© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Slide 1
John W. Santrock
Socioemotional Development in Middle and Late Childhood
14
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Slide 2
Socioemotional Development in Middle and Late Childhood
• What Is the Nature of Emotional and Personality Development in Middle and Late Childhood?
• What Are Some Parent-Child Issues and Societal Changes in Families?
• What Changes Characterize Peer Relationships in Middle and Late Childhood?
• What Are Some Important Aspects of Schools?
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Slide 3
The Self
• How do social comparisons help children distinguish who they are?
• What is the nature of self-esteem?
What Is the Nature of Emotional and Personality Development in Middle and Late Childhood?
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Slide 4
Development of Self-Understanding
• Shifts toward
– Defining self in terms of internal characteristics
– Including social aspects in self-descriptions
– Social comparison: comparing self with others
What Is the Nature of Emotional and Personality Development in Middle and Late Childhood?
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Slide 5
Self-Esteem and Self-Concept
• Self-esteem
Global evaluations of the self
Self-worth
Self-image
What Is the Nature of Emotional and Personality Development in Middle and Late Childhood?
• Self-concept
Domain-specific evaluations of the self
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Slide 6
Research on Self-Esteem
• Self-esteem can change
– Variations related to development
– A perception but not always a reality
• Most research is correlational
What Is the Nature of Emotional and Personality Development in Middle and Late Childhood?
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Slide 7
Increasing Children’s Self-Esteem
• Identify causes of low self-esteem
• Provide emotional support and social approval
• Help children to achieve
• Encourage coping skills
What Is the Nature of Emotional and Personality Development in Middle and Late Childhood?
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Slide 8
Industry Versus Inferiority
• Erikson’s fourth developmental stage
– Encouragement increases child’s sense of industry; criticism results in inferiority
• Children attempt to master many skills
– Develop sense of competence or incompetence
What Is the Nature of Emotional and Personality Development in Middle and Late Childhood?
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Slide 9
Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development
• Based primarily on moral reasoning; unfolds in stages
• Internalization– Key in understanding moral development– Developmental change from externally
controlled behavior to behavior controlled by internal standards and principles
What Is the Nature of Emotional and Personality Development in Middle and Late Childhood?
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Slide 10
Kohlberg’s Level 1: Preconventional Reasoning
• Lowest level
• No internalization of moral values– Moral reasoning controlled by external
rewards and punishment
– Stage 1. Heteronomous morality
– Stage 2. Individualism, instrumental purpose, and exchange
What Is the Nature of Emotional and Personality Development in Middle and Late Childhood?
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Slide 11
Kohlberg’s Level 2: Conventional Reasoning
• Second level
• Internalization is intermediate– One abides by certain standards of others
– Stage 3. Mutual interpersonal expectations, relationships, and interpersonal conformity
– Stage 4. Social systems morality
What Is the Nature of Emotional and Personality Development in Middle and Late Childhood?
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Slide 12
Kohlberg’s Level 3: Postconventional Reasoning
• Highest level
• Morality completely internalized
– Stage 5. Social contract or utility and individual rights
– Stage 6. Universal ethical principles
What Is the Nature of Emotional and Personality Development in Middle and Late Childhood?
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Slide 13Age and Percentage of Individuals at Each Kohlberg Stage
Stage 2Stage 3Stage 4Stage 5
Stage 1
12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 3610
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
70
Age (years)
Me
an
pe
rce
nt o
f mo
ral r
easo
nin
g
at e
ach
sta
ge
Fig. 14.3
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Slide 14
Kohlberg’s Beliefs
• Levels and stages occurred in sequence
• Development was age related
• First 4 stages had universal support
• More cultural diversity at stages 5 and 6
What Is the Nature of Emotional and Personality Development in Middle and Late Childhood?
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Slide 15
Kohlberg’s Critics
• Moral Thought vs. Moral Behavior• Culture and Moral Development• Family Processes and Moral
Development• Gender and the Care Perspective• Prosocial Behavior and Altruism
What Is the Nature of Emotional and Personality Development in Middle and Late Childhood?
