a sense of inferiority if made to or made to feel it is unable to master the tasks that it undertakes or which are set forth by teachers and parents.

4. Virtue of competence emerges. • View of future tasks, though not specific. • Ready and willing to learn about the tools, machines and methods preparatory for adult work • Important to apply intelligence and capacities to prevent feelings of inferiority and regression of the Ego.

5. Work includes attending school, chores at home, assuming responsibilities, studying music, learning manual skills, participating in skillful games and sports. • Important thing is that the child must apply its intelligence and abounding energy to some undertaking and direction. • Sense of competence is achieved by applying oneself to work and completing tasks, which eventually develops workmanship.

6. Without competence, child experiences inferiority. • Competence is the free exercise of dexterity and intelligence in the completion of tasks, unimpaired by infantile inferiority. • School age is the stage of formal ritualization, when child learns how to perform methodically.

7. Watching and learning methods of performance provides child with an over-all sense of quality for craftsmanship and perfection: does things in the proper way. • Distorted ritualism: formalism: the repetition of meaningless formalities and empty rituals. *******The child must learn to feel competent, especially when competing with peers. Failure results in feelings of inferiority.

8. Emotional Growth & Prosocial Behavior • Become more aware of won and other’s feelings • By 7/8, aware of shame and pride, difference between guilt and shame • Express conflicting feelings • Aware of rules of emotional expression • Aware of what makes them angry, fearful, sad, and how others react to their display of these emotions • Aware can suppress emotions

9. Emotional self-regulation • Involve effortful (voluntary) control of emotions, attention , & behavior • Can control impulses • Low effortful control predictive of later behavioral problems • More empathetic and inclined to prosocial behavior

10. Family • Spends less time with family • Family continue to exert influence • Time together important; culture important • Family atmosphere important • How adaptive and responsive parents are • Coregulation- parent and child begin to share some power; Discussion of things, problems, solutions

11. Effects of employed parents • Both parents working is the norm • Workings mothers, satisfaction with job, more effective as parent • Partner’s support of her working important • Quality of care before/after school important • Tracking of child important when mother outside the home (father babysitting, another babysitter, child care)

12. Effects of employed parents • Good after school programs: • Relatively low enrollment • Low child-staff ratios • Well-educated staff • Flexible programming • Positive emotional environment

13. Self-care • Children watching themselves • Advisable only for older children who are mature, responsible, resourceful, know how to handle emergency, stays in touch via phone with parent

14. Poverty & parenting • 17% of children • increase in emotional and behavioral problems • cognitive potential and school performance suffers • parental stress and parenting practices • home environment • unstable adult relationships • psychiatric problems • violent/criminal behavior

15. Poverty & parenting • persistent poverty no different result than more recent poverty • use of family and community resources improves outcome • if stressed but emotionally healthy and relatively high self-esteem, tended to have academically and socially competent children who reinforced the mother’s positive parenting; supported the children’s continued academic success and prosocial behavior

16. Family Structure • 7/10 children live with two parents • 26% single mother • 6% single father • some indication that children do better in traditional two parent families than in cohabitating, divorced, single-parent, or stepfamily • nontraditional families: worse emotional, behavioral, academic outcomes for 6-12 year olds; may largely be due to economic resources, parent’s wellbeing, and parenting effectiveness

17. Adoptive Families Healthy adoption results best occur when open and supportive family, respect cultural issues of child, discuss openly adoption, and general parenting styles and absence of mental health issues

18. Divorce • Stress of marital and divorce conflict • Abrupt departure of one parent • Child not fully understanding what is happening or why • Child’s developmental and maturity limits coping • Standard of living may decrease abruptly • Relationship with one parent conflicted, limited (distance of other parent) • Remarriage, parent’s new lovers

19. Divorce • Child’s resiliency impacts how copes • If ongoing abuse or negatives prior to divorce, may adjust well to departure of problem parent • Parental conflict that continues following divorce increases stress and therefore coping problems, depression

20. Younger children • More anxiety, less understanding of cause, blame themselves; may adapt more quickly because of limited understanding Older children • Sensitive to parental stress and pressures, loyalty conflicts, fear abandonment and rejection; boys find it harder • How parents handle divorce make significant impact; warm, supportive, authoritative, monitor’s child’s activities, holds age-appropriate expectations; other parent maintains contact and involvement is healthy

21. Communicating and problems solving education available for parents and children; medication helps!

22. Custody and coparenting • The more cooperation, the better • Not compete for attention or loyalty • Not spoil or vent on child • Not use child to get even with other parent or to get information on other parent • Close to both parents result in better child adjustment and achievementauthoritative parents cope best • Unresolved issues for the children tend to surface when they begin dating or marry.

