Social Development Flashcards
Midterm 2
theories of social development
- Freud’s theory of psychosexual development: very much based on the internal
- Erikson’s theory of Psychosocial Development
- Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Model: very much based on external
- differ in focus on how/how much external contexts play a role in development
- differ in whether development progresses through stages, or in a more continuous fashion
freud’s psychosexual theory
- understanding the causes of illness, “nervous disorder”
- born with powerful urges
- biological drives in conflict with reality and societal expectations
- How conflict is resolved leaves imprint
freud: sexual, aggressive urges
- Unconscious desires we have
○ Id: aggressive urges and desires
§ As we develop, these desires become in conflict with reality
§ Societal expectations of what’s considered good and right vs bad
○ Superego: conscience; good nature
Ego: balancing reality with id and superego
Freud: psychosexual theory stages
oral: 0-18 months
anal: 18 months - 3 years
phallic: 3-6 years
latency: 6-12 years
genital: 12+ years
oral phase
When we’re born: we only have our id
- When we’re babies, the only thing we’re concerned about is meeting these urges
- Towards the end of oral, we realize we can’t just meet out desires any way we wan
We can’t just run around the world putting everything in our mouths
anal phase
potty training; using the potty in reality based ways
We have to balance our bathroom urges with reality
phallic phase
whether or not we have a penis
- When superego forms
What’s seen as morally good or wrong behavior; have to balance this with our desires and reality
latency stage
things are dormant
genital stage
adult like sexual urges
- Basically, we’re developed!
- Freud’s conception of development ends there
freud’s psychosexual theory: shortcomings
- most ideas not supported by current research
- Too vague to test:
- Example: if you have a problem as an adult, like with smoking, Freud would argue that you didn’t fully develop during the oral phase
- ^^ how are we supposed to test this?
freud: important legacy
- role of early experiences
- While his specific ideas are too vague to test, the argument that what happens early on matters has been very foundational for developmental psych
- importance of parent-child relationships
- led to development of other comprehensive theories of development
There are embarrassing aspects, but it set up aspects that continue to influence how psychologists still think today
Erikson’s psychosocial theory
- focused on the ego –> argued that it’s more than just balance of id and superego
- social & environmental factors interact w/ ego to shape development
- each period of life has a central psychosocial crisis
psychosocial crisis (Erikson)
a challenge we must face
- each period of life has one
- needs to be resolved in order for development to progress healthily or continuously
○ Dependent on environment/culture and age
Erikson’s ego
the reality and society
○ We have social and environmental factors that are going to shape development
○ As we develop, we have different societal expectations –> come into play with the ego
List of Erikson’s Stages
Trust vs mistrust: Infancy
- Can I trust the world?
Autonomy vs shame + doubt: toddlerhood
- Can I control my behaviors?
Initiative vs. guilt: early childhood
- Can I become independent of my parents?
Industry vs. inferiority: middle childhood
○ Starting formal schooling
- Can I master the skills that I need to adapt?
Identity vs. role confusion: adolescence
- Who am I?
Intimacy vs. isolation: young adult
generativity vs stagnation; middle age
integrity vs. despair: old age
middle childhood (erikson)
industry vs. inferiority
crisis of industry
- Now: school, teachers, other people, etc. are expecting you to be able to do certain skills
- There’s an expectation that we know how to read and write
○ There’s an expectation to use the right tools, etc.
adolescence (erikson)
identity vs role confusion
conflict of identity
- Who am I? How do I define myself?
- Very much shaped by the labels that are put onto us
- The feedback that we’re given on the sense of self that is given by the people around us
young adulthood (erikson)
intimacy vs. isolation
intimacy vs isolate
- Figure out how to have intimate relationships
- BUT ALSO: peer relationships and friendships
- How can we develop intimacy where we can trust other people, or give ourselves to other people?
middle age (erikson)
generativity vs stagnation
what can I offer other generations?
- Having children and families
- What can I give to this next generation?
- What am I doing for society through my work and my job?
old age (erikson)
integrity vs. despair
have I found contentment? Can I look back on my life and see it with integrity?
erikson’s psychosocial theory: strengths
- lifespan development (development beyond childhood, past 12y/o [freud])
- importance of identity development –> particularity in adolescence
erikson’s psychosocial theory: critiques
- underestimates cultural influences
- In other cultural context, there might be things that differ or develop differently
- ideas often vague
Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model
- ecological perspective - need to take context into account
- We have to consider things beyond the item itself; we need to consider the environment
- We need to care about context
○ From biology and brings it into humans
§ i.e. a plant’s growth depends on sunlight, location, water, soil, etc.
- development as occurring w/i a system of relationships
Bronfrenbrenner’s Bioecological Model: stages
as time decreases:
chronosystem
macrosystem
exosystem
mesosystem
microsystem
the child
the child (bronfen.)
biologically-based dispositions, actively influencing development
microsystem (bronfen.)
immediate environment
- relationships w/I your immediate environment
- Who you’re in direct contact with
- Peers in day care, teachers, etc.
mesosystem (bronfen.)
connections between microsystem
- the connections between the microsystem
- The connection between relationships you have in your environment
○ The connection between parents
○ The connection between daycare and parent (does the daycare communicate with the parent? Do they not?)
- Not direct, immediate context for a child, but the relationship has influence
exosystem (bronfen.)
indirect environments; setting the child does not come into contact w/, but influence their experiences
- Ex: a parents work place - how much money and time a workplace gives a parent, stress levels, etc.
- Ex: mass media - the sorts of messages that are created within mass media influence what we directly consume
macrosystem (bronfen.)
cultural values, laws, customs, resources
- Ex: Canada, Canadian laws
○ What are canadian laws about parental leave? What are values regarding parenting?
chronosystem (bronfen.)
time period; age of the child
- Ex: a child growing up today is going to be impacted differently than a child 100 years ago
- A 6 year old is having diff experiences than a 6 month old
bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model: legacy
- broad role of context, beyond the immediate environment
- influence on policy
bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model: critiques
- value, difficult to test
- little emphasis on individual biology
- Ex: we know that some children are more resilient than others, regardless of context, while other children are more sensitive
