PSYC 1040: Developmental Psychology Week 8: October 26, 2011 Middle Childhood & Adolescence: Self Concept & Identity Development

Self Concept Between 6 & 12 years children develop increased understanding of themselves Consists of two components Psychological self Understanding of enduring psychological characteristics Unique characteristics Self-judgments of competency Valued self Self Esteem based on evaluative judgments Influenced by mental comparisons of ideal selves with actual experiences

Identity Development Begins with an infant’s discovery of self, continues through childhood with the realization that they are a separate and unique individual and becomes a focus during adolescence.

Identity Development During childhood, self- awareness grows and changes. Preschoolers describe themselves in terms of observable behaviours including physical attributes, preferences, and competencies. School-aged children begin to acknowledge and talk about their feelings and how they fit into the social world. Exploring skills, abilities, attitudes incorporate this into view of self

Identity Development Erik Erickson (psychosocial theorist) claimed that the goal of adolescence is achieving a coherent identity and avoiding identity confusion. Identity is multidimensional and may include physical and sexual identity, occupational goals, religious beliefs and ethnic background. During adolescence we explore these dimensions and make commitments to aspects of our identity.

Identity Development During adolescence description of self expands to include personality traits and attitudes. The development of abstract reasoning allows adolescents to think about the future and experiment with different identities

Identity Development Who Am I?

Identity Development Who Am I? As we develop from childhood our self-descriptions become more complex and comparative, centered on feelings and ideas and less focused on external or surface traits.

Identity Development Halloween Costumes and construction of identity. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBySfz_w3YE

Identity Development The Pink Dragon is Female: Halloween Costumes and Gender Markers “On the surface the selection and purchase of Halloween costumes for use by children may simply appear to facilitate their participation in the world of fantasy play”

Identity Development The Pink Dragon is Female: Halloween Costumes and Gender Markers Costumes can be classified as masculine, feminine or gender neutral. What are some examples of costumes that fall into these three categories?

Identity Development The Pink Dragon is Female: Halloween Costumes and Gender Markers Costumes further categorized using Klapp’s schema representing three dimensions of human behaviour: Heroes – praised and function as positive role models Invite feelings of awe, admiration & respect Includes traditional heroes, individuals of high occupational status & prosocial conformity to traditional gender roles Villains – negative and representing evil or something to be feared Elicit feelings of fear and loathing Includes symbolic representations of death, monsters, and anti-heroes Fools – negative and representing figures of absurdity and ridicule Evoke feelings of laughter and perceptions of cuteness Includes figures of mirth (clowns) and non-human / inanimate objects

Identity Development The Pink Dragon is Female: Halloween Costumes and Gender Markers Most societies have some form of masking, costuming or dress up. Why do you think this is? What influences our choice of costumes? What do these costumes say about us?

Take Home Quiz Esther Entin’s article in The Atlantic “All Work and No Play: Why Your Kids are More Anxious, Depressed” looks at how the concept of play has changed in society. The Research Report in Chapter 9: Physical and Cognitive Development in Middle Childhood of your textbook “The Effects of Video Games” looks at some of the effects of video games on development. Using examples from your text book together with your own insights and experiences discuss how play is important in the developmental process and in what ways (positive and / or negative) video games have changed the nature of play. Consider cognitive, social, psychological and physical development in your answer. You may wish to include other sources or research in your response. Make sure you credit and reference any sources used. Your responses should be approximately 3 – 5 double spaced pages.