Chapter 8 Flashcards
industry versus inferiority
The fourth of Erikson’s eight psychosocial crises, during which children attempt to master many skills, developing a sense of themselves as either industrious or inferior, competent or incompetent.
self-concept
Children’s idea about themselves, including about their intelligence, personality, abilities, gender, and ethnicity.
adjustment-erosion model
suggests that emotional problems at age 6 (the overly aggressive or pathologically shy first-grader) affect later academic difficulties more than vice versa
social comparison
The tendency to assess one’s abilities, achievements, social status, and other attributes by measuring them against those of other people, especially one’s peers.
Resilience
The capacity to adapt well to significant adversity and to overcome serious stress.
parentification
When a child acts more like a parent than a child. Parentification may occur if the actual parents do not act as caregivers, making a child feel responsible for the family.
What is the difference between Erikson’s stages for children in early and middle childhood?
The younger child explores many things (initiative), and the older child want to complete various tasks (industry).
Why is social comparison particularly powerful during middle childhood?
Children become very aware of peers, but they are not yet ready to accept and appreciate the many differences among people.
Why do cultures differ in how they value pride or modesty?
This may be a product of larger culture values, with those celebrating the individual emphasizing pride and those celebrating the group emphasizing modesty.
How do gender and ethnicity affect self-concept?
Depending on the society, children may learn that their gender or ethnic group is consider better or worse than others. That idea about their group can affect their self-esteem, again for better or worse.
What is the difference between resilience and enduring difficult circumstances?
Resilience includes bouncing back and even benefiting from difficulty, and thus resilience is not simply endurance.
What is the role of mothers in coping with stress?
If children are securely attached to their mothers, her presence and care relieves stress that would be harmful when alone.
Why and when might minor stresses be more harmful than major stresses?
Minor stresses are more harmful if they accumulate, chipping away at coping. In addition, minor stresses might not be recognized by others, which makes it less likely that other people will help a person cope with them. This is particularly true if the minor stress is part of daily life, which it might be if is occurs at home, at school, at work, or in the neighborhood.
How might a child’s interpretation of events help them cope with repeated stress?
Cognitive coping can be the best defense, if the child believes that the stress is not personal to them and if the child thinks that the stress is temporary. For this the reassurance of others-relatives, friends, teachers-may be crucial in helping the child reassess.
Family structure
The legal and genetic relationships among relatives living in the same home. Possible structures include nuclear family, extended family, stepfamily, single-parent family, and many others.
Standard North American Family (SNAF)
A family with a mother and a father and their biological children, which is no longer the norm in the United States.
Extended family
A family of relatives in addition to the nuclear family, usually three or more generations living in one household.
Skipped family
the parent generation is missing, and the grandparents are sole caregivers
polygamous family
occurs when one person has more than one marriage partner
