Untitled Quiz

Parent-Child Communication and Child's Development of Self-Concept

• Topic: Exploring the effect of Microsystem on children's social development
• Subtopics:
  • How young children develop a concept of who they are
  • How disciplinary styles affect children's social development
  • Key to effective adult-child interaction

Self-Concept: Who Am I?

• Definition: The set of attributes, abilities, attitudes, and values that an individual believes defines who they are. (Berk, 2016)
• Development: A blending of many factors
• Age 2-6: Children begin to form and develop self-concept.

Development of Self-Concept (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010)

• Ages 1-2: Aware of self as physically distinct. Cause people and objects to react in predictable ways. Use their name or personal pronoun to label themselves. Recognize images of self in mirrors and photos.

How to Promote Infant's Development of Self?

• Use of mirrors
• Use of pictures
• Consistent, predictable experiences for infants to develop a sense of belonging

Toddlerhood

• Toddler speech: "Mine" when claiming a favored possession, "Me" when referring to their image in a mirror. Notice the impact or power of their behavior on others.
• Development: Talk about age and sex (e.g., "I am two, I am a girl").

Preschool Children

• Self-perception: Preschool children view themselves in an overly positive light. (Harter, 2006)
• Self-descriptions: Concrete terms like physical attributes, abilities, possessions, social affiliation, preferences, and simple emotions/attitudes. (Harter, 2003)

6-10 Years

• Shift in thinking: Children shift from a here-and-now focus to thinking about more abstract characteristics like the past, present, and future.
• Self-concept: Emphasize personality traits and both positive and negative attributes in self-concept (e.g., "I am popular").
• Social comparisons: Make social comparisons among multiple individuals (e.g., "I run faster than John").

Self-Esteem

• Definition: The aspect of self-concept that involves judgments about one's own worth and the feelings associated with those judgments. (Berk, 2005)
• Dimensions: Worth, competence, and control. (Bagwell & Schmidt, 2011)
• Judgments: Make positive and negative judgments about self-worth, often made in comparison to internalized standards or expectations. (Harter, 2006)

Relationship Between Self-Concept and Self-Esteem

• Closely related?: The question of the close relationship between self-concept and self-esteem is raised for discussion.

The Importance of Self-Esteem

• Relation to happiness: Self-esteem is strongly related to happiness. (Furnham & Cheng, 2000)
• Interpersonal relationships: There's a high correlation between self-esteem and interpersonal relationships. (Leary & McDonald, 2003)
• Sociability and assertiveness: Children with high esteem are more sociable, outgoing, and assertive. (Leary & McDonald, 2003)

Parenting Styles and Children's Social Development

• Parent-child relationship: The parent-child relationship is crucial for children learning about life, love, safety, and their place in the world. Children imitate parents and learn about themselves, their family, and the community.
• Parenting Focus: Parenting is less about managing child behavior and more about managing the contexts in which children live, learn, and play.
• Parenting Styles (Baumrind 1979, 2013; Maccoby & Martin, 1983): Differentiates between Authoritarian, Authoritative, Permissive, and Uninvolved parenting styles.

Authoritarian Parenting Style

• Characteristics: High demandingness, low responsiveness. Values tradition and order, viewing obedience and conformity as virtues. The child's opinion is not considered, and the parent-centered approach prevails. The child always loses.
• Effects: Fails to meet the child's psychological needs, does not encourage autonomy, and does not support individual development.
• Child behavior profile: Aimless, fearful, hostile, low self-reliance, unhappy, suspicious, unfriendly, withdrawn, and aggressive.

Authoritative Parenting Style

• Characteristics: High demandingness and high responsiveness. Sets limits and standards for appropriate behavior. Parents are warm and nurturing, firm, and consistent with appropriate rules. Encourages autonomy(choice and decision making) and conformity to group standards.
• Communication: Uses reasoning, negotiation, and suggestions to gain cooperation.
• Effects: Healthy parent-child relationship, based on reciprocity. A positive emotional climate that is good for developing self-esteem, with a balance between control and independence.
• Child behavior profile: Cooperativeness, empathy, feelings of security, friendliness, goal-oriented, happy, helpful, high achievement, high self-reliance, high self-control, and a moderate positive effect on self-esteem.

Permissive Parenting Style

• Characteristics: Warm but low in demandingness. Do not force children to obey or clearly communicate and enforce rules; disciplines are inconsistent. Yields to coercion and whining, and permits the child to make many decisions before they are ready.
• Effects: Little control over children’s behaviors.
• Child behavior profile: Aggressive, aimless, domineering, immature, impulsive, low achievers, low self-reliance, low self-control, rebellious, unhappy, withdrawn, and a small positive effect on self-esteem.

Uninvolved Parenting Style

• Characteristics: Self-centered, neglectful, and unresponsive. Child's welfare is not a primary concern.Tries to minimize costs of interaction. Fails to monitor the child's activities. May show emotional issues such as depression or anxiety.
• Effects: Little to no interest in child’s behaviors
• Child behavior profile: Aggressive, immature, impulsive, insecure, irresponsible, low achievers, low self-esteem, low self-reliance, and self-control, moody, and compliant.

Key to Effective Parenting

• Ongoing communication: Ongoing parent-child communication and a two-way social interaction.
• Positive expectations: Clearly and positively state expectations (what you want versus what you do not want).
• Verbal and Non-verbal Communication: Effective techniques that convey meaning in different situations; examples include positive verbal environment, body language, facial expression, sincere tone of voice, and the parent's actions.
• Example: “Take two crackers” vs “Don’t run,” which one is better.
• Positive feedback: Meaningful feedback focused on what a child has done well. Recognizing the child's competence.

Culture and Parenting

• Cultural variations: A study by Ren & Edwards (2014) about Chinese parents and children. Chinese parents' earlier expectations for their children are linked to higher levels of authoritative parenting which is related to better parent-reported child social competence.

Other Considerations

• Praise vs. Encouragement: If adults commend children indiscriminately, children discount the praise. (Alberto & Troutman, 2009) Excessive praise can reduce intrinsic motivation. Effective encouragement is specific, compares progress to past performance, attributes success to effort/ability, links actions to satisfaction, and is individualized.
• Positive Climate in Parent-Child Microsystem: A positive climate is crucial for nurturance, responsiveness (acknowledging children’s feelings), and reciprocity.

Additional Information

• References Provide a list of sources. This should include information on the authors, titles, and publication details to help with locating the original material.