Psychosocial Development in Middle and Late
Childhood
Chapter 13
Key Questions
How do children develop emotionally during middle childhood?
How does a child’s self-awareness change during the middle-childhood period?
What contributes to positive relationships with peers and parents during middle childhood?
How does the course of moral development change during the middle-childhood years?
Emotional Development
Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory Industry versus Inferiority: the fourth of
Erikson’s psychosocial stages, during which children become increasingly involved in activities important to their culture. Those who do not engage successfully in such activities develop a sense of inferiority.
Prosocial Behavior
Occurs when children help others without obvious benefit to themselves
Characteristics of prosocial behavior: Consistency: Children who show prosocial behavior in
childhood do so in the future. Sociability and adjustment: Prosocial children tend to be
well adjusted and cope well with stress. Cognition: As thinking becomes more logical and less
egocentric, children tend to become more prosocial.
Relating to One’s Self
I-self: that part of the self that thinks and makes judgments
Me-self: that part of the self that is the object of the I-self’s thinking and judging
Changes in Self-Description
Self-descriptions in early childhood: What they look like What they can do Focus on their
friendships
Self-descriptions in middle-childhood: Focus on personality
characteristics Focus on likes and dislikes Focus on intelligence
Social comparison: process of comparing one’s own appearance, traits, abilities, and behaviors with those of others
Changes in Self-Evaluation
Social comparisons increase and influence self-evaluations, which trend toward either the favorable or unfavorable, competent or the incompetent, popular or the unpopular.
Self-Esteem and Competence
Domain-specific attributes: particular areas of competence identified by Susan Harter as important in middle childhood: Physical appearance Scholastic competence Social acceptance Behavioral conduct Athletic competence
Self-Esteem Across the Lifespan
Building Self-Esteem
Parents who are authoritative and democratic during the school years tend to raise children with positive self-esteem.
Adults should recognize and praise children’s efforts honestly. Support and encouragement can help children develop self-esteem.
Understanding Others
Interacting with Peers
Popularity-by-decency: a type of popularity based on being kind and fun to be with
Popularity-by-dominance: a type of popularity based on power
Rejected Children: children who are disliked by their peers
Neglected Children: children who are neither liked nor disliked but who are not included in the social activity of other children
Rejected
Frequently nominated as someone’s best friend and as being dislikedControversial
Average
Popular
Infrequently nominated as a best friend; actively disliked by peers
Receive average number of positive and negative nominations from peers
Frequently nominated as a best friend; rarely disliked by peers
NeglectedInfrequently nominated as a best friend but not disliked by peers
Peer Statuses
Parenting Styles
Parental support: Parents provide emotional availability, warmth, and responsiveness.
Parental behavioral control: Parents set rules and teach socially and culturally appropriate behavior.
Parental psychological control: Parents attempt to control children through manipulation of their thoughts, feelings, and emotions.
Help and Conflict in Sibling Relationships
Siblings help one another in many ways: They may trade clothes, borrow money, help with homework, and defend one another to others.
Conflicts may arise due to sibling rivalry, age differences, or because of privileges the older child may have over the younger ones.
Interacting at School
Bullying: acts of verbal or physical aggression that are chronic and directed toward particular victims Racial bullying: bullying in which children are
targeted because of their race or ethnicity Cyberbullying: bullying through use of e-mail,
social networks, or other technology to attack their victims
Types of Bullies
Aggressive bully: usually initiates the aggressive action by taking overt physical or verbal actions
Follower: less common than the aggressive bully, follows the aggressive bully’s lead. Followers often use this behavior to improve their self-esteem.
Relational bully: uses less direct forms of aggression, such as isolating or excluding another student
Types of Victims
Passive victim: seems to be targeted by bullies for no particular reason
Provocative victim: knows the “right buttons to push” to provoke the bully’s aggression (teasing, being annoying). Victim may be the most rejected member of a class.
Relational victim: victim of more subtle forms of bullying and may also be the target of rumors
Bystanders
Part of the problem Instigate: Encourage bullies in their behavior. Watch: Witness the bullying and do nothing. Are scared: Afraid they may be next. Feel ashamed or powerless: Believe they lack the ability
to do anything.
Part of the Solution Ask for help: Seek help from an adult. Help defuse the problem: Try to reduce tension.
Myths about Bullying
You can’t do anything about bullying because it has gone on forever.
Kids are just mean to each other.
He didn’t mean to hurt anyone.
It was just a bad joke.
It was a one-time thing.
Kids will be kids.
Bullying is wrong, but it isn’t a school issue.
Moral Development
Piaget’s Theory: Autonomous Orientation: Children understand that
individuals participate in making the rules of society.
Kohlber’s Stage Theory: Conventional level: Kohlberg’s second stage of moral
development. Children at this stage conform to social rules in order to maintain social order. Substage 3: aim for interpersonal cooperation Substage 4: work to maintain social order
Distributive Justice
Emotional Intelligence