A3 - Emotional development across the life stages Flashcards
Key terms/introduction
Emotional literacy = The ability to recognise, understand and appropriately express emotions. Emotional literacy is essential for forming positive social relationships.
Empathy = The ability to identify with/understand another’s situation or feelings, ‘walking a mile in someone else’s shoes’.
Attachment = A strong emotional connection between a child and caregiver.
Self-concept (sense of identity) = I do when is formed an early childhood of being an individual, a unique person and different from everyone else. It’s made up of self-image and self-esteem.
Self-image = The way an individual sees them selves, their mental image of themselves.
Self-esteem = How person feels about themselves, self-worth or pride.
Emotional development is the way in individual begins to feel about inviting themselves and other people. This forms the basis of emotional literacy and empathy. Emotional development begins with attachments which are on form so the main caregiver. If a child form is a strong attachment to their main caregiver, it can help to ensure positive self-image and good self-esteem.
Key features of emotional development throughout the lifespan
Infancy (0-2): Attachment
Bowlby (1953) argue that infants have an inbuilt need to form an attachment with a carer. The quality of this attachment may affect emotional development for the rest of the child’s life. Ainsworth at al. (1978) and Marris (1996) argue that the quality of our early attachment influences the assumptions we make about ourself and others. Infants who are securely attached will grow up with the emotional resources needed to cope with uncertainty in life. Infants who are in securely attached may have a reduced ability to cope with stress and major life events
Early childhood (3-8): Understanding self and others Children use their imagination to begin to understand the social roles that other people play. Children begin to imagine a ‘me’, an idea of self/self concept. Relationships with other family members may influence whether a child was valued or has a sense of self-worth. The way a child gets on with teachers and friends may influence their self-confidence. The child might develop a permanent sense of confidence or sense of failure and inferiority.
Adolescence (9-18): Identity
During adolescence, this sense of self continues to develop. An adolescent needs to develop a secure self-concept. A person needs a clear understanding of identity in order to feel secure when working with other people or in order to make a loving sexual attachment. This may be a stressful time and self-esteem may depend on developing identity.
Early/middle adulthood (19-65): Intimacy
In adulthood, an individual’s self-esteem is influenced by lifestyle such as their job or marital status. Self-image is affected by personal appearance and how others see you. Individuals need to learn to cope with emotional attachment to a sexual partner. This may involve not being too self-centred or defensive and not becoming emotionally isolated.
Later adulthood (65+): Making sense of your life Older people need a secure sense of self to enable them to cope with the physical changes associated with ageing and death. People who fail to make sense of their lives my experience emotional despair.
Attachment to caregivers and examples of reasons for poor attachment
Attachment to caregivers
A secure attachment to a main caregiver means that a child will feel secure, loved and have a sense of belonging. Caregivers are the secure base from which children explore the world around them. They are protectors and help the child feel happy, secure and confident. It is important that parents ensure that children have the physical, mental and emotional nourishment to develop healthily. Secure attachments in childhood lead to happier and healthier attachments with others in the future. If there is a lack of healthy attachment, then to mistrust of caregivers/adults in authority could develop. Insecure attachments can lead to behavioural issues, a lack of ability to receive affection or manipulative behaviour. Children may not develop the secure base necessary to cope with life events.
Parenting is one of the most important factors affecting children’s development. The way in which parents feel about their child and how they form a relationship with them is crucial. Babies need strong attachments in order to be emotionally and socially well-developed. Children with good attachments are likely to have more confidence, higher self-esteem and are, therefore, less likely to show clinginess and demanding behaviour. However, there are several factors that can affect the attachment process and impact on a child’s overall development.
Attachment may not go smoothly because of:
Prematurity - If a premature baby is in an incubator, they cannot be picked up and held. This can affect the attachment process.
Post-natal depression (PND) - Some mothers are depressed after birth, but PND lasts longer and may affect her mothers ability to bond with her baby.
Separation - Separation of parents from their baby (e.g. due to illness, bereavement all the parents divorcing) can affect attachment. This can impact on a baby sense of identity.
Foster care/adoption - ’Looked after children’ (children within the care system) may experience inconsistency of caregivers, which can affect attachments and their sense of identity.
Emotional unavailability - Maybe due to parents having problems with alcohol/drug abuse, illness or generally struggling with their role.
Disability - Some parents find it hard to attach to a baby with a disability, and they may struggle with their feelings. Some babies with disabilities may experience difficulty forming attachments.
Theories of attachment: Bowlby
Bowlby refers to attachment as a deep and enduring emotional bond that connects a child to their primary caregiver.
While working as a child psychologist during the 1930s, Bowlby began to consider a child’s relationship with their mother. Bowlby linked the importance of social, emotional and cognitive development to the relationship that the child had with their mother. He believed that children were biologically preprogrammed to form attachments and that infancy is a critical period for forming positive attachments. This led Bowlby to consider problems associated with early separation from the primary caregiver.
Working with James Robertson, will be observe the children experience separation anxiety – an intense distress - when separated from their mothers. The child’s distress and anxiety did not disappear, even when they were being fed by another carer. Bowlby suggested that attachment could be understood as evolving from the caregiver providing safety and security for the infant. According to Bowlby, infants have a universal need to seek close proximity with their caregiver when under stress/feeling threatened.
Criticisms of Bowlby
- Rotor argues that maternal deprivation in itself may not result in long-term problems. He suggests that privation is far more damaging. Privation happens when children have not had the opportunity to form attachments/have poor quality attachments caused by a lack of social/intellectual stimulation.
