Social Development

Social development

process by which a child learns to interact with others, form relationships, navigate social situations, and develop a sense of self in relation to others

Social development supports

1. Language development 2. Identity development 3. Learning 4. Conflict resolution 5. Mental health

Quality of relationships

can affect mental health

Theories of social development

consider social interaction as fundamental to development - Psychoanalytic - Learning - Social cognitive - Ecological

Psychoanalytic theories

Erikson's theory of psychosocial development

Erikson's theory of psychosocial development

built on Freud's psychosexual theory; emphasized role of social factors in stages

8

age-related stages of development in Erikson's theory

First 5 stages

focus on childhood and adolescence in Erikson's theory

Failed navigation

child will struggle with concept for the rest of their lives

Trust vs. Mistrust

stage 1 of Erikson's theory

0-1 years

trust vs. mistrust age

Conflict during trust vs mistrust

feeling secure and valued vs feeling insecure and uncertain

Successful navigation of trust vs mistrust

the foundation for secure attachment relationships and trust in relationships is built

Failed navigation of trust vs mistrust

difficulty forming intimate relationships later in life

Autonomy vs shame and doubt

stage 2 of Erikson's theory

1-3 years

autonomy vs shame and doubt age

Conflict during autonomy vs shame and doubt

developing a sense of independence vs experiencing uncertainty and insecurity about their abilities

Successful navigation of autonomy vs shame and doubt

self-confidence and independence is fostered

Failed navigation of autonomy vs shame and doubt

experiences of insecurity, self-doubt, and dependence on others

Initiative vs guilt

stage 3 of Erikson's theory

3-6 years

initiative vs guilt age

Conflict during initiative vs guilt

trying new things vs feeling hesitant and self-conscious

Successful navigation of initiative vs guilt

leads to a sense of purpose and direction

Failed navigation of initiative vs guilt

results in guilt and lack of purpose

Industry vs inferiority

stage 4 of Erikson's theory

6-12 years

industry vs inferiority age

Conflict during industry vs inferiority

developing a sense of competence in academic, social, and personal tasks vs. feeling inadequate

Successful navigation of industry vs inferiority

fosters confidence, while failure may lead to feelings on inferiority

Failed navigation of industry vs inferiority

results in sense of inferiority and sense of incompetence

Identity vs role confusion

stage 5 of Erikson's theory

12-18 years

identity vs role confusion age

Conflict during identity vs role confusion

forming a clear sense of self vs feeling uncertain about one's identity

Successful navigation of identity vs role confusion

leads to an ability to stay true to oneself and understand one's role in social relationships

Failed navigation of identity vs role confusion

results in role confusion and weak sense of self

Intimacy vs isolation

stage 6 of Erikson's theory

18-40 years

intimacy vs isolation age

Conflict during intimacy vs isolation

forming intimate, meaningful relationships vs feeling disconnected and unable to form close bonds

Successful navigation of intimacy vs isolation

leads to deep, meaningful connections and love

Failed navigation of intimacy vs isolation

results in feelings of loneliness and isolation

Generativity vs stagnation

stage 7 of Erikson's theory

40-65 years

generativity vs stagnation age

Conflict during generativity vs stagnation

feeling productive and valuable to others vs feeling unfulfilled

Successful navigation of generativity vs stagnation

results in a sense of fulfillment and contribution

Failed navigation of generativity vs stagnation

results in feelings of unproductiveness, detachment, and dissatisfaction with their impact on others

Integrity vs despair

stage 8 of Erikson's theory

65+

Integrity vs despair age

Conflict during Integrity vs despair

feeling at peace vs feeling regretful and disappointed with missed opportunities and mistakes

Successful navigation of Integrity vs despair

a sense of satisfaction, acceptance, and wisdom

Failed navigation of Integrity vs despair

regret, bitterness, and despair

Strengths of Erikson's theory

• Comprehensive framework of development throughout the entire lifespan • Emphasis on social influences • Emphasis on the search for identity in adolescence has had lasting impacts on research on identity development in adolescence

