EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT & TEMPERAMENT

Fear of strangers / separation anxiety

Normal increases around 8–15 months.

Self-conscious emotions

Require sense of self: guilt, shame, pride, embarrassment.

Shame vs guilt

• Shame: Focus on self (“I’m bad”); motivates hiding.

• Guilt: Focus on behavior (“I did something wrong”); motivates repair.

Delay of gratification

Measured by marshmallow test; predicts later achievement, but strongly influenced by environment.

Temperament categories

• Easy: Cheerful, adaptable.

• Difficult: Intense, irregular.

• Slow-to-warm: Low activity, cautious.

Temperament × parenting

• Diathesis-stress: Some children do worse in bad environments.

• Differential susceptibility: “Orchid children” — do worse in bad contexts, better in supportive contexts.

• Goodness of fit: Child outcomes depend on how well parenting matches temperament.

How does adversity influence fear/anxiety?

Early deprivation (e.g., Romanian orphanages) →
elevated fear, indiscriminate friendliness, problems with regulation.

Cognitive developments needed for self-conscious emotions

Self-awareness, understanding rules and standards.

How is delay of gratification measured?

Wait for a larger reward vs. small immediate reward.

Has delay of gratification changed over time?

Kids today wait longer, not shorter—likely due to better executive function.

Front: What is goodness of fit?

Back: Parenting that matches a child’s temperament → better outcomes.

Front: What differentiates guilt from shame?

Back: Guilt = focus on behavior; shame = focus on self.

1. A child who does very poorly with harsh parenting but very well with warm parenting fits:
   

1. C. Differential susceptibility

1.     Self-conscious emotions require:

B. Self-awareness