Play Years= Social Emotional Development
n Emotional Development
n “Overall, emotional development is the foundation that enables all the other forms of development.…” 285 in textbook)
n Initiative Versus Guilt
n Erik Erikson’s third stage (3-6 yrs)
¨ A child wants to complete things successfully, and feels guilt at failure.
¨ Example: A child tries to pour juice into a cup and spills.
n Some guilt is desirable.
n Pride
n Young children generally have a very positive self-concept and self-esteem.
n They overestimate their abilities.
¨ Example: Every preschooler believes he/she is the brightest, smartest, fastest, most liked, best at games, etc.
n So proud!
n Intrinsic Motivation
n Intrinsic motivation comes from within the individual; it is the joy of personal accomplishment.
n Adults can encourage this by not promising rewards for a task that is already enjoyable; instead, praise a job well done.
n Emotional Regulation
n Emotional regulation is learning to cope with and direct one’s emotions.
n It develops as a result of brain maturation and experiences.
n The development of emotional regulation is influenced by:
¨ Genes
¨ Early experiences (especially stressors)
¨ Culture
¨ Ongoing care
¨ Brain maturation
¨ Gender
¨ Attachment
n Externalizing and Internalizing Problems
n Externalizing problems occur when a child turns emotional distress outward (e.g., attacking others in anger).
n Internalizing problems occur when a child turns emotional distress inward (e.g., becoming anxious or withdrawn).
n Emotional Intelligence
n Emotional Intelligence involves learning how to interpret and express emotions.
n As the prefrontal cortex develops, children’s ability to regulate emotions improves.
n Caregivers also play a role in teaching emotional intelligence.
n Empathy and Antipathy
n Empathy: a true understanding of the feelings and concerns of another
¨ This results in prosocial behavior (e.g., helpful, kind) and is helped by theory of mind.
¨ Antipathy: a dislike or hatred of people
¨ Results in antisocial behavior (e.g., aggressive).
n Brotherly Love
n Make it Real: Empathy
n In what ways can caregivers help children learn empathy? Think of specific ideas.
n Preference and Prejudice
n Young children are able to show pride in their own “group” while avoiding prejudice of others.
n The Importance of Play
n It is natural and beneficial for young children to PLAY!
¨ Jean Piaget said “Play is the work of the child.”
¨ Children LEARN through play (and also relieve stress).
n Types of Play
n Solitary = play alone
¨ Onlooker = watch others
¨ Parallel = play with similar toys in similar ways, but don’t interact
¨ Associative = interact and share emotions, but not in same game (e.g., outdoor play)
n Types of Play (cont.)
n Cooperative = play together, with common goal, taking turns (e.g., Checkers)
¨ Rough and tumble = mimics aggression, but is in fun (“play face”)
¨ It usually requires social experience among participants, and enough physical space to play.
n Quiz: How do you know this isn’t an aggressive encounter?
n Importance of Play: Part II
n It is imperative that society continues to value the importance of all types of play among young children.
n Intellectual development is certainly important in early childhood, but so is ample time for free, unstructured play!
n Types of Play (cont.)
n Sociodramatic Play = Pretend play in which children act out self-created roles and themes
¨ Examples: Playing house, doctor, superheroes, or school
¨ Think: why might children enjoy this type of play? What benefits might there be?
n Sociodramatic play helps children:
¨ Explore and rehearse socialroles they have observed (e.g., playing the “Dad”)
¨ Regulate emotions through imagination (e.g., the powerful feeling of being a superhero)
¨ Learn to negotiate and cooperate with others
n Quiz: What type of play is this?
n Make it Real: Coping with Anger
n What can caregivers do to help children cope with anger, and lessen the amount of aggression children display?
n Aggression
n All children experience the emotion of anger, but aggression involves hostile attitudes and hurtful, destructive behavior towards others.
n Some types of aggression are more troublesome and long-lasting than others (see next slide).
n Types of Aggression
n Instrumental: Used to obtain an object such as a toy
¨ This is common among young children, and becomes less prevalent with age.
n Reactive: Retaliation for an act, whether or not it was intentional
¨ This indicates a lack of emotional regulation.
n Types of Aggression (cont.)
n Relational: Insults or social rejection intended to hurt another
¨ Example: “You can’t come to my party.”
n Bullying: Unprovoked, repeated attack to inflict physical or mental harm
n Make it Real: Parenting
n In your opinion, how influential is a parent to a child’s development?