Weaknesses of Erikson's theory

• many elements of the theory are vague • Limited empirical support • May not generalize to non-Western contexts

James Marcia

4 groups of identity status; identity development relates to where an adolescent falls on dimensions of identity exploration and commitment

Identity achievement

high exploration and high commitment

Identity foreclosure

low exploration and high commitment

Moratorium

high exploration and low commitment

Identity diffusion

low exploration and low commitment

Learning theories

classical conditioning, operant conditioning, social learning theory

Learning theories

1. Focus on external factors in shaping social behaviour 2. Emphasize continuity (vs. discontinuity) 3. Focus on the role of specific mechanisms of change (ex. Reinforcement, observational learning)

John B. Watson

founder of behaviourism

Behaviourism

development is determined by the child's environment via learning through classical conditioning and operant conditioning

Little Albert

9 month old baby exposed to white rat which was conditioned to become scary

B.F. Skinner

believed behaviour is shaped and controlled by environmental factors and believed the world acts upon a person

Reinforcement

we repeat behaviours that lead to favourable outcomes

Punishment

we suppress behaviours that result in unfavourable outcomes

Attention

can serve as a powerful reinforcer; children often do things just to get attention

Time out (temporary isolation)

systematically withdrawing attention and reinforcement for inappropriate behaviour

Intermittent reinforcement

makes behaviours resistant to extinction

Behaviour modification therapy

treatment approach based on principles of behaviourism; using reinforcement and punishment to increase desirable behaviours and decrease unwanted ones

Social-learning theory

attempts to account for social development through learning processes and mechanisms, emphasizing observation and imitation

Albert Bandura

most human learning is inherently "social" in nature and is based on observation of other people

Watching, imitating, indirect models

ways children can learn

Vicarious reinforcement

observing someone else receive a reward or punishment

Cognitive aspects of observational learning

1. Attention to others' behaviour 2. Encoding what is observed 3. Storing the information in memory 4. Retrieving information later to reproduce the behaviour observed earlier

Reciprocal determinism

child-environment influences operate in both directions

Strengths of learning theories

• There is extensive research on parental socialization behaviours and how children learn social behaviours • Important practical applications

Weaknesses of learning theories

main focus is on behaviour so less attention is given to biological, perceptual, motor, cognitive, and language development

Theories of social cognition

stage theory of role taking, social information processing theory, mindset theory

Active processors of social information

encode, retrieve and store social information

Self-socialization

active process whereby children actively shape their own development through their activity preferences, friendship choices, etc.

Robert Selman

stage theory of role taking

Role taking

the ability to think about something from another's point of view; the ability to understand others' perspectives progresses through five stages (early childhood to adolescence)

Undifferentiated role-taking

children fail to distinguish perspectives

Social-informational role-taking

children recognize that others have different information available to them and thus different perspectives

Self-reflective role-taking

children realize that someone else can have a different view and are also able to think about the other person's point of view

Third party role-taking

children can take the view of a detached third-person and view a situation from that perspective

Societal role-taking

considers others' perspectives with reference to a broader social context, considering societal values and norms

Prior to age 6

undifferentiated role-taking

Ages 6-8

social-informational role-taking

Ages 8-10

self-reflective role taking

Ages 10-12

third party role-taking

Ages 12+

societal role-taking

Dodge

social information processing theory

Information processing theory

focused on aggression; children with disruptive behaviour problems perceive, interpret, and make decisions about social information in ways that increase their likelihood of engaging in aggressive acts

Mistakes in social information processing during aggression: 1. Hostile attributional bias 2. Generation of fewer responses 3. More favourable evaluation of aggressive responses

Dweck

Mindset theory

Mindset theory

focuses on children's different reactions to failure

Achievement motivation

whether children are motivated by mastery or others' views of their success

Learning goals

mastery

Performance goals

others' views of own success

Incremental theory of intelligence

belief that intelligence can be developed through effort; motivated by desire for mastery and evaluates effort and learning (growth mindset)