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U-M PSYCH 250 - Psychosocial Development During Middle Childhood
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Lecture 12 PSYCH 250 1st EditionOutline of Current Lecture II. New Challenges and Self - ConceptIII. Children’s CultureIV. Peers and FriendshipA. AcceptanceB. BullyingV. Family RelationshipsVI. DivorceCurrent LectureNew Challenges and Self - ConceptMiddle childhood is a stage that comes with many new challenges:- The Challenge to Achieve- The Challenge to Understanding Oneself- The Challenge of Maintaining Peer Relationships- The Challenge of Family RelationshipsIn terms of Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory, middle childhood encounters the conflict between industry and inferiority. Industry: comes from developing a sense of competence and an eagerness to achieve. Industry can be encouraged by the expectations of parents and other adults and the child’s internal drive to master a task.Inferiority: is a lack of self – confidence in the ability to do well. Many factors such as family, peers, and teachers can contribute to these negative feelings.During middle childhood children begin to develop a more complex and equalized sense of self. They tend to focus on their competencies and not specific behaviors. They have fewer descriptions of “all – or – none” (I’m the BEST at basketball), and use social comparisons to evaluate their skills. Children begin the see the differences between their ideal selves’ vs. their real selves’, and their peers become important in developing this new self – concept.As children develop a more realistic sense of self their self – esteem begins to decline (rises slightly after 4th grade). Self – esteem is hierarchically structured into four sub – types: Academic, Social, Physical Ability, and Physical Appearance. By 6 or 7 children can talk about themselves according to these categories and physical appearance tends to associate most strongly with over all feelings of self – worth. Girls tend to have lower self – esteem than boys.Children’s CultureThe culture of children is composed of the habits, rules, styles, and values that set children apart from adults. Children may have “secret clubs”, certain words, or certain habits (making cootie catchers). Fitting in with peers is a top priority during middle childhood as peers are a source of friendship, advice, and self – validation.PeersPeers offer a sense of belonging and sociability. The peers a child has will ultimately help shape their own definitions of themselves. Having peers gives children many important opportunities for practicing:- Cooperation and Competition- Leadership Roles- New Perspectives- Loyalty and Self – Disclosure (finding a friend to trust)Peers can have either a negative or positive effect, as peers send strong messaging that influence moral rules and values within the friendship. Children in middle childhood have several values when it comes to friendship:- Always protect your friends (stick up for them)- Fitting in is important- Don’t tell on a friend to an adult- Don’t break a contract (promise) with a friend Friendship: a mutually agreed – upon relationship in which loyalty, intimacy, and trust are prominent factors. During middle childhood, children become more selective in choosing who their friends. They generally tend topick other children who are of the same sex and/or have similar life characteristics. Most children have one best friend by age 10. Friendship is more important than peer acceptance.Peer AcceptancePeer acceptance is the extent to which a child is viewed as an acceptable social partner. Social cognition (the ability to understand social interactions) is vital to gaining popularity. Peer acceptance plays a major role in predicting current and future psychological adjustment.In a study, children were asked to rate and vote on their peers either negatively or positively. The results showed five categories of social acceptance:PopularThe children in the popular category received mostly positive votes. About 1/3 of children received these votes.Average These children received just as many negative votes as positive votes.Controversial These children often engage in pro-social behavior. They are liked, but irritating (class clowns).RejectedThese children receive many negative votes, and are disliked by their peers (these are children most concerned about)Neglected These children don’t receive many votes either way. They are not rejected but be quiet or shy.There are two types of popularity:Popular – Prosocial: these children are well – liked because they are trustworthy, kind, and cooperate with other children.Popular – Antisocial: these children include the “tough” boys and/or the relationally aggressive boys and girls (may gossip or start rumors). These children are high in social status but feared and not necessarily well – liked by their peers.There are also two types of rejected children:Rejected – Aggressive: children who are disliked because of their aggressive, impulsive, and confrontational behavior, and not good at emotional regulation. They are always ready for an argument and may look for confrontation (if they are accidentally knocked down they may feel that it “was on purpose.”Rejected – Withdrawn: children who are disliked because of their passive and awkward behavior. They tend to expect and accept negative treatment.BullyingBullying is a systematic, repeated effort to inflict harm whether emotionally (indirect) or physically (direct). Bullying includes teasing, taunting, name – calling, and physically attacking another individual. It is estimated that 15 – 30% of children are bullied, and 10 – 20% are bullies.The victims of bullies tend to be the children who fall into the rejected – withdrawn category. They are passive and physically weak and generally do not have a friend to stick up for them. Some children are also bully – victims: aggressive – rejected children who are bullied because of their behavior. Bully victims are at risk for low self – esteem and poor school performance. Who are the bullies? Most bullies are boys who are both physically and relationally aggressive. Bullies tend to be high in social status and very powerful. They lack any empathy for their victims and may “troll” (seek out) potential targets before they choose a victim to attack.Many aspects of family structure and function contribute to bullying:- Parental hostility and lack or warmth (authoritarian)- Assertive discipline (often physical


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U-M PSYCH 250 - Psychosocial Development During Middle Childhood

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