Social and Personality Development in Middle Childhood Chapter 10:

IN THIS CHAPTER Theories of Social and Personality Development Self-ConceptAdvances in Social CognitionThe Social World of the School-Aged ChildInfluences beyond Family and Peers

LEARNING OBJECTIVES 10.1 How did the psychoanalytic theorists characterize the middle childhood years? 10.2 What are the main ideas of the trait and social- cognitive theorists? 10.3 What are the features of the psychological self? 10.4 How does self-esteem develop? 10.5 How does children’s understanding of others change in middle childhood? 10.6 How do children in Piaget’s moral realism and moral relativism stages reason about right and wrong? 10.7 How does self-regulation affect school-aged children’s relationships with their parents?

LEARNING OBJECTIVES (con’t) 10.8 What changes occur in children’s understanding of friendships during this period? 10.9 In what ways do boys and girls interact during the middle childhood years? What types of aggression are most common among school-aged children? How do popular, rejected, and neglected children differ? What factors contribute to resilience and vulnerability among poor children? How do television, computers, and video games affect children’s development?

THEORIES OF SOCIAL AND PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT Psychoanalytic Theories Freud: the challenge is to form emotional bonds with peers and move beyond sole earlier formed bonds. Erikson: the challenge is to develop a sense of competence and willingness to work toward goal.  Industry versus inferiority stage

THEORIES OF SOCIAL AND PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT Trait Approach What trait or traits describe you best?

THE BIG FIVE PERSONALITY TRAITS ExtraversionAgreeablenessConscientiousnessNeuroticismOpenness

THEORIES OF SOCIAL AND PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT Social-Cognitive Perspectives Bandura and Reciprocal Determinism Three components  Person component (traits)  Behavior  Environment These three mutually influence one another.

BANDURA’S DETERMINISM MODEL Figure 10.1 Bandura’s Determinism Model

THE BIG FIVE PERSONALITY TRAITS

SELF-CONCEPT The Psychological Self Psychological self: a person’s understanding of his or her enduring psychological characteristics More complex Comparisons in self-descriptions Less tied to external features

SELF-CONCEPT Self-Efficacy Self-efficacy: an individual’s belief in his or her capacity to cause intended events Social comparisons Encouragement from valued sources Actual experiences

SELF-CONCEPT The Valued Self The Nature of Self-Esteem

SELF-CONCEPT Self-Esteem Key Components Discrepancy between what one desires and perceived achievement Perceived support from important people

SELF-CONCEPT Origins of Self-Esteem Direct experience with success or failure Labels and judgments from others The value a child attaches to some skill or quality is affected by peers’ and parents’ attitudes.

ADVANCES IN SOCIAL COGNITION Self-Concept The Child as Psychologist Focuses on internal traits and motivations of others Better understanding that same person plays different roles in life Less emphasis on external appearance

SELF-CONCEPT Moral Reasoning: Piaget Moral reasoning: Judgments about the rightness and wrongness of specific actions Moral realism Moral relativism

ENCOURAGING MORAL REASONING Lickona posits that the development of mature moral reasoning takes many years. Parents and teachers can support this development in 6- to 12-year-olds in a variety of ways: Require decisions for what is wanted. Praise utilization of social conventions. Couple punishment with explanations. Teach about reciprocity. Provide meaningful choices. Encourage obedience based in love and respect, not fear. Challenge egocentrism. Encourage charitable projects.

Reflection 1.Which of Lickona’s suggestions are most relevant to the situation in which Marisol’s mother found herself? 2.Do you agree with Andrea that it was necessary to punish the girl? If so, what additional steps do you think Andrea should take to help Marisol learn the importance of respecting others’ property?

THE SOCIAL WORLD OF THE SCHOOL-AGED CHILD Family Relationships Parental Expectations Parents recognize children’s increasing abilities to self-regulate. Culture may play a role in the age of expected behaviors.

THE SOCIAL WORLD OF THE SCHOOL-AGED CHILD Family Relationships Parental Expectations Boys are given more autonomy. Girls are held more accountable. An authoritative parental style most often produces socially competent children.

ONLY CHILDREN, BIRTH ORDER, AND CHILDREN’S DEVELOPMENT Only children reach adulthood just as well adjusted as children with siblings. Resource dilution hypothesis: Progressive watering down of parental material and psychological resources with each birth Only and first-born children may get more of the kind of attention from parents that is critical to cognitive development. Sibling relationships appear to make positive contributions to children’s social and emotional development.

ONLY CHILDREN, BIRTH ORDER, AND CHILDREN’S DEVELOPMENT Critical Analysis 1.What kinds of sibling relationships would harm rather than help a child’s social and emotional development? 2.In what kinds of situations might you expect only children to show social skills that are superior to those of children who have siblings?

