Where the Wild Things Are. ○ Oral language provides a new way of
understanding the world. ○ analogous to ancient mythology. ○ in an oral culture
, you know ...
What’s your favorite bedtime story? ! !
What lesson does it teach? Stories provide children with an imaginary world in which to explore many of the most fundamental psychological problems that are part of being human.
Where the Wild Things Are !
On Sundays Maurice Sendak and his brother and sister were dressed up and had to sit in the living room with their adult relatives.
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Looking up, he saw “the most gruesome things, such as moles on noses and extra-long hairs coming out of noses . . . the bloodshot eyes, and . . . the very bad teeth”
Mythic understanding !
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Oral language provides a new way of understanding the world analogous to ancient mythology in an oral culture, you know only what you can remember with stories, metaphors, rhythm & rhyme drama & roleplay abstract binary oppositions: !
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good/evil, love/hate, rich/poor
a poetic world
What Piaget ignored: !
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Oral language plays an important role: Thought becomes verbal, speech becomes conceptual Adults have fantasies too The appearance/reality distinction is defined by culture
Self-Control !
Ability to inhibit initial impulses (i.e., stop and think before acting; balance personal desires and internalized social standards) ! !
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Inhibition of movement (e.g., “Simon says”) Inhibition of emotions (e.g., decide not to cry when they fall down and a friend is near) Inhibition of choice (e.g., delayed gratification – not until the age of 12 do children choose to wait for larger candy bar the next day) Inhibition of conclusions…
The Family and the Preschool Child Week 7
Overview of Chapter 9 !
Identity Development
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A New Moral World
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Developing Self-Regulation
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Understanding Aggression Developing Prosocial Behaviors One’s Place in the Social Group
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Overview of the Week ! ! ! !
An introduction to social development Stas Popov: a case study Social Development in the family (Next week, with peers)
Social Development: a Two-Sided Process Socialization
Personality Development
Acquiring the standards, values, and knowledge of society
Developing unique patterns of feeling, thinking, and behaving
Integration into the larger social community
Differentiation as distinctive individuals
Acquiring a Social and Personal Identity
video: Stas Popov - a case study ! !
your mission: to study this child 1. describe his behavior !
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what does he do?
2. explain his behavior !
why does he do it?
video: Stas Popov
What does Stas do? !
threatens the nurse: “I’ll kill you!”
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hits the sound technician and tells him “I hate you”
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wrestles & hits Mickey Mouse
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points a ‘gun’ at his brother
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hits the little girl on the head
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hits his father
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wears a commander’s hat & says “I’ll kill you, I’ll lock you up”
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Explanations for Stas’ Behavior !
the family script Stas “the bad, the wounded” family structure ! the new baby parenting style ! [see next slide] !
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Parenting Patterns (North America)
Demanding Parent expects much of child
Undemanding Parent expects little of child
Responsive
Unresponsive
Parent is accepting and child-centered
Parent is rejecting and parent-centered
Authoritative Parenting
Authoritarian Parenting
Relationship is reciprocal, high in bidirectional communication
Relationship is controlling, power-assertive, high in unidirectional communication
Indulgent Parenting
Neglectful Parenting
Relationship is permissive, low in control attempts
Relationship is indifferent, uninvolved
Baumrind’s Parenting Styles Style
Description
Authoritative Demanding but reciprocal relationship Favor reasoning over physical punishment Encourage independence
Typical Child Characteristics Self-reliant Self-controlled Display curiosity Content
Baumrind’s Parenting Styles Style
Description
Authoritarian Demanding and controlling Favor punitive methods over reasoning Stress obedience over independence
Typical Child Characteristics Other-directed Lack social competence Lack curiosity Withdrawn
Baumrind’s Parenting Styles Style
Description
Typical Child Characteristics
Permissive Undemanding and little Dependent on control exercised others Allow children to learn Poor impulse through experience control as a result of Relative indulgence or neglect immaturity Neither independence nor obedience stressed
Explanations for Stas’ Behavior !
the family script Stas “the bad, the wounded” family structure ! the new baby parenting style ! harsh discipline, little warmth !
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! family circumstances ! new apartment ! state of society ! no time for children ! cultural messages ! “be tough” ! what about Stas’ age??
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Stas is 3 years old He is beginning to go through a process that all little boys go through (Perhaps a bit earlier than most) His identification is changing
Causes of Aggression Aggression is rewarded !
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Victim gives in or retreats, resulting in “victory” Adults provide positive reinforcement by paying more attention, laughing, signaling approval, or simply by stopping coercing the child
Causes of Aggression Children imitate the behavior of older role models Physical punishments, particularly with anger, may inadvertently teach children to behave aggressively
Causes of Aggression Research: Aggressive behavior of children who had observed adult aggression was substantially higher than that of children who had watched non-aggressive interactions; They invented new kinds of agression Weapons were more attractive Whether the models were live, or filmed
Youngsters Imitate Aggressive Behavior
Trends in aggression !
