Development Through the Lifespan
Chapter 8
Emotional and Social
Development in
Early Childhood
Erikson’s Theory:
Initiative versus Guilt
Initiative
 Eagerness to try new tasks, join activities with peers
 Play permits trying out new skills
 Act out highly visible occupations
Guilt
 Overly strict superego, or conscience, causing too much guilt
 Related to excessive threats, criticism, punishment from adults
Self Concept
Based on:
 Observable characteristics
 Appearance
 Possessions
 Behavior
 Typical Emotions and Attitudes
Asserting rights to objects (“Mine!”) helps define boundaries of self
Self-Esteem
 Judgments we make about our own worth.
 Includes global appraisal and judgments of different aspects of self.
 Affects preschoolers’ initiative.
Emotional Development
in Early Childhood
 Understanding of others’ emotions increasingly accurate
 Emotional self-regulation improves
 More self-conscious emotions (shame, guilt) as self-concept develops
 Empathy, sympathy, and prosocial behavior increase
Peer Sociability in Play
Cognitive Play Categories
Early Childhood Friendships
 “Someone who likes you,” plays with you, and shares toys
 Friendships change frequently
 Friends more reinforcing, emotionally expressive than non-friends.
Parental Influences on
Early Peer Relations
Direct
 Arrange informal peer activities
 Guidance on how to act toward others
Indirect
 Secure attachment
 Emotionally expressive, supportive communication
Perspectives on
Moral Development
Characteristics of
Good Models of Moral Behavior
 Warmth and responsiveness
 Competence and power
 Consistency between words and behavior
Punishment in Early Childhood
 Physical punishment and frequent punishment have undesirable side effects.
 Effectiveness of punishment increased by:
 Consistency
 Warm parent-child relationship
 Explanations
 Alternatives to punishment:
 Time Out
 Withdrawing privileges
 Positive Discipline
Corporal Punishment and
Age of Child
Moral Imperatives
and Social Conventions
Moral Imperatives
 Protect people’s rights and welfare
 Victims and other children react strongly to moral offences
 Adults explain rights and feelings of victims
Social Conventions
 Customs such as table manners or dress styles
 Peers seldom react to violations of social convention
 Adults explain less, demand obedience
Types of Aggression
Sources of Aggression
 Individual Differences
 Temperament
 Family
 Harsh, inconsistent discipline
 Cycles of discipline, whining and giving in
 Television
 TV violence
Influences
on Gender Typing
 Genetic
 Evolutionary adaptiveness
 Hormones
 Environmental
 Family
 Teachers
 Peers
 Broader Social Environment
Gender Identity
in Early Childhood
 Social Learning theory – Gender typing behavior leads to gender identity
 Cognitive-Developmental Theory – Self-perceptions (gender constancy) come before
behavior
 Gender Schema theory – combines social learning and cognitive developmental theories
Child-Rearing Styles
 Authoritative
 Authoritarian
 Permissive
 Uninvolved
Factors Related to
Child Maltreatment
 Parent characteristics
 Child characteristics
 Family characteristics
 Community
 Culture