Development in Context: Families, Peers and the Sociocultrual World Flashcards
Family changes throughout the world
- delayed marriages, decreased birth rate and smaller families
- more diverse family structures
- more multigenerational families
- members spatially dispersed
Families in SA: most children grow up in…
- 63% extended families
- 35% nuclear families
Functions of the family
- survival goal
- economic goal
- cultural goal
Family systems theory
The family consists of interrelated parts, each of which affects and is affected by every other part, and each of which contributes to the functioning of the whole.
Attachment
the close relationship between the infant and their caregiver
factors that influence attachment security
- quality of caregiving
- infant characteristics
- the broader context
Bowlby’s early attachment theory
the first attachment relationship shapes later development and the quality of later relationships through internal working models of self and others.
Secure
- positive image of self and of others
- secure attachment history
- healthy balance of attachment and autonomy
Preoccupied
- positive image of others, negative image of self
- resistant attachment history
- desperate for love to feel worthy as a person
- worry about abandonment
- express anxiety and danger openly
Dismissing
- negative model of others, positive model of self
- avoidant attachment history
- shut out emotions
- defend against hurt by avoiding intimacy
- dismissing the importance of relationships
- compulsively self-reliant
Fearful
- negative model of self, negative model of others
- disorganised-disorientated attachment history
- need relationships but doubt own worth and fear intimacy
- lack a coherent strategy for meeting attachment needs
Infants in institutions attachment style…
tend to show disturbed social and emotional adjustment in childhood.
Fathers in many cultures…
- spend less time interacting with infants
- spend more time in rough-and-tumble play
impact of a new baby on the marital relationship is influenced by…
- age and length of marriage
- expectations of parenthood
- family histories
- social support
- infant temperament and behaviour
- prior quality of marital relationship
- shared caregiving
The impact of the marital relationship on the infant
Parents who have a close, supportive relationship with each other are often more involved, patient, sensitive and responsive with their babies than those who have a tense or negative relationship.
Authoritative parent
High acceptance
high control
-Children of authoritative parents: cheerful, self-controlled, cooperative, socially and academically competent
Authoritarian
low acceptance
high control
-Children of authoritarian parents: unhappy, irritable and/or dependent
Permissive
high acceptance
low control
-Children of permissive parents: impulsive, rebellious and poor achievers
Neglectful
low acceptance
low control
-Children of neglectful parents: aggressive and antisocial
Cultural bias of parenting style
Certain parenting styles are more popular and more effective in some cultures than in others.
“Competent” parenting is not necessarily middle-class western patterns of child rearing, but rather the style of parenting that encourages the particular abilities that children will need for success within their particular (sub)culture.
Child influences on parents
Children’s personality characteristics influence the parenting they receive.
Parent-adolescent closeness
Adolescents who are securely attached to their parents tend to be better adjusted and more socially competent.
Parent-adolescent conflict
- In most cultures, conflict with parents increases in early adolescence.
- However, conflict is more common in cultures that value autonomy than in those that value interdependence.
The role of grandparents
- Carer or surrogate parent
- Companion, friend, and confidante
- Mentor, teacher, and role model
- Family historian
- Provider of tangible support
Grandparents raising grandchildren
Although custodial grandparenting can be stressful, research from sub-Saharan Africa has found that children who live with a grandmother (and no mother) are just as well-adjusted psychologically as those living with their mothers.
the impact of grandparents on children’s development
Grandparents can promote children’s development both directly, by forming warm relationships with them, and indirectly, by providing parents with child-rearing advice, models of child-rearing, and financial assistance.
Children raised in poverty are more likely to:
- perform poorly at school
- become involved in delinquent behaviour
- have unwanted pregnancies
- develop emotional problems
why do poverty related problems occur? direct effects
Children in poverty often have less adequate:
- prenatal and antenatal environments
- housing, nutrition and medical care
- school and play environments
why do poverty related problems occur? indirect effects
Poverty has negative effects on the emotional well-being of caretakers, and in turn on family life and the quality of child care.
child maltreatment
Any interaction, or lack of interaction, by a parent or caretaker which results in non-accidental harm to the child’s physical and/or developmental state
types of maltreatment
- physical abuse
- sexual abuse
- physical neglect
- emotional maltreatment
What are the effects of maltreatment?
- Emotional problems
- Behaviour problems
- Social problems
- Cognitive deficits and academic difficulties
-Effects seem to be similar for children who witness family violence but are not themselves abused.
why does child maltreatment occur? the microsystem
- the abuser risk factors:
- Psychopathology and substance abuse
- History of abuse
- Reliance on power-assertive discipline
- Insecurity, low self-esteem
- Difficulty appreciating child’s perspective and needs
- Unreasonable expectations of children - the abused risk factors:
- Younger age
- Gender
- “Difficult” temperament
why does child maltreatment occur? the exosystem
Abuse is most common in poor, stressed families with little social support.
why does child maltreatment occur? the macrosystem
- Acceptance of violence and physical punishment as a means of power and control
- Unequal power relations
how to prevent child abuse
- Identifying high-risk families and teaching coping and parenting skills
- Education
- Legal and policy changes
- Attacking social problems like unemployment, poverty and substance abuse