Socioemotional Development in Middle and Late Childhood Chapter 10

Emotional and Personality Development 8-11 years of age-children increasingly describe themselves in terms of psychological characteristics and traits Ex: popular, nice, helpful, mean, smart, and dumb Including references to social groups in the self- descriptions Girl Scouts, Catholics or someone who has two close friends

Emotional and Personality Development This age group: Perspective taking- the social cognitive process involved in assuming the perspective of others and understanding their thoughts and feelings Self-esteem-refers to global evaluation of the self (self-worth or self-image) Ex: not merely a person but a good person Self concept-domain specific evaluation of the self Academic, athletic, appearance, etc

Emotional and Personality Development Both emerge from the quality of parenting in infancy and early childhood Child with low self-esteem-may have experience neglect or abuse Child with high-self esteem- more likely to be securely attached to parents May not reflect reality

Emotional and Personality Development Consequences of low self-esteem Overweight and obesity Anxiety Depression Suicide Delinquency Linked to adult depression

Emotional and Personality Development In contrast- there is concern that too many grow up receiving praise for mediocre or even poor performance Having inflated self esteem May have difficulty handling competition and criticism May cause avoidance of important learning experiences

Emotional and Personality Development Self-Efficacy (Albert Bandura/ Social Cognitive Theory) The belief that one can master a situation and produce favorable outcomes Critical factor in whether or not students achieve The belief "I can" Helplessness The belief " I cannot"

Emotional and Personality Development Self-Regulation - increased deliberate effort to manage one's behavior, emotions, and thoughts Leading to increased social competence and achievement

Emotional and Personality Development Erikson's 4th stage: industry versus inferiority Children become interested in how things are made and how they work Their sense of industry increases Parents who see their children's efforts at making things as 'mischief' or 'making a mess' Encourage children's development of a sense of inferiority

Emotional and Personality Development Emotional Development- Aware of the need to control and manage their emotions to meet social standards Self-regulation of emotions

Emotional and Personality Development Coping with Stress By 10 years of age-most children are able to use cognitive strategies to cope with stress Families that have not been supportive and are characterized by turmoil or trauma....may have children without these strategies Outcomes from disaster: Acute stress reactions, depression Panic disorder Post-traumatic stress disorder

Emotional and Personality Development Adults caring for children after a disaster: Reassure children of their safety and security Allow children to retell events and be patient in listening to them Encourage children to talk about any disturbing or confusing feelings, reassuring them them that such feelings are normal after a stressful event Protect children from re-exposure to frightening situations and reminders of the trauma Help children make sense of what happened, they may misunderstand what took place

Emotional and Personality Development Moral Development (Lawrence Kohlberg) 3 Levels, (in a sequence and are age related) Level 1: Preconventional reasoning- Individual moral reasoning is controlled primarily by external rewards and punishment Level 2: Conventional reasoning- individuals abide by certain standards, but they are standards set by others such as parents or society Level 3: Postconventional Reasoning- the individual recognizes alternative moral courses, explores the options, and then decides on a personal moral code

Emotional and Personality Development Gender Stereotypes Broad categories that reflect our impressions and beliefs about females and males Still present today Until 7-8 years of age... Still extensive Appearance stereotypes were more prevalent with girls Activity stereotypes more common with boys Both boys and girls indicate math is for boys Boys gender stereotypes are more rigid than girls.

Emotional and Personality Development Gender Stereotypes Many physical difference between males and females Cognitive differences have been exaggerated Males are more physically aggressive then females Females regulate their emotions better and engage in more Prosocial behavior than males

Emotional and Personality Development Androgyny- having positive feminine and masculine characteristics in same person Gender role classification- the degree to Which individual are masculine, feminine , or androgynous Sandra Bem- androgynous individuals are more flexible, competent, and mentally healthy Little has been done to change traditional ways of raising boys. "Boy code" ... Tells boys that they could show little if any emotion and should act tough

Emotional and Personality Development Parent-Child Relationships Parents spend less time with children But play an important role in supporting and stimulating academic achievement and decisions about out-of-school activities Exercise general supervision and control While children are allowed to engage in moment-to -moment self- regulation Key developmental task toward autonomy: where children learn to relate to adults outside the family on a regular basis, like teachers

