Developmental psychology/Chapter 8/The Nature of the Child

Children adhere to culture and start taking up responsibilities (instead of just wearing clothes set by their parents, they may want to wear clothing more relevant to popular culture/peers). They long for more independence from their parents in Erikson's industry versus inferiority stage - the fourth out of the eight stages. Here, children attempt to "master many skills" and "apply themselves to many tasks" - they either come out to be hard-working/competent or of low-merit/incompetent. A lot of social learning aspects are seen here with comparisons and competition at an all-time high. Social rejection aka belittlement of the child's accomplishment may lead to inferious-ness. Culture matters as a child's tasks in New York City may differ from a child's task in the village life of Indonesia.

How do the parents react?

Depending on the parents, some children are either given their independence or are closely monitored. A gradual shift found throughout middle childhood is that parenting goes from needs to dialogue/activities (a trend mostly found in boy-father relationships). Overall, children are granted more autonomy, and the people with who they spend their time shift from family to friends.

Self-concept

The child's self-concept, the way they perceive themselves, starts becoming more specific and not as imaginative as previous.

• Social comparison - Compares oneself's abilities and accomplishments to another person.
• Children become more aware of gender discrimination.
• Children who are proud of who they are = healthy self-esteem.
• Self-criticism and self-consciousness decrease the imaginative/overestimated self-concept that they used to have of themselves.
• Academic/social comparisons = more realistic self-concept; unrealistic high self-esteem = reduced effortful control --> lower achievement, higher aggression. These consequences exist for kids who also have low self-esteem, so a "middle ground" must be sought (depends on culture).
• Most cultures actually want children to be modest vs. feeling superior to others.
• School achievement is crucial for self-concept. Process-oriented children see failures as learning opportunities. Self-conscious emotions, including pride and guilt, are a guide to social interaction but may lead to psychopathology.
• Insecure children may seek validation through "cool" clothing.

Resilience and Strength

• Resilience - The ability to cope well/get over major tribulations or major stress. Resilience is dynamic, positive-adaption (abusive parents lead the child to be closer to their adoptive parents) and the adversity must be major. Stress can take time and major strings of stress are impactful vs. one, small daily hindrance. An example is Sri Lankan children, who were exposed to the civil war in the early 2000s and poverty. Accumulated stress lead to reduced achievements and increase psychological disabilities. The social context of these situations is important as well, as in the example of the Sierra Leone child soldiers. At first, they were interviewed and were reported to have suffered from depression (2013 study) - but they were interviewed a few years later and were reported to have been doing great. This is because of the caregivers being present, the supportive community, and their "daily routines" brought back. Parents may also serve as a source of resilience, as in the case of the English children who fled their homes from the German bombs, who were reported to have been less resilient vs. the ones that stayed through the bombings with their families. Obviously, these examples are very one-sided, but generally: the child themselves, a supportive family and a supportive community backing them up can help a child recover from any tribulation.
• Low SES children may be less resilient if adversities are tied to their lack of family-organization and self-blame. A child's perception of a family situation can make/break the child. You could have success stories from poor families, like Abraham Lincoln, or have situations in which the child has responsibility over their family (parentification). If the child feels like they're a burden, then they suffer - if they believe that they're helpful, then they strive. Same situation applies to immigrant kids who translate for their parents.