social and personality development in infancy chapter 6:
TRANSCRIPT
Theories of Social and Personality Development
Psychoanalytic Perspectives: Freud and Erikson
Freud: psychosexual stage related to infant attempts at needs satisfaction Oral stage Mother-child
symbiotic relationship
Nursing; fixation
Erikson: psychosocial stage in which attending to infant needs and social development important Trust versus
mistrust Relationship goes
beyond feeding
AttachmentThe Parent’s Attachment to the Infant
Synchrony: Opportunity for parent-infant development of mutual, interlocking pattern of attachment behaviors
Takes practice to develop Provides developmental benefits
Theories of Social and Personality Development
Ethological Perspectives: John Bowlby
Attachment: Emotional bond in which a person’s sense of security is bound up in the relationship
Strong emotional bond-making is innate Bonds maintained by instinctive behaviors
that create and sustain proximity
AttachmentThe Parent’s Attachment to the Infant
Mother’s bond with infant Bond dependent on synchrony Mothers provide more routine caregiving
than fathers. After first few weeks, mothers talk to and
smile more at baby.
AttachmentThe Parent’s Attachment to the Infant
Father’s bond with infant The relationship depends on synchrony. Fathers have same repertoire as mothers. After first few weeks, fathers begin to spend
more time playing with baby.
AttachmentThe Infant’s Attachment to the Parents
Characteristics of attachment Safe haven Secure base Proximity maintenance Separation distress
Now let’s look at how several theorists operationalize this construct.
AttachmentThe Infant’s Attachment to the Parents
Establishing attachment: Bowlby’s 4 phases Nonfocused orienting and signaling
(0–3 months) Focus on one or more figures
(3–6 months) Secure base behavior (6–24 months) Internal model (24 months and beyond)
AttachmentThe Infant’s Attachment to the Parents
Establishing attachment: Bowlby’s 4 phases
How would you recognize each of Bowlby’s phases?
What behaviors would you expect to see?
AttachmentSecure and Insecure Attachments
Mary Ainsworth
Protocol: The Strange Situation
Attachment styles: Secure attachment Insecure/avoidant attachment Insecure/ambivalent attachment Insecure/disorganized attachment
AttachmentStability of Attachment Quality
Attachment stability Dependent on consistency of child’s life
circumstances Influenced by major upheavals Internal models elaborated from year 1 until
the age of 4 or 5
AttachmentCaregiver Characteristics and Attachment
Caregivers and attachment
Several characteristics influence the attachment process: Emotional availability Contingent responsiveness
AttachmentSecure and Insecure Attachments
Insecure attachments
Insecure/avoidant attachment
Insecure/ambivalent attachment
Insecure/disorganized attachment
AttachmentCaregiver Characteristics and Attachment
Other caregiver characteristics influencing secure attachment Marital status Education Age SES Mental health
What kind of attachment do you have with your parents? Has it changed since you were a child, or does it reflect the type of attachment you had when you were younger?
What factors will influence your choice of childcare if the one or both parents decide to work? What would be best for your child?
Questions To PonderQuestions To PonderQuestions To PonderQuestions To Ponder
AttachmentAttachment Quality: Long Term
Consequences
The securely attached: More sociable More positive in relationships with friends Less clingy and dependent on teachers Less aggressive and disruptive More emotionally mature
Continues into adolescence More likely to be leaders Have higher self-esteem
AttachmentAttachment Quality: Long-Term
Consequences
Attachment quality and consequences Increased sociability throughout early,
middle, and late adulthood Influence on parenting behaviors Foundation for future social relationships
Personality, Temperament, and Self-Concept
Definitions
Personality: Stable patterns in how people relate to those around them
Temperament: Basic behavioral and emotional predispositions
Personality, Temperament, and Self-Concept
Dimensions of Temperament
Dimensions of temperament: How are these theorist alike? Different? Thomas and Chess Buss and Plomin
How might results differ when temperament is viewed as a trait rather than a
category?
Personality, Temperament, and Self-Concept
Origins and Stability of Temperament
Heredity Identical twins more alike in temperament
than fraternal twins
Long-term Stability Stable across long periods of time
Personality, Temperament, and Self-Concept
Neurological Processes
Heredity Basic differences in behaviors related to
underlying neurological processes Neurotransmitters regulate brain
responses to new information and unusual situations.
Still difficult to demonstrate conclusively that neurological differences are cause or effect
Personality, Temperament, and Self-Concept
Origins and Stability of Temperament
Environment
Sandra Scarr Niche-picking
Thomas and Chess Goodness of fit
Synchronous relationships Parental influence with children at
temperamental extremes
Stop and Think!
During the same months in which infants are developing an internal model of attachment and exploring their own unique temperament, they are also developing a unique sense of self.
What implication does this have for parents and caregivers?
Personality, Temperament, and Self-Concept
Self-concept
The subjective self Awareness by the
child that he is separate from others and endures over time
Appears by 8–12 months at the same time as object permanence
Self-concept
The objective self Toddler comes to
understand he is an object in the world.
The self has properties, such as gender.
Personality, Temperament, and Self-Concept
Studying Self-Awareness
Rouge test (Lewis and Brooks) Children at 21 months show self-recognition
in a mirror.
What does this tell us about children’s development? How do you know?
Personality, Temperament, and Self-Concept
The Emotional Self
First, babies learn to identify changes in emotional expression.
Gradually they learn to “read” and respond to facial expressions.
With age and experience, infants learn to interpret emotional perceptions of others to anticipate actions and guide own behavior.
Effects of Nonparental CareOverview
Arrangements vary considerably. Time in care varies. Some children in multiple care settings Younger children less likely to receive
nonparental care
Effects of Nonparental CareEffects on Cognitive Development
High-quality daycare has beneficial effects, especially for children from poor families.
Later scores in reading and math related to daycare entry age and poverty
Effects of Nonparental Care Effects on Social Development
Infant daycare has negative effects on attachment if started under 1 year.
Parents whose behaviors are associated with insecure attachment have children who are negatively affected by early daycare.
Early day care associated with greater risks for social problems in school-age children
Effects of Nonparental Care Research Challenges
Complex interaction among numerous variables in all care types
Nonparental care varies in quality and structure.
Maternal attitudes toward care arrangement vary.
Multiple care settings difficult to separate