23. Custody and coparenting • Commitment problems, negative expectations of relationships, marriage, or the other sex; keep self distant and protected, independent; lingering negative emotions; lack a sense of control over their own lives • When abused child, child may become focus of the cause of the problem that resulted in divorce; child may blame themselves for having been abused or for having reported the problem.

24. Step-family • The more children, the more the difficulty bonding and adjusting. • Contact with parent may interfere with intimate and cooperative attachment to step-parent. • Boys tend to benefit and adjust more easily to step fathers; girls may find the new man to be a threat to her independence and to her close relationship with her mother, less likely to accept him. • Depends on quality of relationship mother or father has with new step-parents; how discipline occurs, and involvement of parent in relationship with child.

25. Gay & Lesbian families No consistent difference between homosexual and heterosexual parents in emotional health or parenting. Have positive relationships with their children, no difference in social or psychological problems. No difference in sexual preference by children. Sibling relations A testing ground for social interactions and problem solving. Siblings model appropriate behavior; may assume care giver role

26. Companion Animals • Helps achieve basic trust versus (Erikson) as well as autonomy and industry. • Form trusting relationships to animals at very young age; attachment is positive influence • Helps establish empathy, responsibility, and caring for others • Overall, data suggests people with pets are healthier, more active, and respond to stress better; may actually lengthen life and vitality.

27. Peer Groups Boys tend to pursue gender specific activities; girls cross-gender activities Helps develop social skills, intimacy, sense of identify, independent judgments, values, gauge abilities more accurately, prosocial beliefs, emotional security of peer group. Same-sex peers teach gender-appropriate roles and behaviors.

28. Negative peer groups: Cliques (exclusion of some and inclusion of only a few) Prejudice: unfavorable attitudes toward outsiders, other races, cultures, etc

29. Popularity • Those not accepted and are rejected by peers tend to have more psychological and behavioral problems. • Rejected, neglected, controversial, or unpopular (behavioral problems; immaturity; insensitive to others; poor coping and poor adaptation skills) Friendship • Seek friends who are similar • Strongest friendships: equal commitment, mutual give-and-take, communicate, cooperate • School aged children differentiate between best friends, good friends, and casual friends

30. Selman’s stages of friendship Table 10-1 (page 376) Stage 0 (ages 3-7)- momentary playmateship (young children; physical closeness or value of friendship, not person)

31. Selman’s stages of friendship Stage 1 (ages 4-9)- one-way assistance (friend does what you want them to do) Stage 2- (age 6-12) two-way fair-weather cooperation (reciprocal; give and take, serving many self interests rather than common goal of both) Stage 3 (ages 9-15)- intimate, mutually shared relationships (mutual level, friendships has life of own, committed, possessive of each other, exclusivity) Stage 4 (ages 12+)- autonomous interdependence (interdependent, respect friends needs for dependency and autonomy)

32. Aggression Instrumental aggression: aimed at achieving an objective Hostile aggression: aimed at hurting its target (rumors, assault, teasing) Some social support for physically aggressive boys and some relationally aggressive girls Instrumental/proactive aggressors: view force and coercion as effective easy to get what they want. Not necessarily out of anger. They expect to be rewarded for what they do- reinforced for their behavior.

33. Aggression Someone reacting to being pushed may push back- hostile or reactive aggression If child seeks dominance and control, may react aggressively to threats to their status. Rejected children and those exposed to harsh parenting may also have a hostile reaction Instrumental aggression tends to cease if not rewarded.

34. Impact of media on violence • 2-18 year olds tend to watch 6-8 hours of tv daily • 6/10 tv programs portray violence • disproportionate violence aimed women and blacks in tv and music • the strongest correlate of violent behavior is previous exposure to violence • also, media, music, stars, glamorized violence

35. children very vulnerable to exposure to violence and peer and social pressure. Modeling most effective method to teach. • Best predictor of aggressiveness at age 19 was the degree of violence in the shows they had watched as children. • The amount of tv viewed at age 8 and the preference among boys for violent shows predicted the severity of criminal offenses at age 30. • Impact of video and interactive media depicting violence not only has a powerful impact on the viewer, but helps the viewer to practice the depicted violence. Therefore, likely significantly increases and allows for practice of violent behavior