Children at age 3 who behave defiantly and disobediently with adults, are aggressive toward their peers, and are impulsive and hyperactive are likely to still have these problems during middle childhood and adolescence
Causes of Aggression
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Environment: Poverty is associated with increased aggression, perhaps because parents are likely to use harsh and inconsistent discipline, perhaps due to increased stress
Causes of Aggression !
Cognition: Aggressive children more often misinterpret social interactions in negative ways that foster aggressive responses
Controlling Aggression 1. Development of hierarchical systems of control !
Once children know their position in such a hierarchy, they challenge only those whom it is safe for them to challenge, leaving others alone and thereby reducing the amount of aggression within the group
Controlling Aggression 2. Vent negative feelings in a “safe way” before they explode violently (i.e., catharsis, “blowing off steam”)? !
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However, little evidence to support this claim Frustrated boys who shot at targets delivered just as many “shocks” as children who had solved arithmetic problems
Controlling Aggression 3. Punish aggressive behavior? !
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Most likely to suppress aggressive behavior when the child identifies strongly with the person administering the punishment and it is applied consistently Used inconsistently, however, punishment is likely to provoke children to further aggression Furthermore, attempts to control children’s behavior by means of physical punishment, or by threats to apply raw power, also increase aggressiveness
Controlling Aggression 4. Reward non-aggressive behavior !
Since young children sometimes become aggressive in order to gain attention, one strategy is to ignore it and to pay attention to children only when they are engaged in cooperative behavior !
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For example, an adult may step in between the children involved and pay attention only to the victim (i.e., comfort the child, give the child something interesting to do) Side benefit: Other children may observe that it is appropriate to be sympathetic to the victim of aggression
Controlling Aggression 5. Cognitive training !
Short, individual discussions with the aggressor focusing on !
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Aggression hurts another person and makes that person unhappy Aggression does not solve problems and only causes resentment in the other child Children can often resolve conflicts by sharing and taking turns
In essence, helping children to become aware of the feelings of others decreases aggression
Gender differences in aggression As children approach their second birthdays, acts of aggression decline significantly among girls but increase slightly among boys.
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Stas is 3 years old He is beginning to go through a process that all little boys go through (Perhaps a bit earlier than most) His identification is changing
How do you know what gender you & your friends are? !
Biology? ! !
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Male/Female ! ! !
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but this isn’t visible so at this age kids take their pants down... binary categories mutually exclusive enduring over time
Other cultures/times have different categories
The Berdache A berdache was one who was defined by spirituality, androgyny, women’s work and male/male homosexual relationships. The berdache could adopt the clothing of women, associate and be involved with women, do the work normally associated with women, marry a man and take part in many spiritual ceremonies of the tribe.
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Understanding of gender categories isn’t innate How do children learn it? Through a process of identification
Identification !
Psychological process in which children try to look, act, feel, and be like significant people in their social environment
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Essential to the process of socialization
Identification at different ages: ! !
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2-year-olds: Primary identification: “Wanting to be near” the mother (first love object) =attachment 3- to 4-year-olds: Secondary identification: “Wanting to be like” the same-gender parent
Girl
Boy
infancy:
attached to mother
attached to mother
early childhood:
seeks to identify with mother
seeks to identify with father
no differentiation required
must differentiate from mother
In early childhood, boys & girls have the same developmental task, but with very different outcomes: !
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Girls: Seek to become like the person with whom they have had the closest relationship - the mother Boys: Required to become different from the person with whom they have had the closest relationship - the mother
How would this make you feel?
Freud described this: !
Boys: Identification through differentiation from mother and affiliation with father !
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Oedipus complex: Desire to take father’s place in mother’s affection (resolution " sexual identity)
Girls: Identification through affiliation only
What are the consequences? !
According to Sigmund Freud: !
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Boys become more independent, and consequently more rational, more ethical, less emotional, and better prepared for life’s challenges. A woman’s psychological makeup never becomes as independent of its emotional component as does a man’s.
What are the consequences? !
According to Nancy Chodorow: !
Because male identity is based on separation, men are threatened by intimacy.
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Because female identity is based on connection, women are threatened by separation.
What does this have to do with Stas? !
He is forced to differentiate from his mother !
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by the arrival of the new baby
His grandmother is no longer available His father is not supportive His hostility may be a response to this At his age, boys are significantly more aggressive than girls
Main Points !
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Social development involves both (a) socialization and (b) personality formation ... (a) integration into the community and (b) becoming a distinct individual Identity formation also has these 2 sides: (1) social categories and (2) unique identity Gender identity is based on (1) the cultural categories of gender and (2) a sense of who one is uniquely Gender identity requires more difficult changes of boys than of girls
One-page paper !
You are a lawyer on a murder case where the critical witness is 5 years old. What’s your plan for taking a statement?
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(see box on ‘Young Children as Witnesses’)
