SOCIAL AND PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT IN MIDDLE CHILDHOOD Life Span Development SOCIAL AND PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT IN MIDDLE CHILDHOOD

What IQ tests don’t tell… The concept that intelligence is unidimensional is currently disputed by many theorists Many developmentalists support two different kinds of intelligence: Fluid intelligence – reflects information processing capabilities, reasoning and memory Crystallized intelligence – accumulation of information, skills and strategies that people have learned through experience and that they can apply in problem-solving situations Other theorists suggest an even greater number of distinct types of intelligence, which can be independent of one another

Below and Above the Norm Mental Retardation: According to the American Association on Mental Retardation (AAMR), Mental Retardation is a disability characterized by significant limitations both in intellectual functioning as well as adaptive behavior (conceptual, social and practical skills) Mild retardation: IQ scores of 50 or 55 - 70 Moderate retardation: IQ scores of 35 or 40 – 50 or 55 Severe retardation: IQ scores of 20 or 25 – 35 or 40 Profound retardation: IQ scores fall below 20 or 25 The Gifted and Talented: Children who show evidence of high performance capability in areas such as intellectual, creative, artistic, leadership capability or specific academic fields.

Psychosocial Development in Middle Childhood Industry-versus-inferiority stage Age 6-12 Children are faced with the complexities of the modern world They not only focus on mastering the academic work they are presented with, they are also making a place for themselves in the social world Success at this stage is accomplished by proficiency at tasks and a growing sense of competence Difficulties may lead to feeling inadequate and withdrawing from academic pursuits as well as interactions with peers.

Self-Esteem Self-Esteem is an individual’s overall and specific positive and negative self-evaluation. Self-concept reflects beliefs about the self (e,g, I am good at math) whereas self-esteem is emotionally-oriented (e.g. no one likes me) Self-esteem develops in many important ways during Middle Childhood. Children increasingly compare themselves to others As they do this, they assess how they measure up to society’s standards Children are developing their own standards For most children, self-esteem increases during middle childhood Children with low self-esteem may become enmeshed in a cycle of failure that is difficult to break

Building Friendship in Middle Childhood Friendships influence children’s development in many ways… Friends provide information about the world and other people Friends provide emotional support and help kids handle stress Friends teach children how to manage and control their emotions Friends teach about communication with others Friends foster intellectual growth Friends allow children to practice relationship skills

Stages of Friendship According to William Damon, children’s friendships go through three stages: Stage 1 (ages 4-7) Children see friends as others who they spend most of their time with They see friends as children they share toys and other activities with They do not take personal traits into account

Stages of Friendship Stage 2 (ages 8-10) Stage 3 (ages 11-15) Children now begin to consider personal traits in selecting friends Friends are viewed in terms of the rewards they provide The centerpiece of friendship is mutual trust Stage 3 (ages 11-15) Friendships have become based on intimacy and loyalty Friendships involve psychological closeness, mutual disclosure, and exclusivity This stage will be discussed in further detail during discussion of adolescence

Bullying What is bullying? Bullying is when someone hurts or scares another person on purpose and the person being bullied has a hard time defending himself or herself. Usually, bullying happens over and over. Bullying can be defined as: Punching, shoving and other acts that hurt people physically Spreading bad rumors about people Keeping certain people out of a "group" Teasing people in a mean way Getting certain people to "gang up" on others **According to the National Association of School Psychologists, 160,000 U.S. schoolchildren stay home from school each day because they are afraid of being bullied**

Cyberbullies Bullying also can happen on-line or electronically. cyber bullying is when children or teens bully each other using the Internet, mobile phones or other cyber technology. This can include: Sending mean text, e-mail, or instant messages; Posting nasty pictures, doctored photos or messages about others in blogs or on Web sites; Using someone else's user name to spread rumors or lies about someone.

Why kids bully Approximately 10-15% of students bully at one time or another Characteristics of bullies: Approximately 50% of bullies come from abusive homes They are exposed to media (TV shows, Video Games) that contain violence They may try to lie their way out of accepting responsibility when they are caught They show little (if any) remorse for their victims Some of the reasons why kids bully: They see others doing it It's what you do if you want to hang out with the right crowd (to become popular) It makes them feel, stronger, smarter, or better than the person they are bullying It prevents others from bullying them

Long-term effects It can mess up a kid's future. Young people who bully are more likely than those who don't bully to skip school and drop out of school. They are also more likely to smoke, drink alcohol and get into fights (Nansel et al, 2003; Olweus, 1993). It scares some people so much that they skip school. As many as 160,000 students may stay home on any given day because they're afraid of being bullied (Pollack, 1998). It can lead to huge problems later in life. Children who bully are more likely to get into fights, vandalize property, and drop out of school. Approximately 60% of boys who were bullies in middle school had at least one criminal conviction by the age of 24 (Olweus, 1993).

The Family Environment Last few decades – changing in the structure of a “typical family” ↑ in # of families with 2 parents working ↑ in divorce rate ↑ in # of single-parent families One of the biggest challenges of middle childhood – increasing independence Children move from being completely controlled by their parents to increasingly controlling their own lives Coregulation – A period during which parent and child jointly control the child’s behavior.

Effects of family environment Both parents working outside of the home – what is the impact on the children? In most cases, children do very well The parents’ schedule seems less important than other factors… Children have best adjustment when parents are: Loving Sensitive to their children’s needs Providing appropriate substitute care

Effects of family environment Children who are home alone: Self-care children are children who let themselves into their homes after school and wait alone until their caretakers return from work (“latchkey kids”) Some children report negative experiences while at home alone (such as loneliness) Alone time at home is viewed as less detrimental than “hanging out” unsupervised with peers This is an opportunity for enhanced independence and competence, as well as an opportunity for “down time” Many self-care children develop strong self-esteem as a result of the opportunity to take care of homework, personal projects, and contribute to the house

Effects of family environment Divorce Only about 50% of children will grow up with married parents living in the same home Other family dynamics – single-parent, stepparents, raised by grandparents, living with other relatives, or foster care Impact of divorce? Age of children at the time of divorce is an important factor During the early stages of middle childhood, children tend to blame themselves for the divorce By the age of 10, children feel pressure to choose sides and therefore may have divided loyalty Children and parents take time to adjust – typically 6 months to 2 years Most children live with their mothers after divorce Parent-child relationships are strained due to children being “caught in the middle”

Effects of family environment Single-parent families Approximately 25% of children under the age of 18 in the U.S. live in a single-parent household In rare cases, this situation is a result of death In most cases, there either was never a spouse, parents have divorced, or one parent has been absent Impact of single-parent family depends on a number of factors: Was 2nd parent present earlier? What is the socioeconomic status of the single parent? Who is caring for the child while single parent is working?

Effects of family environment Multigenerational Families: Children, parents and grandparents living together This can be a rich living experience, with multiple levels of support, both emotionally and financially However, there is often conflict between the adults, who may struggle in sharing the role of disciplinarian

Effects of family environment Blended Families: The aftermath of divorce often results in at least one parent remarrying “Blended families” refers to a remarried couple who has at least one stepchild living with them 17% of all children in the U.S. living in a blended family Role ambiguity often occurs – roles and expectations for family members are unclear: Children may be uncertain about their responsibilities Children may be unsure of how to act towards stepparents or stepsiblings Children may have to decide which family to spend a holiday with Children may get conflicting advice from biological parent and stepparent