Chapter 3: Personal, Social, and Moral Development

1. Chapter 3:Personal, Social, andMoral Development (c) Allyn and Bacon 2004

2. Overview • The Work of Erikson • Understanding Ourselves and Others • Moral Development • Socialization: Family, Peers, and Teachers • Challenges for Children • Education is more than “education” (c) Allyn and Bacon 2004

3. Concept Map for Chapter 3 The Work of Erikson Challenges for Children Personal, Social, and Moral Development Understanding Ourselves and Others Socialization: Family, Peers, and Teachers Moral Development (c) Allyn and Bacon 2004

4. The Work of Erikson • Psychosocial theory of development • Developmental crises • Eight stages (c) Allyn and Bacon 2004

5. Erikson’s Stage Theory (c) Allyn and Bacon 2004

6. Erikson’s Stages: Preschool Years • Trust/Mistrust: birth to 12–18 months—feeding • How does this tie to Paiget’s sensorimotor stage? • Is This World A Place I Can Trust? (CD clip) • Autonomy/Shame & Doubt: 18 months to 3 years • toilet training, dressing, feeding • Initiative/Guilt: 3 to 6 years • independence • Activity without guilt (c) Allyn and Bacon 2004

7. Erikson’s Stages : Elementary and Adolescence • Industry/Inferiority: 6 to 12 years • school • Identity/Role Confusion: adolescence • Peer relationships • “Who am I?” • Consistent image of self • James Marcia’s work on identity statuses • Achievement – work the options * • Foreclosure – if you say so • Diffusion – I’m confused • Moratorium – I’m working on it * (c) Allyn and Bacon 2004

8. Erikson’s Stages : Beyond the School Years • Intimacy/Isolation: Young adulthood • love relationships • Generativity/Stagnation: Middle Adulthood • parenting/mentoring • Ego integrity/Despair: Late adulthood • reflecting on and acceptance of one’s life (c) Allyn and Bacon 2004

9. How Erikson’s Theory Can Help Teachers • Initiative: (preschool) • Allow limited choices that will often result in success • Encourage make believe • Be tolerant of mistakes • Industry: (grade school) • Help students set and achieve realistic goals • Allow and support opportunities to be independent (c) Allyn and Bacon 2004

10. How Erikson’s Theory Can Help Teachers • Identity: (junior and senior high) • Supply a variety of positive role models • Help with resources to solve personal problems • Be tolerant of fads if they don’t offend others or interfere with teaching • Give students realistic feedback about themselves (c) Allyn and Bacon 2004

11. Lab #2 • Work in groups to identify crises and resolutions. (c) Allyn and Bacon 2004

12. Understanding Ourselves & Others (c) Allyn and Bacon 2004

13. Self-Concept & Self-Esteem • How are S-C and S-E different? • Explanation vs. Affective Evaluation • Self-concept: Picture of yourself • Moves from concrete to abstract • Self-esteem: Opinion of yourself • Can be positive or negative • Multiple concepts of self (model on p. 68) • Development of self-esteem • Younger children – based on self (reading!!!) • Peer influences – increase into adolescence • Big-Fish-Little-Pond Effect – inclusive classroom • Little-Fish-Big-Pond Effect – gifted classes (c) Allyn and Bacon 2004

14. Sample Self-Concept Structure (c) Allyn and Bacon 2004

15. Self-Esteem and School • School life and self-esteem: link with achievement • How does self-esteem affect a student’s behavior in school? • Some evidence that higher self esteem  school success (attitude,popularity, behavior) • How does life in school affect a student’s self-esteem? • In many ways… • Interesting classes, teachers care, marks, PE and athletic ability, collaborative/cooperative • What doesn’t seem to matter? (c) Allyn and Bacon 2004

16. Self-Esteem and School • School life and self-esteem: link with achievement • Gender, ethnicity, and self-esteem • Math competence, language arts competence, sports competence (p.73) • Personal & collective self-esteem • Sense of worth of the groups we belong to • Clark & Clark (1939) Doll Study • J. Cummins at U of T – schools should + ethnic pride • Self and others • Intention • Perspective taking (c) Allyn and Bacon 2004

17. Question to Consider • As part of the interview process for a job in a middle-school, you are asked the following question: “What would you do to help all your students feel good about themselves?” • Hmmm? Is this even your job? (p.70) (c) Allyn and Bacon 2004

