Social Development Chapter 12 Social Development biological cultural cognitive The changing nature of relationships with others over the life span What Are the Issues What factors drive social development Individuals develop socially How do social relationships develop Erikson s Theory Biological in belief that there are innate drives to develop social relationships and that Divided life span into eight psychosocial stages each associated with a different drive these promote survival Darwinism and a problem or crisis to resolve Outcome of each stage varies along a continuum from positive to negative Stage 1 birth 1 Trust vs Mistrust Consistent and dependable caregiving and meeting infant needs leads to a sense of trust Infants must rely on others for care Infants who are not well cared for will develop mistrust Stage 2 1 3 years Autonomy vs Shame and Doubt Children are discovering their own independence Those given the opportunity to experience independence will gain a sense of autonomy Children that are overly restrained or punished harshly will develop shame and doubt Stage 3 3 5 years Initiative vs Guilt Children are exposed to the wider social world and given greater responsibility Sense of accomplishment leads to initiative whereas feelings of guilt can emerge if the child is made to feel too anxious or irresponsible Stage 4 5 12 years Industry vs Inferiority Stage of life surrounding mastery of knowledge and intellectual skills Sense of competence and achievement leads to industry Feeling incompetent and unproductive leads to inferiority Stage 5 adolescence Identity vs Confusion Developing a sense of who one is and where s he is going in life Successful resolution leads to positive identity Unsuccessful resolution leads to identity confusion or a negative identity Stage 6 young adulthood Intimacy vs Isolation Time for sharing oneself with another person Capacity to hold commitments with others leads to intimacy Failure to establish commitments leads to feelings of isolation Stage 7 middle adulthood Generativity vs Stagnation Caring for others in family friends and work leads to sense of contribution to later generations Stagnation comes from a sense of boredom and meaninglessness Stage 8 late adulthood to death Integrity vs Despair Successful resolutions of all previous crises leads to integrity and the ability to see broad truths and advise those in earlier stages Despair arises from feelings of helplessness and the bitter sense that life has been incomplete context Bronfenbrenner s Social Ecology Theory Network of interactions and interdependencies among people institutions and cultural Microsystem small immediate environment the child lives in Includes any immediate relationships or organizations children interact with such as their immediate family or caregivers and their school or daycare Mesosystem describes how the different parts of a child s microsystem work together for the sake of the child For example if a child s caregivers take an active role in a child s school such as going to parent teacher conferences and watching their child s soccer game Exosystem the social context that includes the other people and places that the child herself may not interact with often herself but that still have a large affect on her such as parents workplaces extended family members the neighborhood etc Macrosystem the remote cultural context which includes things such as the relative freedoms permitted by the national government cultural values the economy wars etc These things can also affect a child either positively or negatively Infant Attachment Intense emotional bond between infant and caregiver Ethological Theory of Attachment Imprinting Imprinting early following behavior in some species e g geese ducks that ensures that the young will stay close to the mother Takes place during a critical period of development Critical period is a time span during which the young organism is biologically prepared to acquire certain capacities but needs the support of an appropriately stimulating environment Similar to a sensitive period which is a time that is optimal for certain capacities to emerge and in which the individual is especially responsive to environment influences but with boundaries that are less well defined than those of a critical period John Bowlby s Ethological Theory of Attachment Humans like the young of other animal species are endowed with a set of built in behaviors that help keep the parent nearby increasing the chances that the infant will be protected and cared for Attachment is best understood with an evolutionary framework in which survival of the species is of the utmost importance As such the necessity of feeding alone is not the basis of attachment Within the first two years children s attachment experiences with caregivers leads to the construction of an internal working model or set of expectations about the availability of attachment figures and their likelihood of providing support during times stress develops The internal working model becomes a guide for all future relationships through childhood adolescence and adulthood Ainsworth s Strange Situation Attachment Styles Secure attachment These infants use the parent as a secure base from which to explore When separated they may or may not cry but if they do It is due to the parent s absence since they show a strong preference for her over the stranger When the parent returns they actively seek contact and their crying is reduced immediately Avoidant attachment These babies seem unresponsive to the parent when she is present When she leaves they are usually not distressed and they react to the stranger in much the same way as the parent During reunion they avoid or are slow to gree the parent and when picked up they often fail to cling Resistant attachment Before separation these infants seek closeness to the parent and often fail to explore When she returns they display angry resistive behavior sometimes hitting and pushing In addition many continue to cry after being picked up and cannot be comforted easily Disorganized disoriented attachment This pattern seems to reflect the greatest insecurity At reunion these infants show a variety of confused contradictory behaviors For example they might look away while being held by the parent or approach her with a flat depressed gaze Most of these babies communicate their disorientation with a dazed facial expression A few cry out unexpectedly after having