PSYC 2314 Lifespan Development Chapter 10 The Play Years: Psychosocial Development

The Self and the Social World Erikson’s Initiative vs. Guilt –Child eagerly takes on new tasks and activities and feels guilty when his or her efforts result in failure or criticism.

The Only Child Only children fare as well as or better than children with siblings. Benefit intellectually, becoming more verbal, more creative, and more likely to graduate from college.

Emotional Development Emotional regulation –Children learn to control their fear and anger in response to social expectations. Phobias –The development of fears during the play years is common. This is particularly likely if the child’s parents share these fears. During these years, the child’s enhanced imagination contributes to an increase in nightmare.

Antisocial and Prosocial Behavior Aggression: begins with a negative self- concept and inadequate emotional regulation. –Instrumental aggression –Reactive aggression –Relational aggression –Bullying aggression

Video and Reality Criticisms of video watching –Takes time from active and imaginative play –Sends faulty messages about nutrition –Provides sexist, racist, and ageist stereotypes –Undermines sympathy for emotional pain –Undercuts attributes, skills, and values that lead to prosocial activity.

Social Skills Through Play Rough-and-tumble play –Physical play in which aggression is feigned, with the participants often exhibiting the “play face.” Sociodramatic play –Children create their own imaginative story and act out various roles and themes.

Parenting Four features that differentiate styles of parenting: –Warmth –Discipline –Communication –Maturity

Parenting Styles Authoritarian Permissive Authoritative

Punishment To be effective, punishment should be more proactive than punitive. Children who are physically punished may learn to be more aggressive.

Punishment Instrumental aggression was not significantly affected by the type of punishment a child experienced at home, whereas bullying aggression was clearly associated with being violently punished. Compared to children who were not spanked, those who were spanked were three times as likely to engage in reactive aggression.

Gender Role Gender awareness in children –Children learn about gender very early. Most 2-year- olds know whether they are boys or girls. –By age 4, children tend to criticize peers who choose toys that are regarded as “gender inappropriate.” –By age 6, their ideas of typical male and female behavior become full-blown stereotypes. –Awareness that sex is a fixed biological characteristic does not become solid until about age 8.

Theories of Gender Role Development Psychoanalytic Learning Cognitive Sociocultural Epigenetic