Lecture_11_Life Cycle I_Infancy to Preschool

Question 1

describe the basic psychosocial and developmental tasks for children of this age range (infancy to preschool):

describe the basic parental tasks associated with the developmental stages within this age range (infancy to preschool):

recognize common behavioral concerns of this period of development:

describe the relationship between temperament and attachment:

identify key results of attuned parenting:

define a transitional object:

Question 2

describe the basic psychosocial and developmental tasks for children of this age range (infancy to preschool):

Infancy (birth-18 months):

• What is the major task during this stage?
• What is the critical factor in accomplishing developmental tasks during this stage?
• What is the primary psychological task during this stage?

Answer 2

• What is the major task during this stage?
  
  • to learn trust through appropriate & attuned responsiveness leading to a secure attachment (trust vs. mistrust)
• What is the critical factor in accomplishing developmental tasks during this stage?
  
  • neurological development is a critical factor in accomplishing developmental tasks
    
    • normal perinatal development prepares an infant for attachment (myelination occurs @ this time, numerous neuronal connections, transient exuberance, etc.)
• What is the primary psychological task during this stage?
  
  • primary psychological task is to establish a secure attachment to mother (or at least one other person) leading to basic trust
    
    • infants are programmed to form attachments
    • by 2 days, infants show a preference for their mother’s face.
    • within a week, infant recognizes mother’s voice and sell of her breast milk

Question 3

describe the relationship between temperament and attachment:

Temperament & Attachment:

• What is the connection between temperament & attachment?

Answer 3

• What is the connection between temperament & attachment?
  
  • temperament = “constitutionally based individual differences in emotional, motor, and attentional reactivity and self-regulation”
  • generally, “a difficult child is more affected by a mother’s responsiveness than a positive child is”
  • a difficult temperament + ineffective parenting = future difficulties (desructive, antisocial)
  • if a child has a difficult temperament, it is extremely important for a connective figure to connect well/adapt themselves to their child with high needs
    ​

Question 4

identify key results of attuned parenting:

Sensitive & Attuned Parenting:

• What are the impacts of sensitive and attuned parenting on the development of symbiosis?
• What are the results of senstive and attuned parenting on infants?
• What happens when symbiotic attachment fails?
• What happens with disrupted attachment and what areas should be evaluated?

Answer 4

• What are the impacts of sensitive and attuned parenting on the development of symbiosis?
  
  • Sensitive & attuned parenting plays a role in creating a symbiotic attachment
  • This requires the capacity to:
    
    • be aware of baby’s signals
    • accurately interpret baby’s signals
    • respond appropriately
    • respond promptly
• What are the results of senstive and attuned parenting on infants?
  
  • ​infants:
    
    • cry less
    • develop a wider repertoire of communication
    • are more obedient to the commands of the mother
• What happens when symbiotic attachment fails?
  • inability to keep rules
  • lack of guilt experience
  • indiscriminate friendliness
  • inappropriate craving for attention
  • inability to make lasting relationships
  • affectionless
    
    • can occur when child has been institutionalized for the first 2-3 years
• What happens with disrupted attachment and what areas should be evaluated?
  
  • ​age of child at time of disruption
  • quality of early relationship with the mother or primary parent figure(s)
    
    • ​presence of other attachment bonds
      
      • quality of other bonds
      • availability of substitutes

Question 5

identify key results of attuned parenting:

Hatching:

• In what age range does this occur?
• What happens to the attention here?
• What is this the result of?
• What else can happen here?

Answer 5

• In what age range does this occur?
  
  • 5-10 months (one of Mahler’s stages)
• What happens to the attention here?
  
  • attention shifts from inside the symbiotic relationship to outside
  • new found pleasure in perceiving the world beyond the mother
• What is this the result of?
  
  • result of maturation and increasing pleasure in all the stimulation from the outside world
• What else can happen here?
  
  • child has periods of withdrawal into self in states of sleep and “calm pondering”
  • here, it is important to respect the child’s need for calm/quiet

Question 6

describe the basic parental tasks associated with the developmental stages within this age range (infancy to preschool):

Parenting Tasks of Infancy:

• What are the parenting tasks of this stage?

