Emotional and Social Development in Middle Childhood

Industry versus Inferiority mastery Industry  Developing a sense of competence at useful skills and tasks  School provides many opportunities. Inferiority  Pessimism and lack of confidence in own ability to do things well  Family environment, teachers, and peers, can contribute to negative feelings.

“Who am I?” 9-year-old “My name is Bruce C. I have brown eyes. I have brown hair. I have brown eyebrows. I’m 9 years old. I LOVE sports. I have 7 people I my family. I have great eye sight. I have lots! of friends. I live on Pinecrest Drive. I’m going on 10 in September. I’m a boy. I have a uncle that is almost 7 feet tall. My school is Pinecrest. My teacher is Mrs. V. I play hockey! I’m also the smartest boy in the class. I LOVE! food. I love fresh aire. I LOVE school.”

“Who am I?” 11-year-old “My name is A. I’m a human being. I’m a girl. I’m a truthful person. I’m not pretty. I do so-so in my studies. I’m a very good cellist. I’m a very good pianist. I’m a little bit tall for my age. I like several boys. I like several girls…I play tennis. I am a very good musician…I’m always ready to be friends with anybody.. Mostly I’m good, but I lose my temper. I’m not well liked by some girls and boys. I don’t know if boys like me or not.”

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Self-Concept in Middle Childhood More refined self-concept Social comparisons Social comparisons Emphasize competencies, both positive and negative Emphasize competencies, both positive and negative Cognitive development affects structure of self-concept. Perspective-taking Perspective-taking Social and cultural development affect content of self-concept. Real self v. ideal self Real self v. ideal self © Monkey Business Images | Dreamstime.comMonkey Business ImagesDreamstime.com

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Influences on Self-Concept Cognitive Reasoning, experiences, behaviors Reasoning, experiences, behaviorsSocial Parental support and peer social groups Parental support and peer social groups Cultural (varies between cultures) Asian parents → harmonious interdependence Asian parents → harmonious interdependence Western parents → independence and self- assertion Western parents → independence and self- assertion Collectivist subcultures → group social traits Collectivist subcultures → group social traits

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Self-Esteem in Middle Childhood  Hierarchically structured Separate areas and general self-esteem Separate areas and general self-esteem  Drops first few years in school, then rises  Perceived physical appearance important factor © Jarenwicklund | Dreamstime.comJarenwicklundDreamstime.com

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Hierarchical Structure of Self-Esteem in Mid-Elementary School Years Figure 13.1Photos from left to right: © 2004 Laura Dwight Photography; © George Disario | Corbis; © Mitch Wojnarowicz | The Image Works; © Radius Images | Photolibrary2004 Laura Dwight PhotographyGeorge Disario CorbisMitch Wojnarowicz The Image WorksRadius Images Photolibrary

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Influences on Self-Esteem Culture and gender-stereotyped beliefs Child-rearing practices Authoritative parenting builds self-esteem. Authoritative parenting builds self-esteem. Controlling parenting harms self-esteem. Controlling parenting harms self-esteem.Attributions Mastery-oriented Mastery-oriented Learned helplessness Learned helplessness

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Achievement-Related Attributions Mastery-Oriented  Attribute success to ability  Incremental view of ability; can improve by trying  Focus on learning goals Learned Helplessness  Attribute failure to ability  Fixed view of ability; cannot be changed  Focus on performance goals

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Coping with Stress Problem-Centered Coping  Used when situation is seen as changeable  Identify the difficulty.  Decide what to do about it. Emotion-Centered Coping  Used if problem- centered coping does not work  Situation is seen as unchangeable.  Internal and private control of distress

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Perspective Taking In middle childhood, major advances in perspective taking support: Self-concept Self-concept Self-esteem Self-esteem Understanding of others Understanding of others Increasing social skills Increasing social skills Both adults’ and peers’ explanations of their viewpoints contribute to children’s perspective taking.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Selman’s Stages of Perspective Taking Level 0 Undifferentiated 3 to 6 years Level 1 Social- informational 4 to 9 years Level 2 Self-reflective 7 to 12 years Level 3 Third-party 10 to 15 years Level 4 Societal 14 years to adult

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Factors Affecting Extent Children Hold Racial and Ethnic Biases  A fixed view of personality traits  Overly high self-esteem  A social world in which people are sorted into groups

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Peer Groups Formed from proximity, similarity Adopt similar dress and behavior Peer culture Relational aggression Relational aggression Exclusion Exclusion © Photographerlondon | Dreamstime.comPhotographerlondonDreamstime.com

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Friendship in Middle Childhood  Personal qualities, trust become important.  More selective in choosing friends  Friendships can last several years.  Influence each other’s behavior © Camille Bruggner | Dreamstime.comCamille BruggnerDreamstime.com

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Peer Acceptance Categories PopularProsocialAntisocial RejectedRejected-aggressiveRejected-withdrawn Controversial (positive and negative traits) Neglected

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. School-Age Girls’ Ratings of the Math Ability of Children and Adults Figure 13.4

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Gender Identity and Behavior Formed by: Gender typicality Gender typicality Gender contentedness Gender contentedness Pressure to conform to gender roles Pressure to conform to gender roles Figure 13.5

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Family Influences Parents  Coregulation Siblings  Rivalry  Companionship and assistance Only children May be advantageous in self-esteem and academic achievement May be advantageous in self-esteem and academic achievement © Cheryl Casey | Dreamstime.comCheryl CaseyDreamstime.com

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. International Divorce Rates Figure 13.6

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Consequences of Parental Divorce Immediate  Instability, conflict, drop in income  Parental stress, disorganization  Consequences affected by age, temperament, sex Long Term  Improved adjustment after 2 years  Boys, children with difficult temperaments more likely to have problems  Father’s involvement affects adjustment.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Blended Families Mother–Stepfather  Most frequent  Boys usually adjust quickly.  Girls adapt less favorably.  Older children and adolescents of both sexes display more problems. Father–Stepmother  Often leads to reduced father–child contact  Children in fathers’ custody often react negatively.  Girls and stepmothers slow to get along at first, more positive interaction later

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Maternal Employment and Child Development Benefits  Higher self-esteem  Positive family and peer relations  Fewer gender stereotypes  Better grades Drawbacks  Less time for children  Risk of ineffective parenting  More father involvement

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Fears and Anxieties in Middle Childhood Fears of dark, thunder, lightning, supernatural beings persist. Fear of real-life personal harm School phobia 5 to 7 years: separation from home 5 to 7 years: separation from home 11 to 13 years: particular aspects of school 11 to 13 years: particular aspects of school Harsh environments contribute to anxieties. © Distinctiveimages | Dreamstime.comDistinctiveimagesDreamstime.com