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Slide 16
Justice and Care Perspectives
Justice • Focuses on
individual rights
• Individuals independently make moral decisions
What Is the Nature of Emotional and Personality Development in Middle and Late Childhood?
Care• Views people in terms
of their connectedness with others– Communication– Relationships– Concern for others
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Slide 17
Stereotyping and Culture
• Traditional gender stereotypes and roles challenged in many societies
– Traditionally: males dominant, females nurturant
– Some social inequalities have diminished–
– As sexual equality increases, gender stereotypes may diminish
What Is the Nature of Emotional and Personality Development in Middle and Late Childhood?
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Slide 18What Is the Nature of Emotional and Personality Development in Middle and Late Childhood?
Gender Similarities and Differences
• Physical– Many differences tied to health
– Female brains smaller, have more folds
– Brain area for sexual behaviors and visuospatial skills are larger in males
– Brain area for emotional expressions shows more activity in females
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Slide 19What Is the Nature of Emotional and Personality Development in Middle and Late Childhood?
Gender Similarities and Differences
• Cognitive– Early research found females had better
verbal skills, males better math and visuospatial skills
– Later research suggests differences slight
– Differences persist on standardized test scores of children; suspect other factors
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Slide 20
Socioemotional Similarities and Differences
Report talk• Favored by males
• Provides information
• Public speaking such as jokes and story telling
Rapport talk• Favored by females• For conversation,
establishing connections, and negotiating relationships
What Is the Nature of Emotional and Personality Development in Middle and Late Childhood?
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Slide 21
Similarities and Differences
• Communication differences affected by
– Group size
– Speaking with peers or adults
– Familiarity
– Age
What Is the Nature of Emotional and Personality Development in Middle and Late Childhood?
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Slide 22
Aggression in Boys and Girls
• Differences seen in all cultures– Appears very early in life
– May be equally aggressive but expressed differently
– Females use relational aggression, more verbally aggressive than boys
– Males show less self-regulation
What Is the Nature of Emotional and Personality Development in Middle and Late Childhood?
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Slide 23
Gender
• Controversy: size of differences?
• Gender in context: behavior varies
• Culture allows for more diversity
• Bem Sex-Role Inventory (BSRI)
What Is the Nature of Emotional and Personality Development in Middle and Late Childhood?
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Slide 24
Friendship
Not all friendshipsand not all friends are equal
What Changes Characterize Peer Relationships in Middle and Late Childhood?
• Friendships serve six functions– Companionship– Stimulation– Physical support– Ego support– Social comparison– Intimacy/affection
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Slide 25
Peer Statuses
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
What Changes Characterize Peer Relationships in Middle and Late Childhood?
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Slide 26
Social Cognition
• Involve thoughts about social matters
• Increasingly important for understanding peer relationships in middle and late childhood
• Involved in peer relationships
What Changes Characterize Peer Relationships in Middle and Late Childhood?
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Slide 27
Bullying
• Verbal or physical behavior intended to disturb someone less powerful
• Most likely affected are males and younger middle school students
• Bullies may enjoy high peer status despite increased conduct problems
What Changes Characterize Peer Relationships in Middle and Late Childhood?
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Slide 28Bullying Behavior Among U.S. Youth
Subject of sexual comments or gestures
Belittled about religion or race
Subject of rumors
Hit, slapped, or pushed
Belittled about looks or speech
Males
5 250 10 15 20
Percent experiencing bullying
Females
Fig. 14.6
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Slide 29
To Reduce Bullying
• Older peers act as monitors; intervene
• Create/post school-wide rules and sanctions
• Include anti-bullying message/program in other community activities for adolescents
• Encourage parents to reinforce/model positive behaviors and interactions
What Changes Characterize Peer Relationships in Middle and Late Childhood?
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Slide 30
To Reduce Bullying
• Form adolescent friendship groups for victims
• Identify bullies and victims early; use social skill training to improve behavior
• Parents: contact professional to help with child’s bullying behavior or victimization
• Parents get involved in school programs
What Changes Characterize Peer Relationships in Middle and Late Childhood?