36. Bullying • Deliberate and persistent aggression directed against a particular target, usually someone weaker, vulnerable, and defenseless • More than 2 million victims; 30% 6-10th grades • Patterns of bullying and victimization become established as early as kindergarten • Aggressors identify the weaker and vulnerable children

37. Bullying • Use bullying to establish dominance • boys target boys; use overt, physical aggression • girls target girls; may use relational aggression

38. Bullying Most victims: • learn how to discourage bullying as they age • tend to be anxious, submissive, cry easily; • or argumentative and provocative • tend to have few friends • live in harsh, punitive families leaving them further vulnerable to further punishment or rejection

39. Bullying Most victims: • low self-esteem • males tend to be physically weaker • experience problems, some become the aggressor • school must effectively intervene

40. Mental Health: Common emotional disturbances Disruptive Behavior Disorders: aggression, defiance, antisocial behavior Anxiety/Mood Disorders: sad, depressed, unloved, nervous, fearful, lonely Oppositional defiant disorder: pattern of defiance, disobedience, hostility toward authority figures lasting at least 6 months; usually by age 8; constant fighting, argue, resentful, few friends, steal, blame, lose temper, angry, constant trouble at school and test parent’s limits.

41. Mental Health: Common emotional disturbances Conduct disorder: persistent, repetitive pattern, beginning early age, of aggressive, antisocial acts, including truancy, setting fires, habitual lying, fighting, bullying, theft, vandalism, assaults, and drug/alcohol use. Comorbidity with ADHD. Some 11-13 year olds progress to criminal violence- mugging, rape, breaking-and-entering, and by age 17- a serious offender. Antisocial Personality Disorder is the adult form of this.

42. School Phobias and Anxiety Disorders School phobia: unrealistic fear of going to school. Differentiate from a Realistic fear: based on sarcastic teacher, overly demanding work, or bully. Separation anxiety: excessive anxiety about separating from home or from people who are attached too.

43. School Phobias and Anxiety Disorders Social phobia: social anxiety, extreme fear and/or avoidance of social situations. Painfully shy, cling to parents, afraid of embarrassment (break into blushes, sweats, palpitations when asked to speak or when meeting others). Genetic or trauma based. Generalized anxiety disorder: worry about everything, self conscious, self-doubting, excessively concerned with meeting expectations of others; seek constant approval and reassurance; worry regardless of other’s support or approval.

44. School Phobias and Anxiety Disorders Obsessive compulsive disorder: obsessed by repetitive, intrusive thoughts, images, or impulses (irrational fears) or may show compulsive behaviors (constant hand-washing); or both.  Anxiety begins to be noticed around age 6. Childhood depression: inability tot have fun or concentrate; fatigue, extreme activity, or apathy; crying, sleep problems, weight change, physical complaints, feelings of worthlessness, prolonged sense of friendlessness, frequent thoughts about death or suicide.

45. Treatment for Mental Health Concerns Individual or family based. Depending on age and maturity of child, behavioral, possibly cognitive-behavioral. Stress Expectations: succeed in school, sports, meet parent’s emotional needs, personal stress, changes in home environment See Table 10-2 (page 385)

46. Reactions to stress 5 years or less: • fear separation from parent • crying, screaming • immobility • frightened facial expression • excessive crying • regressive behaviors

47. 6-11: extreme withdrawal disruptive behavior inability to pay attention stomach aches/physical symptoms depression, anxiety, guilt, irritability, numbing regressive behavior (nightmares, sleep problems, irrational fears, anger outbursts)

48. 12-17 • flashback, nightmares • emotional numbing, confusion • avoidance of reminders of trauma • revenge fantasies • withdrawal, isolation • substance abuse • problems with peers, antisocial behavior • physical complaints • school avoidance, academic decline • sleep disturbances • depression, suicidal ideation

49. Resiliency • Ability to deal with problem, stress, in healthy manner; manage resources; positive outcome; less impact by trauma Positive factors: • Good family relationships and cognitive functioning • Strong bonds with at least one supportive parent or caregiver • Good problem solvers • High IQ • Good protective genes

50. Temperament or personality: adaptable, friendly, well liked, independent, sensitive to others. Competent and high self-esteem. Creative, resourceful, independent, pleasant to be with. When stressed, can shift attention to something else to regulate emotions. • Compensating experiences: supportive school environment, successful experiences in studies, sports, with other children or adults can make up for a destructive home life. • Reduced risk: if exposed to only one factor for psychiatric disorder, often better able to overcome stress than those exposed to more than one factor. • Everyone adjusts differently.