Social Development

Social Development

• Up until about a year, infants do not mind strange people (maybe because everyone is strange to them)
• At about a year, infants develop stranger anxiety
• Separation Anxiety- A child is separated from his/hers parents
• Attachment:
• The most important social construct an infant must develop is attachment (a bond with a caregiver)
• Lorenz discovered that some animals form attachment through imprinting
• Harry Harlow and his monkeys
• Harry showed that monkeys needed touch to form attachment
• Critical Periods: The optimal period shortly after birth when an organism’s exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produce proper development
• Those who are deprived of touch have trouble forming attachment when they are older
• Types of Attachment: (Mary Ainsworth’s Strange Situation)
• Secure
• Avoidant
• Anxious/Ambivalent
• Parenting Styles:
• Authoritarian Parents
• Parents are the bosses
• You have no say so
• Can not question them
• Permissive Parents (Laissez Faire)
• Children are bosses
• Authoritative Parents
• Democratic
• Children participate in decisions that affect their life
• Parents and children compromise
• Erik Erikson
• Neo-Freudian
• Thought our personality was influenced by our experiences with others
• Stages of Psychosocial Development
• Trust v. Mistrust
• Is my world predictable and supportive?
• The trust or mistrust they develop can carry on with the child for the rest of their lives
• Autonomy v. Shame and Doubt
• Toddlers begin to control their bodies (toilet training)
• Control temper tantrums
• Big word is “NO”
• Can they learn control or will they doubt themselves?
• Around 2-3 years old
• Initiative v. Guilt
• Word turns from “No” to “Why?”
• Want to understand the world and ask questions
• Is their curiosity encouraged or scolded?
• Around 5-6 years old
• Industry v. Inferiority
• Are they worthless or successful?
• School begins
• We are for the first time evaluated by a formal system and our peers
• Do we feel good or bad about our accomplishments?
• 6-12 Years Old
• Identity v. Role Confusion
• In our teenage years we try out different roles
• Who am I?
• What group do I fit in with?
• If I do not find myself I may develop an identity crisis
• Around Teenage Years
• Intimacy v. Isolation
• Have to balance work and relationships
• WHat are my priorities?
• Around 19-20 Years Old
• Generativity v. Stagnation
• Is everything going as planned?
• Am I happy with what I created?
• Mid-Life Crisis
• Around 40-50 Years Old
• Integrity v. Despair
• Look back on life
• Was my life meaningful or do I have regret?
• Older People