18. Encouraging Self-Esteem • Safe-to-Fail environment that values all students • Know yourself & your biases • Be intellectually honest • Set clear goals for teacher & student • Value cultural diversity in your students (c) Allyn and Bacon 2004

19. Sharon’s Moral Dilemma Sharon is a student in a math class. Her parents often become abusive when she gets bad grades. She has not been doing very well and is considering cheating on an upcoming math test. Should she cheat on the exam? • A person should NEVER cheat. • Why not? • There are sometimes reasons to cheat. • For example? (c) Allyn and Bacon 2004

20. Moral Development • What is morality? • a system of learned attitudes about social practices, institutions, and individual behaviour used to evaluate situations as right or wrong • Piaget found young children’s ideas about morality to be rigid and rule-bound; older children were more flexible • Heteronomous • Inflexible • Autonomous • Relativity (c) Allyn and Bacon 2004

21. Moral Development: Lawrence Kohlberg • Morality is not part of your standard equipment: you were born without morals • How does the amoral infant become the moral adult? • Stage Theory: tied to intellectual development • Sequence of steps • Discontinuity • Justice oriented Lawrence Kohlberg (c) Allyn and Bacon 2004

22. Kohlberg’s Stages • Pre-conventional • 1: Avoid punishment • 2: Personal gain • Conventional • 3: Good boy/Nice girl • 4: Law & order • Post-conventional • 5: Social contract • 6: Universal ethical principles (c) Allyn and Bacon 2004

23. Alternatives to Kohlberg • Criticisms: • Hard stages don’t seem to truly exist • Cross stages, or mix stages, vary by incident • saying is always the same as doing. Rapists and child molesters demonstrate fairly high levels of moral reasoning. • Moral issues versus social conventions • Eating with your hands • Stealing • Even a 3 year old knows morals vs. conventions • Western male cultural bias • Stages 5 & 6 favour individualism • Morality of Caring: Carol Gilligan’s work (c) Allyn and Bacon 2004

24. Gilligan’s Criticisms of Kohlberg • Carol Gilligan: Kohlberg’s stages of moral development may not apply equally to males & females. • Males = justice orientation • Females = care orientation Research fails to uphold this idea (c) Allyn and Bacon 2004

25. Moral Behavior • Behavior tends to follow moral reasoning stages • Internalizing moral rules • Individual differences in views of cheating • Aggression versus assertiveness • Victims (c) Allyn and Bacon 2004

26. Socialization: Family, Peers, and Teachers • Both parents working • Single parent families • Latchkey kids • Blended families • Divorce & effects on children • Peer relationships—friends (c) Allyn and Bacon 2004

27. New Role for Teachers • Teachers may be best source for problem solutions • Caring, firm classroom structure • Clear limits, enforced rules • Respect students • Show genuine concern (c) Allyn and Bacon 2004

28. Challenges for Children • Physical development • Fine & gross motor skills in early grades • Physical growth differences in elementary grades • Adolescence & puberty • Gender differences • Early and late bloomers (c) Allyn and Bacon 2004

29. Navigating Transitions • Young children starting school • Influence of quality pre-school and kindergarten programs • Middle grades transition • Self-concept/self-esteem • Teacher teams • Interdisciplinary curriculum (c) Allyn and Bacon 2004

30. Children and Youth At-Risk • Child abuse* • Teenage sexuality and pregnancy • Eating disorders • Drug abuse • Suicide (c) Allyn and Bacon 2004

31. Helping At-Risk Kids • Listen! • Observe • Get help • Get special training • Do something! (c) Allyn and Bacon 2004

32. Summary • The Work of Erikson • Understanding Ourselves and Others • Moral Development • Socialization: Family, Peers, and Teachers • Challenges for Children (c) Allyn and Bacon 2004

33. Review Questions • Why is Erikson’s theory considered a psychosocial perspective? • What are Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development? • Distinguish between self-concept and self-esteem. • How do self-concept and self-esteem change as children develop? • How do perspective-taking skills change as students mature? (c) Allyn and Bacon 2004

34. Review Questions • What are the key differences among Kohlberg’s stages of moral reasoning? • Describe Gilligan’s levels of moral reasoning. • What influences moral behavior? • What challenges face children whose parents are divorced? • Why are peer relations important? (c) Allyn and Bacon 2004

35. Review Questions • How do students develop physically during the elementary years? • Describe the worlds of the late-maturing adolescent boy and girl. • What are key transitions for students? • What are some danger signs of child abuse, eating disorders, and potential for suicide? (c) Allyn and Bacon 2004