Social and Emotional Development Chapter

Social and Emotional Development in Middle Childhood

• Middle childhood encompasses ages 6 to 12.
• Social and Emotional Development is a complex process.
• This period is characterized by significant changes in self-concept, emotional regulation, and social relationships.
• Peer relationships become more complex, and peer influence plays an increasingly important role.
• Moral development progresses from a focus on external consequences to considering internal values and principles.

Chapter Outline

• The chapter includes theories about social and emotional development in middle childhood.
• Self-development is examined.
• Emotional development is discussed.
• Gender development is considered.
• Families and peers are studied, along with how they impact the subject.
• Moral development is a main focus of the chapter as well.

Peer Victimization

• Three different types of peer victimization are covered:

  • Bully: Aggressive toward peers, rarely attacked in return.
  • Victim: Includes aggressive victims, who provoke peers. They react aggressively to threats or attacks. There are also passive victims who submit to aggressors.
  • Bully-victim: Represents a troubled group; exhibit the highest level of conduct, school, and relationship problems.

• A national survey in Korea of 1181 fifth and sixth-grade students showed 16.1% had been victims of bullying, while 11.9% had been identified as bullies.

Outcomes of Peer Victimization

• Victims of bullying exhibit higher rates of headaches, sleep disturbances, abdominal pain, tiredness, and depression.
• Bully-victims display the largest problems in conduct, school, and interpersonal relationships.

Friendships

• Children's friendships are usually based on similarity.
• Six critical functions for friendships exist:
  • Companionship
  • Stimulation
  • Physical support
  • Ego support
  • Social comparison
  • Affection and intimacy
• Developmental advantages occur when children have socially skilled and supportive friends.

Moral Development

• Piaget's view:

  • Heteronomous morality (ages 4-7): Rules are absolute and unchangeable, and judgments are based solely on consequences. Punishment immediately follows rule breaking
  • Transition Period (ages 7-10): A transitional period in moral judgment where individuals consider both consequences and intentions.
  • Autonomous morality (ages 10+): Rules are created by people, and judgments consider both actions and intentions.

• Kohlberg's theory:

  • Inspired by Piaget's work, extending it by interviewing children and adolescents regarding moral dilemmas.
  • Kohlberg proposed 6 universal stages of moral development:
    • Preconventional: Stages 1 & 2
    • Conventional: Stages 3 & 4
    • Postconventional: Stages 5 & 6

Kohlberg's Stages of Moral Development

• Preconventional:

  • Stage 1: Heteronomous morality: Moral behavior is tied to punishment. Obeying rules to avoid punishment.
  • Stage 2: Individualism, instrumental purpose, and exchange: Individuals pursue their interests and seek equal exchange.

• Conventional:

  • Stage 3: Mutual interpersonal expectations, relationships, and interpersonal conformity: Seeking approval from others and behaving to be a "good boy" or a "good girl."
  • Stage 4: Social systems morality: Understanding the social order, laws, justice, and duty to follow rules

• Postconventional:

  • Stage 5: Social contract or utility and individual rights: Values, rights, and principles transcend the law. Protecting fundamental human rights.
  • Stage 6: Universal ethical principles: An internalized moral principle based on universal human rights.

• Criticisms of Kohlberg's theory:

  • Is there a consistent developmental progression?
  • Is the level of moral judgment consistent across various moral issues?

Explore the complexities of social and emotional development during middle childhood, ages 6 to 12. This chapter discusses self-concept, emotional regulation, peer relationships, and moral development theories. Delve into how families and peers influence growth in these critical years.