Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.. Emotional Development Chapter 11

Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 2 Chapter Outline Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development Attachment Emotion Temperament and personality Supporting children and adolescents with emotional and behavioral problems

Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 3 Erikson: Psychosocial Development 8 stages, each characterized by central conflict Childhood & adolescence trust vs. mistrust (infancy) autonomy vs. shame and doubt (toddler years) initiative vs. guilt (preschool years) industry vs. inferiority (elementary school years) identity vs. role confusion (adolescence) Adulthood intimacy vs. isolation (young adulthood) generativity vs. stagnation (middle age) integrity vs. despair (retirement years)

Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 4 Contemporary Perspectives on Erikson’s Theory Strengths emphasizes important social and emotional changes that occur throughout life reflects synthesis of nature, nurture, individual motivation Limitations observations are largely anecdotal observations are based on males underestimates effects of culture

Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 5 Attachment Enduring emotional tie that unites child to caregivers Birth to 2 months social signals elicit care indiscriminately social Two to 6 months more discriminating attend selectively to familiar faces Seven months to 2 years attachment to specific individuals stranger anxiety

Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 6 Attachment Early childhood reciprocate affection show affection to peers Middle childhood and adolescence venture further outside nuclear family seek subtler forms of affection from family

Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 7 Attachment: Individual Differences Ainsworth’s Strange Situation 4 identifiable patterns secure attachment insecure-avoidant attachment insecure-resistant attachment disorganized and disoriented attachment

Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 8 Factors Affecting Attachment Quality of caregiver–child relationship responsiveness control affection Cultural setting societal expectations physical contact vs. separation Children’s activities & characteristics temperament, personality

Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 9 Multiple Attachments Initial preference/attachment to one parent Soon form attachments with other caregivers family members teachers

Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 10 Attachment security & later development Secure attachment predicts (preschool) independence empathy social competence Secure attachment predicts (grade school through adolescence) self-confidence school adjustment relationships with teachers and peers success at classroom tasks high-school graduation

Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 11 Implications of Attachment Research Care for children with warmth and sensitivity Give children time to adjust Promote emotional bonds Model affectionate caregiving Encourage parents to watch children’s self-initiated actions Encourage parents to think about how infants & children understand events Advise parents about special needs of children with disabilities Help children maintain attachment to both parents after divorce Encourage multiple attachments Offer services when children are placed with new families Encourage sympathetic dispositions Be sensitive, consistent with children who show attachment problems Address the needs of both parents and infants Seek professional guidance when attachment problems are serious

Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 12 Emotion: Developmental Trends Emotion displays 6 months: contentment, interest, distress 12 months: anger, fear early childhood self-conscious emotions (shame, guilt, pride) coping strategies, regulation of display emotion talk adolescence: new anxieties

Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 13 Emotion: Developmental Trends Emotion detection and responses early infancy: emotional contagion 4 months: react meaningfully to emotional displays (sad, angry, fearful) 9 months: distress at lack of emotion 12 months: social referencing middle childhood: hidden feelings

Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 14 Emotion: Group Differences Gender no marked differences until about age 2 boys more likely to show anger girls more likely to feel sad, fearful, guilty girls more likely to dwell on problems partly biological, partly environmental Family and culture individualistic cultures more expressive than collectivist cultures emotional expression varies within a family SES children from low SES families more prone to anxiety, depression, behavior problems middle- and high-income children sometimes exposed to unrealistic expectations

Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 15 Promoting Emotional Development Help infants find comfort Create a warm, trusting, accepting environment Use research-based curriculum to foster development Offer age-appropriate outlets for emotional expression Discuss emotions of characters in literature and history Ask children to guess the emotions others feel Take cultural differences into account Help children keep anxiety at a manageable level Pay attention to your own emotions Model appropriate ways of dealing with negative emotions

Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 16 Temperament and Personality Temperament child’s typical ways of responding to events & novel stimulation and of regulating impulses neurological basis environment can interact with genetics Personality characteristic way in which a person thinks, behaves, feels based partly on temperament, partly on environment

Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 17 Dimensions of Temperament Activity level Adaptability (to change) Extraversion/Surgency Negative affectivity Effortful control Extraversion Agreeableness Conscientiousness Neuroticism Openness

Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 18 Helping Children Be Themselves Be aware of which temperaments complement and contrast with your preferences Adjust to the ways that children respond Consider children’s temperaments when forming groups Allow children to apply natural strengths; encourage them to try new strategies Communicate expectations about acceptable behavior Set up routines Help children cope with change Arrange classroom space to minimize disruptions, noise Make appropriate adjustments for children high or low on personality dimensions Recognize the complexity of children’s personalities

Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 19 Common Emotional & Behavioral Disorders Depression & bipolar disorder more common at/after adolescence more common in girls Anxiety disorder may be related to insecure attachment Conduct disorder more common in boys All may have biological and environmental causes

Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 20 Supporting Youngsters with Emotional & Behavioral Problems Show interest in their well-being Teach social skills Provide structure to reduce anxiety Set reasonable limits for behavior Encourage children’s beliefs that they have control Advise parents about their children’s needs Be alert for signs of potential suicide

Child Development and Education, Fourth Edition Teresa M. McDevitt and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 21 Take-Home Messages Erikson proposed that psychosocial characteristics result from resolution of eight conflicts. Sensitive, responsive attention from adults is necessary for secure attachments. Children contribute by returning affection. Children are born with dispositions to respond to the world and express their emotions in certain ways. They become increasingly able to regulate their emotions in socially acceptable, personally effective ways. Some youngsters face serious emotional or behavioral problems that require thoughtful accommodation from adults and sometimes professional intervention.