Social and Moral development Dr Alex Hunt Clinical Psychologist.

Social and Moral development

Dr Alex HuntClinical Psychologist

Conceptual frameworks

• Nature versus nurture– Genetics vs environment and interaction

• Stage theories– Specific stages of development exist for different

abilities

• Maturational tasks– Achievement is necessary for further development to

proceed

methodologies

• Cross sectional– Snapshot a certain time

• Cohort– Child of our time

• Individual– In depth but lacks generalisability

Gene – environment intraction

• Twin studies…..intelligence and personality• 50% -80% heritability• Not simply genotype + environment =

Phenotype• Childs phenotype then influences environment;

short person not likely to play basket ball• Certain psychical characteristics (genetics)

influence other factors e.g. attractive children get more stimulation

Physical development

• Typical milestones - handout

Temperament• Study 1950’s USA• 3 types• Easy children (c.40%)• Slow to warm up children (c.15%)• Difficult children (c.10%)

• Only captures 65%, others less clear.

• Types predicted later events, i.e. difficult children more likely to have problems at school

• Match with parents care giving and interaction• Hostile responses vs patient challenge

Parenting pracatices

• Two dimensions:– Restrictive –permissive– Loving – hostile

• 3 parenting styles:– Permissive – warm and caring, but lax– Authoritarian –restrictive – less emotionally close and highly

controlling– Authoritative – enforce rules demand achievement, warm and

loving

• Consistency also very important (control predicatbility)

Family functioning

• Distorted patterns of communication• Overprotection• Rejection• Enmeshment

Family life cycle

• handout

Bereavemnet

• Age of loss• Centrality of relationship• Cumulative loss• Available support• Adjustment and availability of surviving parent

divorce

• Often follows marital conflict• Focus on child following divorce; parenting becomes

more permissive, communication deteriorates

• Affected by:– Age of child– Degree of hostility resulting from the divorce– The use of the child by conflicting parents to achieve their

own aims– Adjustment of the parent who remains caring for the child

Erikson’s Psychosocial stage model

• handout

Social development

• Attachment behaviors and styles correspond to the development of an internal model(schema) of relationship formation and norms.

• Provides the basis for the development of social competence.

• Formation of rules schemas and scripts for behavior in different contexts represent the basis for social competence.

Social competence

• Social Competence is possessing and using the ability to integrate thinking, feeling and behaviour to achieve social tasks and outcomes valued in the host context and culture.

• Is competence the absence of incompetence

Acceptance

• Social competence is required for the individual to become part of a group.

• Acceptance determined by conformity, this develops as the child's cognitive and social abilities develop.

• Egocentrism –inability to accommodate the desires and expectations of others results in a lack of conformity.

Co-operation

• Development of social competence and norms for behaviour includes emphasis placed on cooperation and competitiveness

• Western societies more emphasis on competitiveness, i.e. minimal group paradigm

• Cooperative behaviour needed as part of group formation

• Developed through play and joint goal negotiation

Group formation.

• Peer group-interact on an equal level• Peer group facilitate social and cognitive

development• Increases the ability to understand alternative

perspectives and the development of rules for social behavior

• Importance of empathy and social perspective taking

Peer relationships and Friendships

• early and middle childhood formation of groups and friendships essential for adequate development of cognitive and social skills

• Also important for emotional and identity development

• As child matures importance of peer group increases whilst influence of family decreases.

• Adolescence –individual recognises that development is within one’s own control,

• Model/ best friend is sought

Development of peer relationships

• Shared activity-focus on shared activity rather than self identity.

• Shared identity emotional and intellectual features of others become important

• Individuality- different and unique abilities begin to be appreciated

• Secure attachment provides good working models of relationship to base their interaction on

Isolation and rejection

• Low self esteem –relates to a lack of social skills and awkwardness around others,

• Lack of initiatives in making friends and joining in groups

• Remember in group out group• Those unable to make and retain friendships

at risk of future psychological difficulty• 10-15% children rejected by peer group– Aggressive younster– victim

Peer relationships

• Victims– Sensitive, anxious, have low self esteem and lack skills to

defend themselves and establish dominance within the peer group hierarchy. Often targets for bullies

• Aggressive impulsive children– Disruptive, hyperactive, impulsive and unable to follow

rules in games. Aggression used less for dominance in hierarchy and more for achieving instrumental aims. Hostile attribution bias.

– Both may be less senstive to social cues

Popularity

• Any given group there will be individuals who stand out and others who do not feature strongly

• Who are popular?• Helpful, considerate, capable of following

rules in games and play• Often more intelligent and attractive• Other orientated• Warm with sensitivity to social cues

Moral development

• Piaget• Kohlberg• Gilligan

Piaget

• Interested in reasons for moral decisions• Tied to cognitive development• Discussed morality in the context of affects and

feelings• Two types of moral orientation:– Heteronomous – young children, 5-9/10 rules represent

an eternal law; unilateral respect (parental authority)– Autonomous – older children 10 years and above.

Subject to ones own laws and rules. Mutual respect (peer negotiation and cooperation)

kholberg

• Series of ‘dilemmas’• 72 10-16 year olds. Followed up over 30 years• Developed a stage theory of moral

development

• Heinz dilemma – sick wife and the drugstore

Moral development

• Kohlberg – stage model • Preconventional morality– Level 1 – avoidance of punishment – Level 2 - acquisition of rewards

• Conventional morality– Level 3 – acquisition of social reward (approval) / avoidance of

disapproval– Level 4 – define by concrete rules, laws etc

• Postconventional morality– Level 5 – defined by the public good, a social contract– level 6 – individual moral code, abstract personal ethics

kholberg

• Cognitive development necessary for moral development; although a lag..

• Moral development corresponds to Piagetian stages

• Evidence that moral development follows Kohlberg's stages

Kholberg evaluation

• Children’s morality may be more sophisticated than Kohlberg's model

• Ecological validity – not real life concerns for young children

• Gender bias- based on all male sample and constitutes a gender bias. Gilligan

• Men's morality based on abstract principles of law and justice – justice orientated

• Women's morality based on principles of compassion and care – relationally orientated

Gilligans theory

• Carol Gilligan's Stages of Moral Development

• Pre-conventional -Goal is individual survival – Self needs and needs of self

• conventional -Self sacrifice is goodness – Thinking about the needs of others

• Post-conventional -Principle of nonviolence: do not hurt others or self– Truth – a developed morality balancing the above

evaluation

• Justice orientation vs. caring orientation evidence for both types of moral reasoning, however not necessarily split on gender terms.

• More than one type of moral voice• Depends on the types of dilemmas being

studied

Social perspective taking

• Ability to form a detached opinion from another persons perspective

• Need a sense of personal identity and an understanding of the independence of the thoughts and actions of others.

• Social perspective taking and empathy develop with the concrete operation stage of cognitive development

Empathy

• Empathy different from emotional sensitivity• Important for moral decision making and also

social skills• More abstract moral dilemmas require the

ability to take up others perspectives• Empathy

Moral standards• Moral behaviour appears to be based on internalisation

of standards of good conduct• Optimal conditions:– Secure attachment, parental warmth and communication– Clears rules operationalising moral standards– Consistent use of sanctions– Withdrawal of approval to provoke anxiety rather than

physical punishment to provoke anger– Use of reasoning and explanation– Give age appropriate responsibility– Tolerance of self expression

In contrast:

• Factors associated with aggression:– Aggressive parents– Use of physical punishments– Young parents– Low socioeconomic status– Large family size– Lack of positive emotional expression in family– High permissive or inconsistent parenting styles