1 Theory of Mind Anonymous EDUC 5410: Child Development University of the People Dr. Jesse Florang March 17, 2021 2 Theory of Mind Theory of mind is the ability to think about mental states, the emotions, wants, beliefs, and knowledge, both ours and those of others (Cherry, 2020). Regarding children, they progressively understand their own and other people’s mental states (Airenti, 2015). Initially, children recognize that people want various things, act differently to obtain them, and analyze them diversely. Children start to realize that people's action is motivated by their minds, which can be wrong and not always trustworthy (Ruhl, 2020). Consequently, children know that people do not always behave appropriately to their emotions; they might appear a particular way and work differently. Therefore, the Theory of mind evolves slowly during a lifetime as we have to understand more about our mental states and others (Airenti, 2015). Being careful observers, children cultivate a discernment of social understanding through representations of their synergy with others. Slowly but surely, children improve at interpreting others' mental world that is different from theirs. Like how scientists examine phenomena and form theories set to the test through experiments and make predictions, children, on the other hand, observe people and assume various mental states that define behavior (Korkmaz, 2011). Children make use of people's ideas and emotions to predict their actions. As a consequence, children can communicate themselves effectively and know others. Therefore, the Theory of Mind is vital in social communication and emotional intelligence. Like scientists, children utilize deductive reasoning to judge people's intentions based on their actions and inductive thinking to foretell people's behavior based on their mental states (Airenti, 2015). Social development concerns obtaining knowledge and abilities that a person needs to socialize with other people successfully. Socially skillful children know how to create positive and healthy interactions, engaging in a fair and courteous manner, thoughtful and take responsibility for their actions. Furthermore, they have 3 self-control and assert themselves when necessary, which they have honed through experiences with their peers, their parents, and other adults (Hello Doctor, n.d.). Infants are social beings. From their most beginning days, they start to relate to and accumulate information from their caregivers. They can mimic facial expressions, displaying an understanding of how another's responses correlate to their own. During what researcher Erik Erikson calls the stage of Basic Trust vs. Mistrust; infants are engaged in relationships, developing a sense of being nurtured and loved (Zhou and Brown, 2015). They seek a relationship that produces trust, security, and a sense of confidence. Once the infant feels secure about the world, he feels safe enough to explore the larger world around him (Anthony, n.d.). Preschoolers evolve from almost entirely dependent on their parents to become independent individuals. In practically all aspects of development, their knowledge base and competencies include their social and emotional skills. The preschool years (ages 18 months to approximately 3 years) start at Erik Erikson’s second psychosocial development stage: Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt (Zhou and Brown, 2015). During this phase, children discover how to be self-sufficient in self-management, toilet training, nourishing, and changing clothes. By the age of four, they begin the third step of psychosocial development: Initiative vs. Guilt. During this period, children learn to dream, become more autonomous, grow their skills through play, illusion, investigation, and involvement, interact, and cooperate with others, including peers. However, according to Erikson, if they are not successful in developing positive social skills, children will become afraid, socially rejected, restricted in their ability to play, and negatively reliant on adults (Anthony, n.d.2). During early childhood (between 3 and 5 years of age), the main focus comprises the child frequently socializing with other children at school (Zhou and Brown, 2015). Play allows children to develop their interpersonal skills through self-initiating games. Children begin to prepare 4 activities, create and initiate games with others. If they are successful, children acquire a sense of leadership and feel confident in decision-making. However, if they are discouraged, either through critique or restriction, children develop a sense of guilt (McLeod, 2018). Moreover, the child will start to ask many questions since his desire for knowledge increases. Suppose the parents treat the child's problems as insignificant, trouble, embarrassing, or other behavior features as threatening, then, the child may feel guilty of "being a nuisance." Such excessive guilt can cause the child to hesitate to socialize with others and may repress their creativity. Although some accountability is necessary, otherwise, the child would not understand how to develop self-control or a conscience. Therefore, it is vital to have a healthy balance between initiative and guilt. When the child is successful in this stage, it will commence to the virtue of purpose, while