13 - MIDDLE CHILDHOOD:
PSYCHOSOCIAL
DEVELOPMENT
Nature of the child

Erikson’s stage
vs. inferiority (4th. Stage)
 Skill mastery
 Self-image of being industrious or inferior
 Industry

Freud
 Latency
 Emotional
drives & unconscious sexual conflicts are quiet
Self-Concept


Comparison to others
An unrealistically high self-concept reduces
“effortful control” (trying to control your emotions) –
lowers achievement & increases aggression
The me-self

“I-self” = I know what I want, I am
 Thinks,

acts, & feel independently
“Me-self” = What do others think of me?
 Based
on the perception of what others think
Culture and self-esteem

The culture influences how you are supposed to see
yourself
 Japanese
vs. US
Handling Stress

Healthy children tend to be resilient to stress
 Cope
with stressful situations without being
overwhelmed

Social support (family, friends, church) helps deal
with stress
Cumulative stress


Accumulated small daily stresses over time = more
devastating than isolated major stress
Child’s interpretation of the situation is important
Families and children


Individual children are influenced by age, genes,
gender, resilience, parents, and home life
Children raised in same home does not = same
environment and parenting
 Parents

treat different children differently
Most environmental effects may be from the
“nonshared” environment
Family structure and function


Structure = Legal & genetic connections of family
members
Structures
Nuclear (Husband, wife, and children)
 Blended (Parents with children from earlier marriages)
 Extended (Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, etc.)
 Polygamous (Multiple spouses)


Function


How families act with each other
Function is more important than structure at all ages.
Family functions:





Material necessities
Learning
Self-respect
Peer relationships (Friendships)
Harmony and stability
 Protective,
predictable routines
What interferes with family function?


Low income = stress
High conflict = stress
 Money
 Child
rearing
 Family roles
 Physical abuse
 Emotional abuse

Children need a feeling of harmony
Peer group
The culture of children

Norms, values, beliefs, habits that characterize
children as opposed to an adult
 Children


are their own “in group”
Encourages independence from adults
E.g. Don’t be a “tattle-tale” to an adult
Friendship & social acceptance



Both boys and girls want to be liked and have best
friends
Learn faster and feel happier with friends
Between same sex, age, ethnicity, and
socioeconomic group
 People
who understand and agree with them
Social awareness

Social cognition
Understanding the causes and consequences of social
interaction
 Crucial for peer acceptance



Effortful control = Ability to control your emotions
Well-liked children like themselves

See unkind remarks as accidental


Does not provoke fear, self-doubt and anger
Rejected children = poor self-concept
See unkind remarks as purposefully directed at them
 Created self-doubt and anger

Bullies and Victims


Bullies lack empathy
Bullying = repeated attacks
Types of bullying



Physical (hitting, kicking)
Verbal (Teasing, name-calling)
Relational (Isolate from friends, reduce acceptance)
 More

common in high school
Cyberbullying (Emails, Facebook)
Victims


Lonely, abandoned, no good friends
Chosen because of their vulnerability and isolation
Bullies


Not rejected – have admiring henchmen for friends
Boys target smaller, weaker children
 Boys

Girls target shy soft-spoken girls
 Girls

= physical aggression
= verbal aggression
Both sexes use relational aggression and
cyberbullying
Bullies



Socially aware but lack empathy with victim
Skilled at avoiding adult awareness
Victims counted on not to resist effectively
Causes of bullying


Possibly genetic predisposition or brain abnormality
Family
 Insecure
attachment
 Ineffective discipline
 Hostile siblings
 Intensify aggression

Peers that approve of the behavior
Consequences of bullying


Bullies often become increasing cruel
Victims
 Depression
 Lower
school achievement
Can bullies be stopped?



Very difficult
Victim finding new friends helps
Whole school strategy
 Bully
not supported by his peers, friends, and school
staff helps
Morality
Kohlberg’s levels of moral
development

Preconventional
 Egocentric
 Rewards

and punishments
Conventional
 Acceptance

of social rules and laws
Postconventional
 “What
should be”
 Ultimate good
Morality


Often guided by the culture and religion
Children use their intellectual abilities to justify their
moral actions