Emotional and Personality Development Parents as Managers Managing children's opportunities, monitor their behavior, social initiators and arranges activities Maintaining a structure and organized family environment Establishing routines for homework, chores, bedtime Monitoring the child's behavior

Emotional and Personality Development Step families About half of all children whose parents divorce will have a stepparent within four years of the separation

Emotional and Personality Development Re-married Parent tasks: must define and strengthen their marriage Renegotiate the biological parent-child relationships Establish stepparent-stepchild and step sibling relationships .... Only 1/3 of stepfamily couples stay remarried

Emotional and Personality Development Children often have better relationships with their custodial parents Adjustment problems are similar to those found among children of divorced parents (academic problems and lower self-esteem) .... But most do not have problems Adolescence is an especially difficult time for the formation of a stepfamily (complicates normal identity, sexuality and autonomy concerns)

Emotional and Personality Development Peer Relationships-especially important Linked to more positive relationship outcomes in adolescence and adulthood Reciprocity becomes important in peer interchanges The size of peer group increases Peer interactions is less supervised by adults Until 12 years of age - children prefer same-sex peer groups

Emotional and Personality Development 5 Peer Status: Popular children- frequently nominated as a best friend and are rarely disliked by their peers (have number of social skills) Average children- receive an average number of both positive and negative nomination from peers Neglected children- infrequently nominated as a best friend, but are not disliked by their peers Rejected children - infrequently nominated as a best friend and are actively disliked by their peers (often have serious adjust problems) Controversial children-frequently nominated both as a best friend and as being disliked by their peers

Emotional and Personality Development Bullying- verbal or physical behavior intended to disturb someone less powerful 1 in 3 students said that they have been bullied Typically Boys and younger middle school students most likely to be bullied, overweight children are often bullied Children who said they were bullied-reported more loneliness and difficulty in making friends, may have more depression and engage in suicidal ideation and attempts Children who where the bullies...more likely to. Have low grades and to smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol

Emotional and Personality Development Internet Bullying Engaging in Cyber aggression related to loneliness, lower self-esteem, fewer mutual friends and lower peer popularized Contributed to depression and suicidal ideation above regular bullying

Emotional and Personality Development Friends- important to child's development Typically characterized by similarity Provides cognitive and emotional resources from childhood through old age Also plays a role in emotional well-being and academic success

Emotional and Personality Development Contemporary Approaches to Student Learning Constructivist Approach-children encouraged to explore their world, discover knowledge, reflect, and think critically with monitoring and guidance from the teacher Emphasis on collaboration Direct instruction approach Teacher direction and control, mastery of academic skills, high expectations, progress, learning tasks

Emotional and Personality Development Accountability from schools is increasing State-mandated testing No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation Each state has own criteria passing or failing US Dept. of Education is committed so schools are making accommodations to meet the requirements of the law

Emotional and Personality Development Education of Students from Low-Income Backgrounds - Barriers Parents who don't set high educational standards Parents who are incapable of reading to them Parents who don't have enough money to pay for educational materials or experiences Students may be malnourished or live in high crime areas

Emotional and Personality Development Low Income Schools More likely to have more students with low achievement test scores Low graduation rates Smaller percentages of students going to college May have teacher with less experience More likely to encourage mechanical type learning Buildings and classrooms old and crumbling

Emotional and Personality Development They may need more focus on social and emotional functioning They may also need efforts to intervene in the lives of children, schools and neighborhoods

Emotional and Personality Development Ethnicity in Schools 1/3 of African American and Latino student attend schools in largest city school districts in US Inner city schools have much racial segregation Grossly underfunded Do not provide adequate opportunities for the children to learn effectively

Emotional and Personality Development Strategies for improving relations among ethnically diverse students: Turn the class into jigsaw classroom (students from different cultural backgrounds are placed in cooperative groups for projects) Encourage student to have positive personal contact with diverse other students (sharing one's worries, successes, failures, coming strategies, interests, and other personal info with people of other ethnicities) Reduce Bias- Displaying images of children from diverse ethnic and cultural groups View the school and community as a team (including a plan, mental health or school support team, Parents program) Be a competent cultural mediator (being sensitive to biased content in materials and classroom interactions)