THE SOCIAL WORLD OF THE SCHOOL-AGED CHILD Family Relationships Only Children and Siblings Only children  As well adjusted as children with siblings Siblings  Positively contribute to children’s social and emotional understanding

THE SOCIAL WORLD OF THE SCHOOL-AGED CHILD Friendships Peer importance increases in middle childhood. A “best friend” emerges. Friendships depend on reciprocal trust by age 10. Friends help with problem solving and conflict management.

A 10-YEAR-OLD’S EXPLANATION OF FRIENDSHIP Figure 10.2 A 10-Year-Old’s Explanation of Friendship

GENDER SEGREGATION Cultural Influence Age of appearance Playmate preference Playmate style by gender

THE SOCIAL WORLD OF THE SCHOOL-AGED CHILD Gender Segregation Boundary violations Play group composition by gender Play focus Cooperative play

THE SOCIAL WORLD OF THE SCHOOL-AGED CHILD Patterns of Aggression Physical aggression declinesVerbal aggression continues to increaseAnger increasingly disguisedAggression increasingly controlledGender differences over time

THE SOCIAL WORLD OF THE SCHOOL-AGED CHILD Patterns of Aggression Relational Aggression Aimed at damaging another person’s self- esteem or peer relationships Ostracism or threats of ostracism, cruel gossip, or facial expressions of disdain Retaliatory Aggression Aggression to get back at someone who has hurt you

THE SOCIAL WORLD OF THE SCHOOL-AGED CHILD Patterns of Aggression Girls display more relational aggression. Both boys and girls increase retaliatory aggression. Can you think of examples to illustrate each kind of aggression?

THE SOCIAL WORLD OF THE SCHOOL-AGED CHILD Bullying and Conduct Disorder Bullying Complex form of aggression A bully routinely aggresses against one or more habitual victims. Conduct Disorder Psychological disorder Children’s social and/or academic functioning is impaired by patterns of antisocial behavior Includes bullying, destruction of property, theft, deceitfulness, and/or violations of social rules

BULLIES AND VICTIMS With age, children tend to take on consistent roles—perpetrator, victim, assistant to the perpetrator, reinforcing onlooker, nonparticipant onlooker, defender of the victim Actors in each role contribute to future aggressive interactions. Research demonstrates that focus on the behavior of children who occupy all roles (including victims) may be contribute to effective intervention. What do you think?

You Decide Decide which of these two statements you most agree with and think about how you would defend your position: 1.Programs that seek to reduce bullying among school-aged children should include a component that teaches victims to be more assertive in the face of bullying. 2.Programs that seek to reduce bullying among school-aged children should focus on changing the bully’s behavior and helping him or her to understand how damaging bullying is to its victims and to the emotional climate of the social setting in which it occurs.

THE SOCIAL WORLD OF THE SCHOOL-AGED CHILD Social Status Social status: an individual child’s classification as popular, rejected, or neglected

THE SOCIAL WORLD OF THE SCHOOL-AGED CHILD Social Status

THE SOCIAL WORLD OF THE SCHOOL-AGED CHILD Two Types of Rejected Children How are these types of rejected children alike? How are do they differ? Withdrawn/rejected childrenAggressive/rejected children

THE SOCIAL WORLD OF THE SCHOOL-AGED CHILD Two Types of Rejected Children Neglected or Rejected Very different from their peers, shy, highly creative The invisible child

INFLUENCES BEYOND FAMILY AND PEERS Poverty Childhood poverty rate The rate is higher for younger children. Characteristics of parents in poverty

POVERTY AND AGE Figure 10.3 Poverty and Age

INFLUENCES BEYOND FAMILY AND PEERS Poverty Children in Poverty More often ill Lower average IQ scores Perform poorly in school Exhibit more behavior problems

INFLUENCES BEYOND FAMILY AND PEERS Inner-City Poverty Protective Factors for Resiliency High IQ of child Competent adult parenting Effective schools Secure initial attachments Strong community helping network Stable parental employment Strong sense of ethnic identity

INFLUENCES BEYOND FAMILY AND PEERS Inner-City Poverty Children of inner-city poverty may grow up... Exposed to street gangs and street violence In over-crowded homes Subject to more abuse and drug use Witnessing or becoming victims of more violent crimes Subject to PTSD

TRUE OR FALSE? There is a causal link between viewing violent television and aggressive behavior in children.

Age Trends in Children’s Media Device Ownership, Parents’ Rules for Media Use, and Time Spent Using Media

TELEVISION Prosocial Behavior Enhanced by quality programs that teach children moral and social values  Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood  Sesame Street

COMPUTERS AND THE INTERNET Economic differences Uses Gender differences

VIDEO GAMES Influences on child behavior Violent content and game preferences Critics of video game research