Lecture 10: Development of Self and Peer Relationships Flashcards
implicit self
the sense that one has a body that can experience and act on the world and that this body is separate from the world
when does the implicit self emerge?
it’s present from birth
how do we know when the implicit sense of self emerges?
the rooting reflex
self-concept
an organized set of beliefs about oneself
what question does the self-concept answer?
“Who am I?”
what does the self-concept include?
personality traits, physical characteristics, abilities, values, and roles
when does the self-concept emerge?
around 18 months
how do we know when the self-concept emerges?
the rouge test
when do children start using the “me” pronoun and start calling themselves by their name
around 18 months
how does a child’s self-concept develop?
primarily by internalizing others’ perceptions of them
direct development of the self-concept
The caregiver describes a child in a certain way and the child incorporates that description into their self-concept
example of direct development of the self-concept
being told they’re good at math
indirect development of the self-concept
how children are treated
example of indirect development of the self-concept
caregiving experiences shape internal working models
what is the first characteristic present in children’s self-concept?
gender
when do children form a basic sense of gender identity?
2.5-3 years old
how does gender identity begin
by identifying as a boy or girl and labelling others as boys or girls
gender socialization
The process through which children learn about the social expectations, attitudes, and behaviours associated with girls and boys by internalizing the messages received about gender and caregivers and wider society
when does gender socialization begin?
from birth
gender socialization at birth
Parents of day-old infants describe newborn girls as softer, less strong, more delicate, and quieter than newborn boys
baby x studies
studies in which researchers label the same infant as a boy or a girl and then observe how adults interact with the infant
baby x studies findings
- Infants labelled as boys are rated as bigger, stronger, louder, and more likely to be encouraged to be active
- Infants labelled as girls received more talk and nurturance
gender socialization and crawling study question
how does gender shape parents’ expectations about motor skills?
gender socialization and crawling study method
parents of 11-month-olds estimated the steepest slope their infants could safely crawl down without falling by setting the angle on a mechanical sloping walkway. Infants were then tested on their actual crawling skills down slopes of different angles
gender socialization and crawling study results
- Parents of girls tended to underestimate their infant’s crawling ability
- Parents of boys more accurately estimated their ability
- When tested on their actual skills, boys and girls did not differ on the slopes they could safely crawl down
gender socialization and crawling study takeaway
this suggests that gender differences in motor skills only exist in the parent’s perception
gender socialization and play
- Parents present boys with more physical challenges than girls
- They are more likely to offer girls more help
gender socialization and language differences
- Parents are more likely to use emotional words with girls than boys in early childhood
- Emotional understanding thus develops earlier in girls
gender socialization and toy purchases
boys have more toy trucks and girls have 5x more pink toys by 12-month-olds
gender socialization and division of household chores
home in which parents take on more traditional gender roles in completing chores are communicating gender roles
gender socialization and media exposure
more TV viewing by preschoolers is associated with them being more likely to see boys as better than girls
gender self-socialization
- Once a child identify with a gender, they actively seek out gender-related information and conform their behaviour to this information
- This highlights children’s role in their gender development
gender self-socialization of 3-5-year-olds
- rigid, gender-stereotyped behaviour
- They show a preference for toys and clothes that are consistent with gender identity
- Preference for same-gender playmates
- Due to the lack of gender constancy
gender self-socialization across cultures
This is cross-cultural
gender constancy
the understanding that gender remains the same regardless of superficial changes to appearance or behaviour
gender self-socialization of 6-year-olds
- rigid, gendered behaviour relaxes because gender constancy is achieved
- They accept more non-gendered appearance and toy preferences in themselves and others
gender self-socialization of older children
- they acquire more complex ideas and expectations about gender that include traits, roles, abilities, etc.
