10. First Three Years Psychosocial Development Brief 2025 Posting

FIRST THREE YEARS

Psychosocial Development

Emotional Development

Key Emotions in Infancy

• Contentment

• Distress/Crying

• Joy

• Surprise

• Sadness

• Disgust

• Embarrassment

• Envy

• Empathy

• Anger/Fear

Emotional Progression

• First 6 months: Emerging joy, surprise, and distress.

• 15 to 24 months: Introduction of complex emotions such as embarrassment and empathy, alongside self-referential behavior.

• Ages 2½ to 3 years: Development of shame, guilt, pride, and mastery over emotions.

Social Referencing

• Infants look to adults' reactions to gauge their emotional response, indicating the importance of social cues in emotional development.

Temperament

Understanding Temperament

• Defined as an individual's characteristic behavioral style and emotional response.

• Temperament can be observed from a very young age.

Example of Temperament

• A video example illustrates a baby's frustration when attempting to drink from a straw, showcasing early temperament traits.

New York Longitudinal Study

Overview

• Conducted by Stella and Chess in the 1950s, assessing temperament through regular interviews with mothers.

• Babies were rated across 9 dimensions leading to a categorization into four temperament types.

Findings

• Easy Babies: 40%

• Difficult Babies: 10%

• Slow-to-Warm-Up Babies: 15%

• Average Babies: 35%

Conclusions

• Temperament differences emerge at birth and remain stable over time, regardless of parenting style.

• The notion of "goodness of fit" indicates how well the child's temperament aligns with parenting styles impacts developmental outcomes.

Biological Basis of Temperament

Research by Jerome Kagan

• Inhibited children show specific biological markers:

  • Higher resting heart rates

  • Greater pupil dilation in response to new stimuli

  • Elevated cortisol levels (stress hormone)

• Kagan's findings link temperament to biological factors.

Attachment Theory

Emotional Development in Early Years

• Erikson's Stage 1 (Birth to 18 months): Trust vs. Mistrust

  • Infants form expectations based on interactions, leading to feelings of trust or mistrust.

Strange Situation Study

• Assessment episodes:

  • Parent and infant in the room

  • Parent, infant, and stranger

  • Infant with stranger alone

  • Reactions to varying scenarios measure attachment styles (Secure, Insecure, Avoidant, Resistant, Disorganized).

Erikson's Stage 2** (18 months to 3 years): Autonomy vs. Shame/Doubt**

• Focus on gaining independence.

  • Autonomy: Sense of capability

  • Shame and Doubt: Feelings of insecurity from criticism.

Socialization and Compliance

Early Lessons in Socialization

• Learning permissible behavior begins early.

• Conscience development includes emotional responses to wrongdoing and self-regulation.

Impact of Parenting Style

• Research by Kochanska on compliance types:

  • Committed Compliance

  • Situational Compliance

  • Receptive Cooperation

• Emphasizes gentle guidance rather than negative control influences compliance and conscience.

Summary of Psychosocial Development (First Three Years)

• Focus on emotional development, temperament, attachment, autonomy, and socialization as foundational aspects of early psychosocial growth.