Social and Personality Development in Infancy

Chapter 6:

In This Chapter

Theories of Social and Personality Development

Psychoanalytic Perspectives: Freud and Erikson

Freud: psychosexual stage related to infant attempts at needs satisfaction Oral stage Mother-child

symbiotic relationship

Nursing; fixation

Erikson: psychosocial stage in which attending to infant needs and social development important Trust versus

mistrust Relationship goes

beyond feeding

AttachmentThe Parent’s Attachment to the Infant

Synchrony: Opportunity for parent-infant development of mutual, interlocking pattern of attachment behaviors

Takes practice to develop Provides developmental benefits

Theories of Social and Personality Development

Ethological Perspectives: John Bowlby

Attachment: Emotional bond in which a person’s sense of security is bound up in the relationship

Strong emotional bond-making is innate Bonds maintained by instinctive behaviors

that create and sustain proximity

AttachmentThe Parent’s Attachment to the Infant

Mother’s bond with infant Bond dependent on synchrony Mothers provide more routine caregiving

than fathers. After first few weeks, mothers talk to and

smile more at baby.

AttachmentThe Parent’s Attachment to the Infant

Father’s bond with infant The relationship depends on synchrony. Fathers have same repertoire as mothers. After first few weeks, fathers begin to spend

more time playing with baby.

AttachmentThe Infant’s Attachment to the Parents

Characteristics of attachment Safe haven Secure base Proximity maintenance Separation distress

Now let’s look at how several theorists operationalize this construct.

AttachmentThe Infant’s Attachment to the Parents

Establishing attachment: Bowlby’s 4 phases Nonfocused orienting and signaling

(0–3 months) Focus on one or more figures

(3–6 months) Secure base behavior (6–24 months) Internal model (24 months and beyond)

AttachmentThe Infant’s Attachment to the Parents

Establishing attachment: Bowlby’s 4 phases

How would you recognize each of Bowlby’s phases?

What behaviors would you expect to see?

AttachmentThe Infant’s Attachment to the Parents

Attachment behaviors

AttachmentSecure and Insecure Attachments

Mary Ainsworth

Protocol: The Strange Situation

Attachment styles: Secure attachment Insecure/avoidant attachment Insecure/ambivalent attachment Insecure/disorganized attachment

AttachmentStability of Attachment Quality

Attachment stability Dependent on consistency of child’s life

circumstances Influenced by major upheavals Internal models elaborated from year 1 until

the age of 4 or 5

AttachmentCaregiver Characteristics and Attachment

Caregivers and attachment

Several characteristics influence the attachment process: Emotional availability Contingent responsiveness

AttachmentSecure and Insecure Attachments

Insecure attachments

Insecure/avoidant attachment

Insecure/ambivalent attachment

Insecure/disorganized attachment

AttachmentCaregiver Characteristics and Attachment

Other caregiver characteristics influencing secure attachment Marital status Education Age SES Mental health

What kind of attachment do you have with your parents? Has it changed since you were a child, or does it reflect the type of attachment you had when you were younger?

What factors will influence your choice of childcare if the one or both parents decide to work? What would be best for your child?

Questions To PonderQuestions To PonderQuestions To PonderQuestions To Ponder

AttachmentAttachment Quality: Long Term

Consequences

The securely attached: More sociable More positive in relationships with friends Less clingy and dependent on teachers Less aggressive and disruptive More emotionally mature

Continues into adolescence More likely to be leaders Have higher self-esteem

AttachmentAttachment Quality: Long-Term

Consequences

Attachment quality and consequences Increased sociability throughout early,

middle, and late adulthood Influence on parenting behaviors Foundation for future social relationships

Figure 6.1 Cross-Cultural Comparisons of Attachment Categories

Personality, Temperament, and Self-Concept

Definitions

Personality: Stable patterns in how people relate to those around them

Temperament: Basic behavioral and emotional predispositions

Personality, Temperament, and Self-Concept

Dimensions of Temperament

Dimensions of temperament: How are these theorist alike? Different? Thomas and Chess Buss and Plomin

How might results differ when temperament is viewed as a trait rather than a

category?

Personality, Temperament, and Self-Concept

Origins and Stability of Temperament

Heredity Identical twins more alike in temperament

than fraternal twins

Long-term Stability Stable across long periods of time

Personality, Temperament, and Self-Concept

Neurological Processes

Heredity Basic differences in behaviors related to

underlying neurological processes Neurotransmitters regulate brain

responses to new information and unusual situations.

Still difficult to demonstrate conclusively that neurological differences are cause or effect

Personality, Temperament, and Self-Concept

Origins and Stability of Temperament

Environment

Sandra Scarr Niche-picking

Thomas and Chess Goodness of fit

Synchronous relationships Parental influence with children at

temperamental extremes

Personality, Temperament, and Self-Concept

Understanding Infant Sense of Self

Stop and Think!

During the same months in which infants are developing an internal model of attachment and exploring their own unique temperament, they are also developing a unique sense of self.

What implication does this have for parents and caregivers?

Personality, Temperament, and Self-Concept

Self-concept

The subjective self Awareness by the

child that he is separate from others and endures over time

Appears by 8–12 months at the same time as object permanence

Self-concept

The objective self Toddler comes to

understand he is an object in the world.

The self has properties, such as gender.

Personality, Temperament, and Self-Concept

Studying Self-Awareness

Rouge test (Lewis and Brooks) Children at 21 months show self-recognition

in a mirror.

What does this tell us about children’s development? How do you know?

Figure 6.2: The Rouge Test

Personality, Temperament, and Self-Concept

The Emotional Self

First, babies learn to identify changes in emotional expression.

Gradually they learn to “read” and respond to facial expressions.

With age and experience, infants learn to interpret emotional perceptions of others to anticipate actions and guide own behavior.

True or False?

Nonparental, quality care is beneficial for all children.

Effects of Nonparental CareOverview

Arrangements vary considerably. Time in care varies. Some children in multiple care settings Younger children less likely to receive

nonparental care

Figure 6.3 Nonparental Care Arrangements for Children under 6 in the U.S.

Effects of Nonparental CareEffects on Cognitive Development

High-quality daycare has beneficial effects, especially for children from poor families.

Later scores in reading and math related to daycare entry age and poverty

Effects of Nonparental Care Effects on Social Development

Infant daycare has negative effects on attachment if started under 1 year.

Parents whose behaviors are associated with insecure attachment have children who are negatively affected by early daycare.

Early day care associated with greater risks for social problems in school-age children

Effects of Nonparental Care Research Challenges

Complex interaction among numerous variables in all care types

Nonparental care varies in quality and structure.

Maternal attitudes toward care arrangement vary.

Multiple care settings difficult to separate

Effects of Nonparental Care What’s Responsible?

Nonparental care may induce child stress, causing higher levels of cortisol.

Variations in ways stress-induced related to child age and temperament

Individual and gender differences interact with nonparental care.