Day 12 - School Age Psychosocial 11/17/15

O. García ~ Fall 2015 1

Note: Schedule of classes for Spring 2016 now available.

Registration begins in 2 weeks

Psychosocial development during middle childhood

• Your progress on school age observation project due next week.

• Plan ahead for the last research project: Adolescent Development

Today’s class Find a partner (someone new):

Think back to your own middle

childhood (7 to 11 years old)

v  What kinds of activities did you do with your friends?

v  How much adult supervision was there? v  How did you handle conflicts? v  Was there a ‘leader’ of the group?

“Getting along with peers is especially crucial during middle childhood” (Berger, p. 395) Do you agree? Why? If not, why not?

The culture of children: a particular set of rules and rituals passed down from older to younger children

§  How does one fit in with peers ? Ø  Adjust behavior Ø  Negotiate, share and compromise Ø  Rules, clothes, language, secrets

§  How are appearances and social comparisons important?

§  What can be positive and negative influences ?

§  What are the challenges for immigrant children or social minority children ?

Social acceptance

u Some children are popular, some are ignored, and some are unpopular. Why? Ø  Are there cultural influences

or variations?

◆  Can you recall a child who was rejected by peers during your schooling? ✦  What factors contributed to

his/her disliking? ✦  What could have been done

to help him/her?

Friendships ■  Friendships are highly valued during middle childhood. Most ten-year-olds have one “best” friend.

■  Older children tend to choose friends whose interests, values, and backgrounds are similar to their own.

Was this true for you? Reflect on your own experience

Day 12 - School Age Psychosocial 11/17/15

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■  Bullying involves repeated, systematic efforts to inflict harm.

■  This includes physical attack, taunting, teasing, name-calling.

What factors contribute to the development of a bully? Look it up – p. 432

Contributing factors to bullying include: Ø  Inborn brain abnormalities or genetic impulses Ø  Insecure attachment Ø  Stressful home life Ø  Hostile siblings Ø  Lack of knowledge of how to control aggressive impulses

Bullying Bullying: what needs to change? ■  What does not work? ■  What works?

Look it up – p. 433 ■  Everyone must change, not just

the bullies ■  The entire culture of the school

needs to be evaluated, changed, re-evaluated.

The influence and the role of family

Ø How do you think relationships change between children and parents during school age?

Ø How much influence do you think that parents have on the social skills and personality of their children? (see pp. 416-417)

Families and

Children

■  Research shows the various types of families among U.S. children, known as family structures. ◆ What are some common family

structures? (p. 420)

■  More important than who lives with a child is family function (i.e. family dynamics): ◆  the way a family works to meet needs of

a child ◆  the way people in the family care for one

another

§  What are the most important things that every school-age child needs from family? p. 418

The Nature of the Child

§  During the middle years, what factors contribute to a positive sense of self?

§  Think about it. What helped you develop a positive self-image?

A positive sense of self is related to: 1. Academic

competence 2. Social acceptance

by peers 3. Social support

from parents and teachers.

Skills and self-concept are reciprocal

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Success in school fosters self-esteem and feelings of industry and productivity (as opposed to a sense of inferiority)

Academic learning and achievement According to Erikson... What is the “conflict” that the individual must resolve during middle childhood? ■  Industry vs. inferiority is Erikson’s fourth stage of psychosocial crises, in which children see themselves as competent or incompetent.

In middle childhood, kids develop a more complex self-concept, including more self-criticism and self-consciousness.

Positive self-concept é ê

é undertakes new activities and tasks ê é learns more; gains, more experience

é ê undertakes more activities

Negative self-concept é frequent failure (criticism, exclusion or abuse)

ê é feelings of

inferiority ê é less initiative, less exploration é ê less experience, é learns less, knows less

Signs of Psychosocial Maturation between ages 6 and 11

Ref. p. 410

Coping with life: Resilience Resilience is the capacity to develop optimally by adapting positively to significant adversity.

◆  It is a dynamic trait, varying with time

◆  It is not the absence of pathology, but a positive adaptation to stress

◆  The stress may vary in significance ✦  Children can be affected by stress that is

cumulative (e.g., “daily hassles”) ✦  How the child interprets the stress is important ✦  Daily routines are key in coping with stress

Example: after-school activities

Day 12 - School Age Psychosocial 11/17/15

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Thinking about your school-age observation

What aspects of what we studied tonight relate to your observation of school age children in an elementary

school classroom?

5-minute write Based on what you learned tonight: What are some specific steps that parents and teachers can take to foster positive personality development in school-age children?

Planning ahead for the last research

project: adolescence

Ø  Option: observation or interview Ø  Will explain next week … BUT

Ø  If interview – must obtain permission from parent

Ø  If observation – must select a junior high or high school and ask permission to visit