n Parenting Styles
n Diana Baumrind found that parents differ on four dimensions of parenting:
¨ Expressions of warmth
¨ Strategies for discipline
¨ Quality of communication
¨ Expectations for maturity
n Authoritative Style
n High Warmth
¨ High level of communication
¨ Moderate expectations for maturity
¨ Discipline strategies involve much discussion, firm but fair limits
n Authoritarian Style
n Little Warmth
¨ Communication is one way (commands of parent)
¨ Very high expectations for maturity
¨ Strict, often physical discipline strategies
n Permissive Style
n High warmth
¨ High amount of communication
¨ Few to no expectations
¨ Little to no discipline
n Parenting Styles: Quick Review
Suppose a teenager came in late for curfew…
n How would each of Baumrind’s 3 main parenting styles handle the situation?
n Outcomes of Parenting Styles
n Which parenting style would you guess is associated with the following outcomes?
n Children are obedient, not happy
n Children lack self-control, are not happy
n Children are successful, articulate, intelligent, and happy
n Outcomes of Parenting Styles
n Authoritarian: Children are obedient, not especially happy
n Permissive: Children lack self-control, are the least happy
n Authoritative: Children are successful, articulate, intelligent, and happy
n Make it Real: Discipline
n Anyone working with young children needs to have a set of tools in mind for discipline.
n What discipline strategies have you heard about or used?
n Discipline Strategies
n No one strategy is a “cure-all.”
n Techniques are often rooted in culture (e.g., time-out is popular in the U.S.).
n All strategies should consider a child’s emerging self-concept and level of cognitive development.
n The Challenge of Media
n Question: The Challenge of Media
Take a guess:
n How much time a day do you think the average child under 8 years old spends watching TV or playing video games or computer?
n The Challenge of Media (cont.)
n Most U.S. children spend over 3 hours a day using media.
n By age 3, over 25% of children have a TV in their bedroom.
n 75% of low-income and 83% of higher-income children have cable TV.
n Techno Homes–The Typical Child’s Home Contains:
n The Challenge of Media (cont.)
n Several U.S. organizations have issued statements imploring parents to reduce children’s exposure to violent media.
n Longitudinal studies have established a link between TV violence in childhood and grades in high school.
n The Challenge of Media (cont.)
n Overuse of the media takes away time for imaginative and social play, and reduces time for parent-child interaction.
n Question: Boy or Girl─So What?
n Are males really from Mars, and females from Venus?
n If yes, what makes males and females think, act, and feel differently?
n If no, are gender differences simply exaggerated?
n Boy or Girl: So What?
n Sex differences = biological differences between males and females
n Gender differences = culturally imposed differences in the roles and behaviors of males and females
n Developmental Progression of Gender Awareness
n By age 2 cognitive awareness of gender; gender-related preferences and play patterns are apparent
n By age 3 rudimentary awareness that gender distinctions are lifelong
n By age 4 awareness of “gender-appropriate” toys and roles
n By age 6 well-formed ideas and prejudices about own and other sex
n Theories of Gender Differences
n Psychoanalytic Theory (Freud)
¨ Phallic stage = third stage of psychosexual development
¨ Identification = defense mechanism that lets a person symbolically take on behaviors and attitudes of someone more powerful than himself or herself
¨ Superego = personality part that is self-critical and judgmental
n Oedipus (boys), Electra (girls) complexes of phallic stage
¨ Child develops sexual feelings toward opposite-sex parent, wants to replace same-sex parent
¨ Child cannot replace same-sex parent, so wants to be like that parent
¨ Guilt and fear are resolved by gender-appropriate behavior
¨ No longer a popular theory–often same-sex parent not present
n Behaviorist Theory of Gender
n Gender roles are learned through observationand imitation.
¨ Examples: Who takes out the garbage? Who writes thank you notes? etc.
n Gender schemas organize the world into “male” and “female” activities.
n This is guided by an internal motivation to conform to sociocultural standards of gender.
¨ Example: “Is this a (boy/girl) thing to do?”
n Children learn the preferred behavior for men and women in their society.
n Androgyny = a healthy balance of male and female psychological characteristics
¨ Is considered a psychologically healthy way to be, and will most fully occur if society supports it
n Gender typed behavior is shaped by BOTHgenetic differences between male and female brains, and environmental influences