1. Chapter Seven The First Two Years: Psychosocial Development PowerPoints prepared by Cathie Robertson, Grossmont College

2. Theories About Early Psychosocial Development Importance of parents and their contribution to emotional growth

3. Connects biosocial and psychosocial development Psychoanalytic Theory

4. Freud: Oral and Anal Stages Oral Stage—1st stage, where infant obtains pleasure through sucking and biting Anal Stage—2nd stage, where anus becomes main source of gratification, i.e., bowel movements and the control of them

5. 1st Stage—Trust vs. Mistrust –basic needs need to be met with consistency, continuity, and sameness 2nd Stage—Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt –basic desire to gain self-rule over their own actions and bodies and to feel ashamed if it doesn’t happen Erikson: Trust and Autonomy

6. Behaviorism Infant’s emotions and personality are molded as parents reinforce or punish child’s spontaneous behavior –social learning adds to personality formation –social referencing strengthens learning by observation

7. Cognitive Theory Individual’s thoughts and values determine perspective on the world Working model—set of assumptions used to organize perceptions and experiences

8. Epigenetic Theory Each child is born with a genetic predisposition to develop certain traits that affect emotional development Temperament—“constitutionally based individual differences in emotion, motor, and attentional reactivity and self- regulation.” –inhibited –uninhibited –epigenetic—though personality traits not learned, environment affects their expression

9. Research on Temperament: Nine Characteristics –activity level –rhythmicity –approach-withdrawal –adaptability –intensity of reaction –threshold of responsiveness –quality of mood –distractibility –attention span

10. Temperament and Caregiving Inhibited vs. Uninhibited –responsive care and encouragement can help inhibited children become less so Match between parent and child –goodness of fit

12. Sociocultural Theory Emphasizes the many ways social context can have impact on infant- caregiver relationship If social context changes, child can change

13. Emotional Development in Infancy In the first 2 years of emotional development, infants progress from simple reactions to complex patterns of social awareness

14. The First Year Newborns’ first discernable emotions –distress –contentment Later emotions (after first weeks) –anger –fear, expressed clearly by stranger wariness and separation anxiety

15. The Second Year Fear and anger typically decrease Laughing, crying: more discriminating New emotions appear –pride –shame –embarrassment –guilt

17. Self-Awareness Foundation for emotional growth –realization of individual distinctions At about 5 months begin developing a sense of self apart from mother 15-18 months the “Me-self” –rouge experiment

18. Pride and Shame Self-awareness becomes linked with self-concept early on Negative comments more likely to lead to less pride or shame Own pride can be more compelling than parental approval

19. Social connections help us understand human emotions The Development of Social Bonds

20. Synchrony Synchrony—coordinated interaction; attunement Helps infants learn to express own feelings Imitation is pivotal Becomes more elaborate and more frequent with time Learning through play –playful interactions by both partners –important for both to be responsive

21. Enduring emotional connection –Proximity-seeking behaviors –Contact-maintaining behaviors Attachment

22. Bowlby and Ainsworth Secure—relationship of trust and confidence that provides comfort, assurance, and secure base Secure and Insecure Attachment

23. Insecure—relationship that is unpredictable or unstable –avoidant: one person tries to avoid any connection with another –resistant/ambivalent: anxiety and uncertainly keep one person clinging to another Secure and Insecure Attachment, cont.

25. Measuring Attachment Strange Situation—lab procedure to measure attachment; observed are –exploration of the toys (caregiver present) –reaction to caregiver’s departure –reaction to caregiver’s return –disorganized behavior—neither secure nor insecure attachment—marked by inconsistent behavior of caregiver and infant toward each other

26. Insecure Attachment as a Warning Sign Stressed mother (although not always an indicator) Mother too withdrawn Inconsistent behavior of mother (conflicting messages sent by her) Insecure attachments repairable

27. Social Referencing Looking to others for cues

28. Referencing Mom Look to mother for comfort Mother’s tone and expression can become guide to how to react to unfamiliar or ambiguous event

29. Fathers play more than mothers Infants look to fathers for fun and physical play Physically active play with fathers may contribute to development of social skills and emotional expression Physically active play with fathers helps children master motor skills and develop muscle control Referencing Dad

30. Cultural Differences Fathers, single mothers, grandparents, and cultures with other family structures still provide needed referencing Father’s involvement –can benefit later development of child –raise mother’s self-confidence –and two parents working together are better able to meet infant’s needs than either alone

31. Infant Day Care Almost all infants cared for by people other than parents part of the time Specifics vary from culture to culture The older the child and the more money the family has, the more likely possibility of day care

32. Family day care Center care Day care generally beneficial High-quality programs include –adequate attention to each infant –encouragement of sensorimotor exploration and language development –attention to health and safety –well-trained professional caregivers Infant Day-Care

34. Infant Day Care, cont. Cognitive and biosocial development are more advanced by day care than at home Poor day care has detrimental effects

35. Conclusions in Theory and Practice No single theory stands out as best interpretation of developments during first 2 years Do not know the extent to which positive influence can compensate for negative one

36. Conclusions in Theory and Practice, cont. Parental attentiveness crucial to synchrony, attachment, and social referencing. In dealing with children with problems, need a practical rather than theoretical approach that focuses on their specific issues