Self-Self-DevelopmentDevelopment

Industry v. InferiorityThe focus is on competence in meeting challenges presented by parents, peers, school, etc.

Understanding One’s SelfOne’s self-concept is divided into personal & academic areas

Social Comparison

Evaluating one’s behavior, abilities, expertise, & opinions by comparing them with others’

Self-esteemOverall & Specific + & - Self-evaluationThe self-concept reflects beliefs & thoughts about oneself; self-esteem is more emotionally orientedSelf-esteem becomes more diversified at this time

High in some areas, low in others

Change & Stability in Self-esteemIncreases during this time with a brief decline around 12 yearsParenting needs to become more authoritative

Race & Self-esteem

Racial DifferencesAfrican Americans show slightly higher self-esteem around age 11 than WhitesHispanics show increase in self-esteem toward the end of middle childhoodAsian self-esteem is higher in elementary school but lower than Whites by the end of childhoodSocial identity theory

Members of a minority group are likely to accept the negative

views of the majority group only if they perceive that there is little realistic possibility of changing the power & status differences between the groups

Stages of Friendship

Stage 1 (4 – 7 years)Stage 1 (4 – 7 years)Friendship is based on others’ behavior

Friends are those who like them & who share toys, games, etc.

Stage 2 (8 – 10 years)Stage 2 (8 – 10 years)Friendship is based on a mutual share of trust

Stage 3 (11 – 15 years)Stage 3 (11 – 15 years)Friendship is based on feelings of closeness through sharing personal thoughts & feelings

PopularityPopularityCharacteristicsCharacteristicsSocial competenceSocial competence

Collection of Collection of individual individual social skills social skills that permit that permit individuals individuals to perform to perform successfully successfully in social in social settingssettings

Popular children are high in Popular children are high in social competencesocial competence

Social problem-solvingSocial problem-solving

Use of strategies for Use of strategies for solving social solving social

conflicts in conflicts in ways that ways that are satisfactory are satisfactory both to both to oneself & othersoneself & others

Better at interpreting the Better at interpreting the meaning of others’ behaviorsmeaning of others’ behaviors

Gender & Race Friendships

Gender FriendshipsDominance hierarchy

Rankings that present the relative social power of those in the groupMiddle childhood friendships tend to be restricted to the same sexBoys tend to be concerned with placement in the groupGirls tend to have 1 or 2 “best friends” of relatively equal statusConflicts are resolved through compromise

Cross-race FriendshipsClosest friends tend to be of the same raceThere are more cross-race best friends around 3rd grade than 10th

Family Family ChangesChanges

Major Major Challenge Challenge Facing Middle Facing Middle ChildhoodChildhoodCoregulationCoregulation

Children & parents jointly Children & parents jointly control behaviorcontrol behavior

Parents provide broad guidelines Parents provide broad guidelines for conduct & children have control for conduct & children have control over everyday behaviorover everyday behavior

Family LifeFamily LifeSiblings’ InfluenceSiblings’ InfluenceImportant during middle Important during middle childhoodchildhood

Can provide support, Can provide support, companionship, & sense of companionship, & sense of security as well as strifesecurity as well as strife

Working ParentsWorking ParentsGood adjustment of children Good adjustment of children whose parents both work whose parents both work relates to psychological relates to psychological adjustment of parents, esp. adjustment of parents, esp. mothersmothers

The more satisfaction The more satisfaction at at work, the more work, the more supportive of the childrensupportive of the children

Home AloneHome AloneSelf-care childSelf-care child

Children who let Children who let themselves into their themselves into their homes after school & homes after school & wait wait until their parents until their parents return from workreturn from work

There are few differences There are few differences between self-care children & between self-care children & those whose parents are at those whose parents are at home when they get therehome when they get there

There are some There are some negative negative experiences experiences but they’re but they’re not not emotionally damagedemotionally damaged

Staying at home can Staying at home can avoid avoid some problematic some problematic activitiesactivities

DivorceDivorceDivorce Rate: 50%Divorce Rate: 50%

Reaction to DivorceReaction to DivorceDepends on the age at divorceDepends on the age at divorce

From 6 months to 2 years after it can From 6 months to 2 years after it can show maladjustment problemsshow maladjustment problems

The quality of mother & child The quality of mother & child relationship declinesrelationship declines

2X as many children of divorced 2X as many children of divorced parents enter psychological counseling parents enter psychological counseling as children from intact familiesas children from intact families

Single-Parent Families

¼ Under 18 in ¼ Under 18 in US Live with 1 US Live with 1 ParentParentNot negative or positiveNot negative or positive

The consequences depends of many The consequences depends of many factors including economics, quality factors including economics, quality time, & household stresstime, & household stress

RemarriageRemarriageBlended FamiliesBlended FamiliesRemarried couples with at Remarried couples with at least 1 step-child living least 1 step-child living with themwith them17% of children live in blended families in U.S.Role ambiguity

Roles & expectations unclear

Gay & Lesbian ParentsGay & Lesbian ParentsChildren develop similarly to heterosexual households

Orphanages““Group Home” Group Home” or “Residential or “Residential Treatment Treatment Center”Center”300,000 removed from homes each 300,000 removed from homes each yearyear

¾ return home¾ return home

Other ¼ so psychologically Other ¼ so psychologically damage due to abuse, etc. they are damage due to abuse, etc. they are left in group care & remain thereleft in group care & remain there

School Success & Failure

Attributions TheoryDispositional factors (I’m not so smart) or situational factor contribute (I didn’t get enough sleep)

Cultural ComparisonsDifferent experiences give different perceptions of how things should be

Subcultural differences in behaviors related to

achievement & what it isAsian performance

In U.S. attribute school performance to stable, internal causesIn Asia, it is temporary, situational factors