Answer 6

• What are the parenting tasks of this stage?
  
  • balance
    
    • neither too intrusive, nor too withdrawn
  • be a catalyst for the child’s emerging abilities
    
    • help build confidence
    • provide an environment conducive to development

​

Question 7

describe the basic parental tasks associated with the developmental stages within this age range (infancy to preschool):

Threats to Child’s Development/Stranger Anxiety/Peek-A-Boo_Infancy:

• What does the child fear during this stage? What results here due to this?
• What is the significance of Peek-A-Boo? What does it help develop?

Answer 7

• What does the child fear during this stage? What results here due to this?
  
  • fears loss of mothering parent
    
    • when parent leaves, there is a predictable pattern of protest, despair, and detachment (Bowlby)
    • Good attachment for 0-6 months followed by state of prolonged separation = depressive state in the child
    • Stranger anxiety develops
      
      • Begins 6-8 months; peaks at about 10-14 months
      • Distress w/unfamiliar persons indicates:
        
        • child has developed attachment preferences
        • has made progress with differentiation
      • Stranger anxiety requires:
        
        • ability to remember mother’s face
        • compare it with another face
        • realize the difference
        • realize mother is not there
        • physical response is that arms/hands go tense and vertical when not w/known parents, goes back to normal when placed w/parents
• What is the significance of Peek-A-Boo?
  
  • important for infants beginning about 7 months
  • infant has some control over the appearance and disappearance of significant figures = lowers anxiety
  • helps develop object permanence
    
    • knowledge that the object is still there even though it is out of sight
  • a way to preactice separation from parent
  • a prelude to the older game of hide-and-seek

Question 8

describe the basic psychosocial and developmental tasks for children of this age range (infancy to preschool):

Practicing:

• When does this stage develop? What milestones mark its beginning and end?
• What is happening to the child during this stage?

Answer 8

• When does this stage develop? What milestones mark its beginning and end?
  
  • 10-16 months
  • beginning = ability to move away from mother
  • ending = ability to walk alone
• What is happening to the child during this stage?
  
  • developing abilities, coordination, mastery
    
    • crawling, walking, manipulating
  • increasingly makes things happen on own
  • increasing separation from mother
    
    • but shares her “magical powers”
  • vacillation between autonomy and mastery, and self-doubt and dependency
  • grandiosity, pride, willfulness

Question 9

describe the basic psychosocial and developmental tasks for children of this age range (infancy to preschool):

Separation Anxiety w/Practicing:

• What is it? When does it begin? When does it peak?

Answer 9

What is it? When does it begin? When does it peak?

• the fear of being left by a child’s caretaker
  
  • begins at 8/9 months
  • peaks about 14 months
  • then gradually resolves

Question 10

describe the basic parental tasks associated with the developmental stages within this age range (infancy to preschool):

Parenting Tasks_Practicing:

• What can a parent do during this stage to help their child succeed?

Answer 10

What can a parent do during this stage to help their child succeed?

• build self-esteem, and minimize shame and humiliation
• encourage and praise efforts
• help the child become more comfortable w/trying and falling short
• manage parental delight and frustration
• support dependency needs and encourage new achievements in the world

Question 11

define a transitional object:

Transitional Object:

• Who developed this idea?
• What is a transitional object?
• Why is it important?

Answer 11

• Who developed this idea?
  
  • Donald Winnicott
• What is a transitional object?
  
  • An object to which a child forms an attachment, and aids in the development of the capacity to self-soothe
• Why is it important?
  
  • represents the child/mother
  • is used for comfort, especially in the absence of a primary attachment figure
  • is used for calming prior to sleep and/or after periods of distress
    
    • premature loss is a huge crisis for child

Question 12

describe the basic psychosocial and developmental tasks for children of this age range (infancy to preschool):

Self Awareness:

• When does this occur?
• What was the “rouge & mirror experiment? What did it find?

Answer 12

When does this occur?

• between 15-18 months the child develops an awareness of self

What was the “rouge & mirror experiment? What did it find?