- Well Bowlby believed that attachment is a natural, biological process, others suggest that it is learned behaviour is influenced by factors such as the environment, culture and/or the babies temperament (nature/nurture debate).
Theories of attachment: Schaffer & Emerson
Research by Schaffer & Emerson suggests that babies are most likely to form attachments to caregivers who respond effectively to the signals. This is not necessarily the person they spend the most time with. This is referred to as sensitive responsiveness. The most important factor in forming attachments, therefore, is not the adult who feeds and change is the baby but I don’t have place and communicate with them.
Schaffer & Emerson’s sequence of attachment:
Up to 3 months: Most babies respond indiscriminately to any caregiver.
3-7 months: Inference can distinguish the difference between the main caregiver and other people. The infant will accept care from other people.
7-9 months: This is when the infant looks to particular people for security, comfort and protection. The baby shows fear of strangers (stranger anxiety) and unhappiness when separated from the main caregiver (separation anxiety) - some infants are more likely to display fear of strangers than others.
9 + months: The baby starts to become more independent and form several attachments, referred to as multiple attachments.
The development/importance of self-concept: Definitions and factors involved in developing positive/negative self-esteem
Positive self-esteem is an important part of emotional well-being. Self-esteem involves both self-confidence and self-acceptance. And children, self-esteem are shaped by what they think and feel about themselves. Children who have high self-esteem have an easier time in relationships, resisting pressure, making friends and having conflicts. Children with a positive self-esteem have a generally optimistic view of the world and their life in general. Babies and infants can achieve a growing sense of self and a positive self-esteem for the attachment which they develop the main caregivers.
By the time a child reaches the age of four, positive self-esteem is reinforced by what the child can do successfully and independently, and also by the feedback they receive from their carers. Parents and carers can help to foster child’s self-esteem by teaching problem-solving skills. They should also include children in tasks that provide a sense of accomplishment, asking children for their opinions and introducing children to social settings. Parents can also encourage young children to except failure as well as success - seeing it as a learning experience a lot of negative process.
In contrast, children with low self-esteem can become passive, withdrawn and depressed. They children have difficulty dealing with problems, very self-critical and speak negatively about themselves. A number of factors impact on children’s self-esteem. They may be experiencing difficulties at school (e.g. completing school work, being bullied or not having friends). There could be stress at home, sibling rivalry or parents arguing. Children facing these problems become pessimistic about themselves and life in general. They can become easily frustrated and see temporary problems as permanent issues.
The physical and emotional changes which occur during puberty and adolescents come hasn’t new challenges to be on paper. Fitting in with peer groups and gaining acceptance is very important. This is a period when young people can learn from their own mistakes and take responsibility for their own actions. Self-esteem can become fragile and may change from day today. Many teenagers become overly concerned about their physical appearance and how they are viewed/accepted by their peers. Body image is an essential part of the young person self-esteem. Young people who have a poor body image (e.g who think they’re fat, ugly or not muscular enough) can experience low self-esteem.
There has been research into low self-esteem and young people and the problems which are associated with it. For example poor school achievement, behaviour problems, experiencing bullying, teenage pregnancy, smoking and using alcohol/drugs. Other factors include refusing to go to school, depression and thoughts of suicide.
Self-esteem is not fixed and may fluctuate through the lifestages. In adulthood, the factors that impact on self-esteem may change. Career development and other personal achievements will increase a persons self worth while stress and life events that are difficult to cope with, so in a lack of confidence and negative self-esteem.
The development/importance of self-concept: Definitions and factors involved in developing positive/negative self-image
Self-image is the mental picture, a personal view that an individual has of themselves. In other words it is like an internal dictionary which describes the individuals characteristics (e.g. intelligent, talented, kind, selfish, ugly, beautiful, fat or thin).
Self-image is the term and another childhood by the quality of social interaction and the influence of parents/caregivers. A parent who makes positive comments about the child’s parents in a consistent way they foundations for positive self image. If a parent either ignores a child or constantly makes negative comments then this can impact on the way the child begins to see and think about themselves. Experiences with other people, teachers, family and friends can reinforce what we think and feel about ourselves. Examples, if a young person is being made fun of and bullied because of the way they look, then this can lead to physical and psychological problems.
An individual self-image can be a real or distorted view of how they actually are. It does not necessarily reflect reality. Feelings about image can become internalised and affect how the individual acts. During adolescence, physical appearance becomes particularly important because young people have to come to terms of changes in their body shape and sometimes unwonted physical characteristics, such as acne. Media often protrude an ideal image of the female and male figure in advertise meant. Self image is more than what an individual looks like or how other people see the individual. It is also how a person thinks, feels and reacts to self perceived physical attributes. A young person with anorexia or bulimia who is thin may have a self-image in which they see themselves as fat. A negative body image can lead to psychological problems including anxiety, eating disorders, depression and a negative feeling of self-worth.
Self image of my life events and social roles. He is in France how others see us and how we define ourselves. Roles such as learner, parent remember the football team not only help others to recognise the status of an individual but also provide guidelines for behaviour. Life events, Rose and status inference personal traits that can also be an important part of self image. This lead to self description that can include things like, ‘I am impulsive’, ‘I am generous’, ‘I tend to worry a lot’.
Interestingly, younger people have a tendency to describe themselves in terms of personality traits where as older people feel defined by their social status. For example, ‘I am a wife’, ‘I am a mother’, ‘I am a midwife’, ‘I am a member of the badminton team’, etc.
Understanding self image is very important because it explains how individual thinks about themselves and how they interact with other people and the world around them. A positive self-image can enhance physical, social, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being.
