OT 500 SPRING 2016 MIDDLE CHILDHOOD – SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

WHAT ARE SOME FEATURES OF SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN MIDDLE CHILDHOOD? Psychoanalytic Theory Freud’s latency period; repress psychosexual impulses; focus on academic, social and other skills Erikson’s industry versus inferiority…importance of mastering tasks and developing competencies; inferiority may arise from social or school-related challenges Social Cognitive Theory Depend less on external rewards and punishments Increase regulation of their behavior; role models

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT Cognitive-Developmental Theory Decrease in egocentrism Capacity to see the perspective of others Knowledge of one’s social world develops as a result of increased cognitive capacity

HOW DOES SELF-CONCEPT DEVELOP IN MIDDLE CHILDHOOD? Children progress from Focus on external (appearance) to Internal characteristics What they are good at Social relationships and group memberships are significant Females more likely to define themselves in terms of groups

HOW DOES SELF-ESTEEM DEVELOP IN MIDDLE CHILDHOOD? Competence and social acceptance contribute to self- esteem As children begin self appraisal, self-esteem initially declines around 12 or 13 Gender differences in self-esteem Girls – higher on reading, academics, and helping others Boys – higher on math, physical ability, and physical appearance Consider performance in many areas: physical ability, appearance, peer relationships, parent relationships, reading, math, general school performance

HOW DOES SELF-ESTEEM DEVELOP IN MIDDLE CHILDHOOD? Influences on self-esteem Socialization and gender stereotypes Parenting style Relationship to parents Social acceptance by peers Genetics

WHAT IS LEARNED HELPLESSNESS, AND HOW DOES IT DEVELOP? Acquired belief that one cannot obtain the rewards one seeks “Helpless child” quits following failure Doubt ability and believe success is based on ability, less on effort…. feel they have no control over the situation or outcome Sex Differences Girls have less confidence in math than boys Even when they are performing at a comparable level

THE FAMILY

WHAT KINDS OF INFLUENCES ARE EXERTED BY THE FAMILY DURING MIDDLE CHILDHOOD? Parent – Child Relationships Focus on school-related matters, chores, peer activities Co-regulation – transfer of control from parent to child Spend less time with parents than during younger years Become more critical of parents View parents as main source of emotional support Mothers more involved in caregiving tasks; fathers more involved in recreational pursuits

WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF HAVING LESBIAN OR GAY PARENTS? DIVORCE? General adjustment of same sex parents is comparable to children of heterosexual parents Divorce has been connected to a decline in parenting skills, financial strain; organization of family life may deteriorate Difficult to isolate effects of divorce if there has been conflict in the marriage Young child may feel responsible for conflict Children of divorce More likely to have conduct disorders, lower self-esteem, drug abuse and poor grades; Physical health may decline, at least temporarily More impact during the first year; boys tend to have more challenges with adjusting than girls

WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF MATERNAL EMPLOYMENT ON CHILDREN? Greatest concern is lack of supervision No evidence of negative effects Some indication of positive effects Greater independence, emotional maturity, and higher achievement orientation More flexible gender roles The family unit, siblings, parent support all continue to be very important during middle childhood

PEER RELATIONSHIPS

WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF PEERS DURING MIDDLE CHILDHOOD? Socialization Influence Increasing importance of peers Exert pressure to conform Broaden children Difference relating to parents versus peers Learn appropriate emotional responses to each Peers may serve as a sounding board Peers provide “real-world” practice

WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF POPULAR AND REJECTED CHILDREN? Popular Children Tend to be attractive and mature for age Socially skilled Have higher self-esteem and success Rejected Children Show behavioral and learning problems Are aggressive and disruptive Aggressive Children Tend to seek out other aggressive children

HOW DO CHILDREN’S CONCEPTS OF FRIENDSHIP DEVELOP? Early Middle Childhood Friendships based on proximity, shared activities 8- to 11-year-olds Friends are nice to each other and trustworthy Pick friends similar in personality and behavior Tend to be segregated by sex Girls develop closer friendships

HOW DO CHILDREN’S CONCEPTS OF FRIENDSHIP DEVELOP? Five Stages of Concepts of Friendship (Selman, 1980) Momentary physical interaction 3-6 One-way assistance 5-9 Fair-weather cooperation 7-12 Intimate and mutual sharing Autonomous Interdependence 12 and above Childhood friends interact differently More verbal, attentive, expressive, responsive to each other More cooperation Less intense conflict and strive to maintain positive interaction Typically report more than one ‘best’ friend

THE SCHOOL

ENTRY INTO SCHOOL: GETTING TO KNOW YOU Upon starting school, children must Meet academic challenges Learn new expectations Fit into peer group Three factors to consider in school readiness Diversity and inequity of early life experiences Individual differences in development and learning Reasonable and appropriate expectations of children’s capabilities

WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD SCHOOL? Effective schools have Energetic leadership Empowered teachers and students Orderly atmosphere Academic curriculum with frequent assessment High expectations for students Smaller class size

THE INFLUENCE OF TEACHERS Student performance Management of the classroom Emotional climate of classroom Teacher expectations Pygmalion effect Expectations can become self-fulfilling prophecies Sexism in the classroom Girls are treated unequally by teachers, peers, tests, and curriculum Bullying at school..what do you think of the causes?? What are solutions to prevent bullying and to deal with it when it occurs??

SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL PROBLEMS

WHAT ARE CONDUCT DISORDERS? Conduct disorders Child consistently breaks rules or violates rights of others Emerge around age 8, more prevalent in boys Tend to endure Origins of conduct disorder Genetic component Inconsistent discipline, antisocial family members, deviant peers Treatment of conduct disorders Cognitive behavioral techniques involving parent training Teach children social, coping, and problem-solving skills

WHAT IS CHILDHOOD DEPRESSION? Depressed children Feel sad, down in the dumps Show poor appetite, insomnia, difficulty concentrating Loss of self-esteem and of interest in people and activities they enjoy Feel hopeless and show thoughts of suicide Many children do not recognize their own depression until age 7 Cognitive development to perceive internal states Estimate 5% to 9% of children are seriously depressed in any year

WHAT IS CHILDHOOD DEPRESSION? Origins of depression Low levels of social and academic competence Stressful life events and poor problem solving Attribute failures to internal, stable, and global factors Genetic factors Treatment of depression Psychotherapy Antidepressants

CHILDHOOD ANXIETY Generalized anxiety disorder Phobias Separation anxiety disorder Obsessive-compulsive disorder

WHAT IS SEPARATION ANXIETY DISORDER? Persistent and excessive separation anxiety Inappropriate for developmental level Interferes with activities Children with SAD Cling to parents and may refuse to attend school Frequently develops after stressful life event

PREVENTION OF MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL CHILDREN LISTEN TO THEM and their concerns Monitor performance in school; help as needed Monitor physical health Foster meaningful peer relations Consider family history Parents need to stay involved; continue to guide, challenge, enjoy their children Nurture interests; foster their development of self concept and self esteem Foster independence; coping skills Seek professional help when concerns arise