3.6a: Social-Emotional Development Across the Lifespan

Separation anxiety: excessive anxiety/fear when separated from major attachment figures

Stranger anxiety: fear of strangers infants commonly display

Temperament: a person’s characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity

Self-concept: all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves in answer to the question, “Who am I?” (emerges gradually)

Ecological Systems Theory

Ecological Systems Theory: explains how a person’s development is influenced by various environmental views

→ Using 5 nested systems — ranging from direct to indirect influences

1) Microsystem

2) Mesosystem

3) Exosystem

4) Macrosystem

5) Chronosystem

→ Examples of Chronosystem:

  • historical events

  • environmental changes

  • parent’s employment status

  • societal economic changes

  • changes in family structure

  • personal life transitions (puberty, starting school)

Origins of Attachment

Attachment: an emotional tie w/ others — shown in young children by seeking closeness to caregivers & sharing distress to separation

Body Contact

  • Contact comfort: physical and emotional security an infant derives from major attachment figures

  • Secure base: safe, reliable, emotional, and physical foundation provided by a primary caregiver

    • as we mature, our secure base shifts; parents → peers & partners

Attachment Differences

Strange situation: a procedure for studying child-caregiver attachment

→ a child is placed in an unfamiliar environment while their caregiver leaves and then returns, then the child’s reactions are observed

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Types of Attachments

→ Secure attachment: demonstrated by infants who comfortably explore environments in the presence of their caregiver, show only temporary distress when the caregiver leaves & find comfort in the caregiver’s return

→ Insecure attachment: demonstrated by infants who display either a clinging, anxious attachment or an avoidant attachment that resists closeness

  • they are less likely to explore their surroundings

→ Disorganized attachment: infants exhibit no consistent, coherent strategy for managing stress and behavior during these separations and reunions

Attachment Styles

Basic trust: a sense that the world is predictable and trustworthy; said to be formed during infancy by appropriate experiences w/ responsive caregivers

Anxious attachment: people constantly crave acceptance but remain alert to signs of possible rejections

  • creates constant concern over rejection

Avoidant attachment: people experience discomfort when getting close to others & use avoidant strategies to maintain distance from others

  • decreases commitment and increases conflict

Parenting Styles

* Parenting styles depend on demandness & responsiveness