Chapter 12 Emotional and Social Development in Middle Childhood Self Concept in Middle Childhood o Recall preschool self concept based on Observable characteristics Ex appearance possessions behavior actions o School aged More refined self concept Instead of specific behaviors children now emphasize Competencies Personality characteristics and general dispositions o Things that don t chance between situations Psychological dimensions likes and dislikes Group membership o Social comparisons Evaluations from others are more important o Social Comparisons Not just to another but to others o Evaluations from others o Mead described the self as a blend of what important people in our lives think of us Mead believed in the looking glass self o Perspective taking skills School age children become better at reading others messages and incorporating these into their self definitions o As school age children internalize others expectations they form an ideal self what they should be doing or what they should be like that they use to evaluate their real self Evaluative Component of the Self Self Esteem o Hierarchically structured Separate areas and general self esteem o Hierarchical Structure of Self Esteem in Middle Childhood General Self Esteem components of Academic competency grades etc Social competency family peer relations Physical Athletic competency achievement in sports Physical appearance indicator of self esteem o Changes in Levels of Self Esteem Drops first few years in school then rises Eventually kids balance social comparisons with personal achievement Drop in S E is not so harmful From 4th grade on self esteem rises for most kids Especially in peer relationships athletic abilities o Influences on Self Esteem Valued areas of competencies and success in those areas Culture Competitiveness in school ex Asian children score lower in self esteem Ethnic background African American children tend to have higher self esteem different standards of beauty compared to European Americans Child rearing practices Positives Parents who are accepting affectionate and involved in their children s lives Negatives Parents who have excessively high standards and unrealistic standards o Undermines child s sense of self o Feelings of incompetence unworthiness and that they are unlovable Authoritative child rearing style leads to o High self evaluations o Warm positive parenting lets children know they are accepted as competent and worthwhile o Firm but appropriate expectations backed with explanations help children make sensible choices and use reasonable standards for evaluating their behavior o Parents are more likely to have age and ability appropriate expectations Controlling parents communicate a sense of inadequacy to children that is linked to low self esteem Indulgent parenting is linked to unrealistically high self esteem the children feel entitled which also undermines development Erikson s Theory Industry vs Inferiority o Positive experiences earlier result in a drive toward mastery o Industry vs inferiority Erikson s fourth stage of psychosocial crises in which children see themselves as competent or incompetent o in dus tri ous working energetically enthusiastically and devotedly hardworking o Resolved positively when children s experiences lead them to develop a sense of diligent competence at useful skills and tasks o Erikson s Theory Industry Energetic devoted activity at any work or task diligence Influences application and effort Developing a sense of competence at useful skills Inferiority Pessimism and lack of confidence in own ability to do things well Leads to decreased application and effort o Erikson s sense of industry combines several developments of middle childhood A positive but realistic self concept Pride in accomplishment Achievement self competence Moral responsibility and Cooperative participation with agemates peers Moral Development o Moral Model Ex someone famous an authority figure family members o What is moral development Thoughts feelings behaviors regarding rules and regulations about what people should do in interactions with other people o When does conscience develop 3 5 years old o What does conscience look like at the preschool age Internalization of controls and standards others have taught them o How does morality develop o Perspectives on Moral Development Psychoanalytic Freud superego and guilt Oedipal Conflict Child conforms to avoid guilt Girls express more guilt than boys Empathy contributes to guilt o The more you understand others behavior the more guilt you feel Behavioral view rewards and punishment Reinforcement and punishment o Effectiveness of rewards and punishment They ll comply while you re there Maybe when you are not Low to moderate internalization living by the rules of others Less likely to have transfer of training knowing what behavior is right and using it in all situations even when the rewarder punisher is not present Social Learning modeling moral behavior Characteristics of Good Models of Moral Behavior o Children are more likely to use someone with warmth and responsiveness as a model o Competence and power ex parents were upset when Michael Phelps was caught smoking pot o Displays consistency between words and behavior NOT do as I say not as I do Cognitive Developmental children as active thinkers about social rules Influenced by o Cognitive development o Self control o Perspective taking ability Piaget s moral reasoning o Two distinct stages for children HAHA o Piaget s Theory of Moral Development Heteronomous morality 4 7 Justice and rules seen as unchangeable Removed from control of people Belief in immanent justice immediate punishment when rule is broken As child ages thinking gets more sophisticated understands cooperation and negotiation Autonomous Morality 7 10 and older Children become aware that rules and laws are created by people Need to consider actor s intentions as well as consequences when deciding whether something is right or wrong Parenting and Children s Moral Development o Parents give role taking opportunities Quality of parent child relationships through modeling behaviors o Proactive parenting strategies Conversation and discipline explaining the rules and why they are in place makes internalization easier o Adult Child Interactions that contribute to moral development Things that lead to INTERNALIZATION of moral values Moral behavior Inductive discipline Why there is a certain rule Rewards More