failure ends in the sense of guilt (McLeod, 2018). Erikson's fourth psychosocial stage involves Industry (competence) vs. Inferiority, which occurs during middle childhood (from ages 5 to 12) (Zhou and Brown, 2015). At this time, children are learning to read and write, do sums, and work independently. Teachers take an important role in their lives as they teach child-specific skills. At this stage, the child's peer group will gain greater significance and become a significant source of their self-confidence. The child strives to win approval by demonstrating specific competencies valued by society and having a sense of pride in their achievements. If the children's initiative efforts are supported and encouraged, they begin to feel competent and confident in their ability to achieve goals. Therefore, if the child is discouraged by parents or teachers, he begins feeling inferior, have self-doubt, and have difficulty succeeding in life. Middle schoolers are at Erik Erikson's stage of Industry vs. Inferiority. During this phase, they became aware as individuals and work hard to be responsible and achieve more complicated 5 work. As they progress to the next level, Identity vs. Role Confusion (approximately age 12), they start to develop values and question their self-confidence which they have built over the early years. During this time, they aim to find the identity they will bring with them to adulthood, with the peers they think reflect their values and sense of self (Anthony, n.d.3). There must be some failure for the child to acquire some modesty, so that there will be a balance between competence and humility. When they are successful in this stage, they will attain the virtue of competence. Erik Erikson's fifth stage of psychosocial development is identity vs. role confusion, which happens during adolescence, ages between 12 to 18 years. By this time, egocentrism emerges, deeply affecting them during the periods between 11 to 13 years. There are two aspects of adolescent egocentrism at this age. First is that they have an imaginary audience, where the child believes that others notice and care intensely about her appearance and actions. Second is the personal fable where she believes that her experiences and emotions are unique and experienced by her alone. Therefore, children are highly self-conscious with a feeling of power and invincibility. Although they know that others have differing views, she is still preoccupied with how others' perceive her (Anthony, n.d.3). Furthermore, adolescents search for a sense of self and personal identity by exploring their values, beliefs, and goals. They are becoming more independent and start to look at their future, career, relationships, families, and housing, because of their desire to belong to a society and fit in (McLeod, 2018). In conclusion, children need to learn how to make friends, handle disagreements, and interact successfully with others. Children with strong social skills find it easier to establish good relationships, which positively impact their well-being (Boot Room, n.d.). 6 References Airenti, G. (2015). Theory of Mind: A new perspective on the puzzle of belief ascription. Frontiers in Psychology, 6. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01184 Anthony, M. (n.d.1). Social development in 0-2 year olds. https://www.scholastic.com/parents/family-life/social-emotional-learning/developmentmilestones/social-development-0-2-year-olds.html#:~:text=Infant-2,Babies%20are%20born%20social%20creatures.,actions%20relate%20to%20their%20own. Anthony, M. (n.d.2). Social development in 3-5 year olds. https://www.scholastic.com/parents/family-life/social-emotional-learning/developmentmilestones/social-development-3-5-year-olds.html Anthony, M. (n.d.3). Social development in pre-teens: What you need to know. https://www.scholastic.com/parents/family-life/social-emotional-learning/developmentmilestones/social-development-11-13-year-olds.html Boot Room. (n.d.). Why is social development important? https://thebootroom.thefa.com/resources/coaching/why-is-social-developmentimportant#:~:text=From%20making%20friends%20to%20dealing,positive%20impact%20o n%20their%20wellbeing. Cherry, K. (2020, April 7). How the theory of mind helps us understand others. https://www.verywellmind.com/theory-of-mind-4176826 Hello Doctor. (n.d.). What are the four primary areas of child development? https://hellodoctor.com.ph/parenting/what-are-the-four-major-areas-of-childdevelopment/#gref Korkmaz, B. (2011). Theory of Mind and neurodevelopmental disorders of childhood. Pediatr Res 69, 101–108 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1203/PDR.0b013e318212c177 McLeod, S. (2018). Erik Erikson's stages of psychosocial development. https://www.simplypsychology.org/Erik- 7 Erikson.html#:~:text=Initiative%20versus%20guilt%20is%20the,years%20in%20a%20chil d%27s%20life. Openstax Content. (n.d.). Openstax: Psychology. Chapter 9. https://tophat.com/marketplace/socialscience/psychology/textbooks/oer-openstax-psychology-openstax-content/85/4052/ Ruhl, C. (2020, August 7). Theory of Mind. https://www.simplypsychology.org/theory-ofmind.html Zhou, M. & Brown, D. (2015). Educational learning theories. Educational Psychology Commons. https://oer.galileo.usg.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=educationtextbooks
