Janet Belsky’sExperiencing the Lifespan,

2e

Chapter 6:Childhood

Socioemotional Development

Meredyth Fellows, West Chester University of PA

Setting the Challenge

Emotional Regulation Maturing frontal lobe contributes to

development of self-regulation abilities Important for social and emotional

success Problematic temperamental

tendencies ____________ tendencies ____________ tendencies

Personality

7- to 8-year-old children entering the Concrete Operational Stage: Understand inner states (theory of mind) Become less ______________

Understand others have different perspectives from their own

No longer believe they are the center of the universe

Become more _____________ Self-reflect and compare themselves to others

Personality Changes in self-awareness

3-year-old self descriptions focus on ______________.

Self descriptions of 4th grade child:

__________________________________

Anchored in feelings, abilities, and inner traits

Self-esteem develops Declines during early

elementary school

A Deeper Look at Self-Esteem:Erikson’s Industry vs. Inferiority Stage

Self-Esteem Distortions

Self-Esteem Distortions Low self-esteem— internalizing problems

Overly self-critical Inflate failures See failure when it doesn’t exist

_____________________ Feels incapable of affecting the outcome of

events and gives up trying Common in those with internalizing problems

Interventions: Promoting Realistic Self-Esteem

Enhance ______________ Feelings of competence Route to self-esteem

Promote realistic self-perceptions Set realistic goals When child fails, gently

give accurate feedback Consider person-

environment fit

Prosocial Behavior

Sharing, helping, and caring actions

Appears as early as preschool; more frequent in elementary school

More sophisticated upon reaching Concrete Operations (perspective- taking skills)

May be a stable characteristic

Motivations may vary (self-aggrandizement versus genuine altruism)

Prosocial Behaviors: Decoding Altruism

_________(caring, selfless acts) Acting altruistically

depends on transforming empathy into a sympathetic response

________ (attempting to feel the emotions of another person)

Sympathy (feeling upset for a person who may need help)

Interventions: Socializing Children to be Prosocial Attend to your child’s prosocial

behaviors Compliment your child when he/she

demonstrates acts of empathy, sympathy and altruism (address child’s personality)

Avoid creating shame (humiliation) Use guilt instead

Intervene when your child behaves in a hurtful, negative way

Model prosocial behaviors

Aggression Any hostile or destructive act Peaks at about age 2 ½ Declines with onset of emotional

regulation (maturing frontal lobes) Types:

____________ ______________ ____________

Factors Contributing to Aggression Difficult (exuberant) temperament

evokes _________________disciplinary techniques

Rejection from teachers and peers Child possesses a hostile

attributional style Boys more likely than girls to be

labeled aggressive (externalizing problems)

Value of Pretend Play

Practice adult roles Allows child a sense of control Furthers understanding of social

norms Offers the adult world insights into

what children may be thinking

Gender Segregated Play Gender segregated play is firmly

entrenched by elementary school Differences

_______________ Calm, more subdued play Nurturing themes Play collaboratively; relate one-to-one

_____________ Rambunctious play Superhero, warrior themes Dominance and competition Rigid gender-specific rules for play

What Causes Gender-Stereotyped Play?

Biological underpinnings Role of testosterone

Socialization of gender-specific behaviors Traditional gender roles

Impact of cognitions ___________________

Focus on a Topic: Bullying

A situation in which one or more children (or adults) harass or target a specific child for systematic abuse.

Reaches peak in late elementary school and early adolescence. Occurs most often in cafeteria

(cited in middle school research) Chronic victims of bullying:

____________________________________________________________

Cyberbullying

Interventions for Bullying Administrators working with students form a

school-wide norm of intolerance of bullying. Teach prosocial behaviors

Anti-cyberbullying Web sites Social skills training for targeted children with

externalizing disorders Teach emotional regulation skills and

reattribution of biases Minimize power assertion

Connect temperamentally shy children with friends