AP Psych 3.6 Social Emotional Development

Ecological Systems Theory

Child’s development is influenced by multiple layers of environmental systems. These include the immediate family (microsystem), larger community structures like schools (exosystem), and overarching cultural or social norms (microsystem).Each layers shape the child’s growth.

Authoritarian Parenting Style

Strict parenting approach where parents enforce high expectations and rigid rules. Prioritize obedience and discipline, often relying on punishment with limited warmth or responsiveness to the child’s needs.

Permissive Parenting Style

Relaxed approach to parenting where parents show warmth and responsiveness but have few rules and low expectations. Avoid strict rules.

Authoritative Parenting Style

Balanced approach to parenting, combining high expectations with warmth and support. Enforce clear rules and encourage independence, while being responsive and open to their children’s needs and supports.

Temperament

Innate traits that influence how children response to their environment, including their activity level emotional reactivity, and adaptability. Early-emerging characteristics are thought to form the basis for later personality development.

Imprinting

Rapid and instinctive form of early learning where certain animals, birds, form strong attachments to the first moving object they see shortly after birth or hatching.

Contact Comfort

Sense of security and emotions relief derived from physical touch between infants and caregivers.

Seperation Anxiety

Distress response experienced by infants or young children when separated from their primary caregiver.

Attachment Styles

Patterns of behavior that describe how children form emotional bonds with caregivers, influencing relationships later in life.

Secure Attachment

Pattern where children feel confident and trust that their caregiver will meet their needs.

Avoidant Attachments

Pattern where children exhibit independence and avoid seeking comfort from their caregiver, often resulting from caregivers who are emotionally unavailable or unresponsive.

Anxious Attachment

Pattern where children are overly clingy and anxious about separation from their caregiver, stemming from inconsistent caregiving.

Disorganized Attachment

Pattern characterized by inconsistent or confused behaviors toward a caregiver, often resulting from trauma or abuse.

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE)

Potentially traumatic events or conditions, such as abuse, neglect, or household dysfunction that occur before age 18 and have log-term impacts on health and well-being.

Microsystem

A child’s immediate surroundings include family, friends, and school. Positive interactions with supportive parents and caring teachers foster the child’s learning and wellbeing.

Mesosystem

The relationship between microsystem elements affect the child’s development, like how parental involvement in school activities enhances academic success.

Exosystem

The broader community indirectly impacts the child. EX: the parents workplace policies may affect family time, influencing the child’s emotional security.

Macrosystem

Cultural norms, economic conditions, and societal beliefs about education and success shape parental expectations, ultimately guiding the child’s values and ambitions.

Chronosystem

Major life transitions, like a family move to a new city, or historical events, like a global pandemic, affect the child’s long term developmental trajectory.

Emerging Adulthood

Traditional life stage from late teens to mid-20, marked by exploration and self-discovery as individuals navigate career paths, relationships, and personal identity.

Social Clock

Cultural timeline that sets expected ages for key life events like starting careers and getting married.

Adolescent Egocentrism

Stage in teenage, development marked by an increase self-focus, reading to beliefs that one’s experiences are unique, and the others are always observing them.

Imaginery Audience

Phenomenon in adolescence where individuals believe others are constantly watching and judging their behavior, making them highly self-conscious.

Personal Fable

Adolescent belief that one’s experiences are unique and special, often leading to feelings of invulnerability and an underestimation of potential risks.

Possible Selves

Various versions of individuals might become in the future, including ideal selves they hope to achieve and feared selves.

Social Identity

Individual’s sense of who they are based on their memberships in social groups, like nationality, religion, or profession.

Identity Diffusion

State where individuals has not yet explored or committed to life choices, regarding beliefs, goals, or values, often leading to uncertainty about their sense of self.

Identity Foreclose

Stage where individuals commit to goals, beliefs, or values without exploring alternatives, often adapting the expectations of parents or society.

Identity Moratorium

Stage which individuals actively explore different life paths, beliefs, and value but have not yet made a final commitment, often leading to a period of uncertainty and experimentation. (Exploring goals, but haven’t made a decision).

Identity Achievement

Stage where individuals have explored various life paths and made firm decisions about their beliefs, values, and goals.

Trust and Mistrust

From Birth to 18 months, infants learn whether or not they can trust the world to meet their basic needs through consistent and reliable care and affection from caregivers.

Autonomy and Shame and Doubt Stage

18 months to 3 years, toddlers seek to do things on their own through ecouragement and freedom to explore.

Initiative and Guilt Stage

3 to 6 years, children begin to initiate actions and make decisions through encouragement of independent activity.

Industry and Inferiority Stage

6-12 years, children strive to demonstrate skills and abilities through reinforcement in school and play.

Generativity and Stagnation Stage

40-65 years, this stage occurs through parenting, mentoring, and productivity.

Integrity and Despair Stage

65 years and older and occurs through life review and acceptance.

Intimacy and isolation

18-40 years and occurs through deepening relationships beyond one’s self.

Racial/ethnic Identity

Offers a sense of heritage, cultural belonging, and community that influence values, traditions, and social networks.

Religious Identity

Provides spiritual beliefs and values that guide decision-making and behavior, often linking them to a faith community.

Occupational Identity

Forms through interests, talents, and goals, influencing future career choices and aspirations.

Familal Identity

Involves how they see themselves within the family unit, shaping relationships, roles, and the expectations they internalize.