• no infants under the age of 12 months reacted as if the mark of rouge on their face was on their own nose
• most reacted if they were between the ages of 15-24 months

Question 13

describe the basic psychosocial and developmental tasks for children of this age range (infancy to preschool):

Toddler:

• What is the age range?
• What is the major developmental task?
• What is the smaller phase during this stage?
• What are the parenting tasks here?
• What are the threats to successful development of the child here?

Answer 13

• What is the age range?
  
  • 18 months - 3 years
• What is the major developmental task?
  
  • self-assertion and increased bodily control & self-regulation (autonomy vs. shame and doubt)
• What is the smaller phase during this stage?
  
  • rapprochement (16-24 months)
  • increased separation from mother – showing autonomy
  • sense of omnipotence is threatened by real world experience
    
    • dependency on parents as a source of power is reinforced
  • internalizes rules and demands leading to the development of a superego
  • concern about loss of parent’s love
• What are the parenting tasks here?
  
  • support dependency needs while encouraging achievement in the world
  • be receptive to the child’s moving out and moving back (desire for increased autonomy, but continued need for reassurance)
  • encourage the freedom to will her own actions, while also teaching acceptance and respect for parental limits
• What are the threats to successful development of the child here?
  
  • ​increased assertion of child’s will = loss of parent’s love and support
    
    • ​”If I assert myself, I will lose your love”
  • ​or
  • Staying attached and merged with mother = loss of self assertion and autonomy
    
    • ​”If I stay merged with you, I keep your love, but I lose myself”
  • ​both options result in significant loss

Question 14

describe the basic psychosocial and developmental tasks for children of this age range (infancy to preschool):

recognize common behavioral concerns of this period of development:

Terrible 2’s and Self-Assertion:

• What are the terrible 2’s?
• How does intentionality & will fit into this stage?

Answer 14

• What are the terrible 2’s?
  
  • assertion = terrible 2’s
    
    • child says no = assertion of will and self definition
    • a new phase of relationship building; consistent, firm and supportive limits are required by parents
  • temper tantrums can be a concern of parents
    
    • better to ignore
    • never reinforce (give in) = manipulative behavior can develop w/in child
  • mistake to take oppositional behavior personally or attribute meaning to it: “This child is out to get me!”
  • habits can be of concern for parents
    
    • thum sucking, masturbation, biting
• How does intentionality & will fit into this stage?
  
  • The emergence of intentionality and will indicates a growing interest in self-determination and freedom from external control
    
    • learning to do something at will = wants to do things according to child’s own will
    • each new assertion of intent and exercise of will carries with it an interest in comparative power
  • Positive outcome = the intentional direction of one’s self and body, independent of external authority
  • In addition to exercising will, a major developmental goal is:
    
    • learning how to relax one’s own will in order to:
      
      • be spontaneous and experience abandon
      • listen, comply, and submit to others when its necessary or helpful

Question 15

describe the basic psychosocial and developmental tasks for children of this age range (infancy to preschool):

Pre-School:

• What age is this?
• What are the major developmental goals here?
• What are the major parental tasks here?
• What tends to be of major concern for the child here? What awareness develops?

Answer 15

• What age is this?
  
  • 3-5 years old
• What are the major developmental goals here?
  
  • pleasure and pride; guilt, conscience, sex-role identity
  • (initiative vs. guilt)
• What are the major parental tasks here?
  
  • encourage talking about feelings & thoughts when expressed
  • respect the child’s needs
  • listen & take child’s perspective seriously
  • help child distinguish & sort things out
  • foster curiosity & exploration & verbal sharing of experience
• What tends to be of major concern for the child here? What awareness develops?
  
  • Gender:
    
    • sex differences: biological
    • gender differences: cultural differences in the behavior/roles of males/females
      
      • there is a strong biological foundation for gender differences and they are not simply cultural or learned
      • experience also plays an important part
  • gender preferences and patterns of play are noticed as early as age 2
  • Age 3: know male/female differences are for life
  • Age 4: certain toys and roles are seen as more appropriate for one sex vs. the other
  • Ages 2-5: beginning preference for same-sex play
  • Pre-school: still confuse sex and gender
  • Age 6: know which sex is better (their own) and which sex is “stupid” (the other)