History of Attitudes Towards Children PSY 356 Schuetze

Ancient Egypt/Greece  Toys/games  Infanticide  Sexual Exploitation

Other Early Civilizations  Only basic care –“When training is premature, nothing is gained other than a great deal of work. Keep babies quiet, and do not stimulate them. Only after behavior emerges from inside can proper guidance begin.” 1 st century B.C. Chinese text

Prevalent Early Attitude Before 17 th Century  Until 17 th century – no special emphasis on childhood as a separate phase of life cycle.  Children in Western Europe were not treated in distinctive ways –Not thought to be “innocent” – no protection from references to sexual matters –Children were extremely unruly, disobedient, violent –No specific medical treatments for children  Chances of survival to age 5 – 3 to 1 against child  Abandonment was tremendous problem

Medieval Art –5 th -15 th Centuries –In Medieval art – children were depicted as immature adults; dressed as adults

18 th Century  Growth of factory system –Children as cheap labor  Child became special person –Moral education  Written philosophies of child rearing  Artwork

18 th Century  Calvin –Juvenile Depravity/original sin  John Locke –Tabula rasa –Importance of education  Jean Jacques Rousseau –Philosopher –Children have innate moral sense –Corporal punishment

19 th Century  Medical Advances  Darwin –Baby biography – son’s early development “By careful observation of the infant and child, one could see the descent of man (1877).” –Natural selection  G. Stanley Hall (Late 19 th – 20 th century) –Founder of APA –Interested in investigating “the contents of children’s minds.” –Beginning of systematic child study in the U.S.

20 th Century  Watson and Pavlov –Theories and research on children’s acquisition of habits  Freud –Personality development

20 th Century continued  Gesell –norms