- they incorporate these into their self-concepts and adjust their behaviour accordingly
implications of gender identity
- Gender is a central characteristic that organizes children’s self-concepts
- Adherence to gender stereotypes can unnecessarily limit children’s development in educational aspirations, social development, and emotional expression
- The extent to which a child behaves in gender-consistent ways is associated with their level of peer acceptance
peer acceptance and gender-inconsistent behaviour
- Even though children increase their gender flexibility with age, they tend to reject peers who do not behave in typically gendered ways
- Greater engagement with peers of the same gender is a powerful way that gender stereotypes and identities are reinforced
impacts of gender-neutral parents on children
When parents have more egalitarian views and behaviours, children tend to have less traditional gender-role attitudes
gender-neutral parenting
conscious parenting practices to encourage children to explore and express themselves in a way that is not defined by traditional gender roles
where is gender-neutral parenting most common?
WEIRD countries
examples of gender-neutral parenting
not enforcing gender-specific colours, encouraging all activities
sex
assigned at birth and usually based on external genitalia
cisgender children
children who identify with their assigned sex
transgender children
children who don’t identify with their assigned sex
socially transitioned
a transgender person whose outward appearance and pronoun use is consistent with gender identity
gender development of trans vs. cisgender kids study aim
comparison of gender development of transgender and cisgender children
gender development of trans vs. cisgender kids study method
- 317 transgender children aged 3-12 who had socially transitioned
- 316 age and gender-matched cisgender children
- 189 cisgender siblings of the transgender children
- Reported on the strength of gender identity and gender-stereotyped preferences
gender development of trans vs. cisgender kids study findings
transgender children show strong identification and preferences aligned with their current gender in a way that is very similar to cisgender children
gender development of trans vs. cisgender kids study implications
- Transgender children’s gender development follows similar patterns to cisgender children’s development
- The lack of differences between siblings and controls suggests that there is nothing unique about the home gender socialization of transgender children
- Self-socialization plays a strong role in gender identity
implications of self-socialization on gender identity
- Suggests that there is something internal about gender identity; it isn’t just the role of socialization
- Children, from an early age, may be selectively attending to broader societal messages regarding the gender they feel they are
self-concept in early childhood
- Gender is central to self-concept
- Concrete, observable characteristics that tend to focus on physical attributes and physical activities
- Unrealistically positive and confident (the result of cognitive limitations)
what ages make up early childhood?
3-5 years old
what ages make up middle childhood?
7-12 years old
self-concept in middle childhood
- Describe the self using personality traits and inner qualities
- The self-concept is more balanced and accurate (includes weaknesses but is still positive overall)
what explains the changes in self-concept from early childhood to middle childhood?
- Increased cognitive ability to use higher-order concepts and to think about multiple qualities simultaneously
- Greater engagement in social comparison and more strongly influenced by the opinions of others
what ages make up adolescence?
13-18 years old
self-concept in adolescence
- Can think of themselves in increasingly abstract ways
- They have more intense concerns about social acceptance, which heavily influences their self-concept
- Egocentrism
- Imaginary audience
- Aware of differences in behaviour in different social settings leading to confusion and many questions about identity
egocentrism in adolescence
- Especially in early-mid adolescence
- They assume their thoughts and feelings are more unique than they are
imaginary audience
the belief that everyone is very focused on their appearance and behaviour
forming an identity
Forming an identity is the primary psychosocial task of adolescence/early adulthood
how is identity formed?
exploration and commitment
exploration
- questioning of parental and societal values and experimenting with various facets of identity
- This includes appearance, hobbies, traits, friends, etc.
committment
consolidation and acceptance of who one is as indicated by the choices one makes
typical trajectory of identity formation
diffusion -> moratorium/foreclosure -> achievement
identity diffusion
- lack of exploration of options and no commitments made
- Due to a lack of interest in one’s identity or indecision
what age group is associated with identity diffusion?
children
what happens if identity diffusion persists into late adolescence/ adulthood
it is associated with feeling disconnected, being easily influenced by others, and having little sense of purpose