PLAGIARISM FREE "A" WORK HUMAN DEVELOPMENT CHAPTERS

Chapter 10 Reading The Elementary Years of Middle Childhood Emotional and

Social Development

Summary The context of children’s lives changes during middle childhood. Children are more independent, less reliant on parents, and more involved in school and community. Their social development reflects gains they have made physically, cognitively, and emotionally, and is influenced by a variety of factors. Physical and brain changes, cognitive advances, emotional regulation, and social awareness work together to promote the child’s developing competencies and self-concept.

Improved cognitive abilities pave the way for emotional development. Children can use their cognitive abilities to calm themselves in uncomfortable situations and to add complexity to their self-concepts. In middle childhood, children become more aware of others and how others feel. Emotional intelligence develops as children process information about their own and others’ emotions and use that information to guide their thoughts and actions. Being aware of others also allows children to make comparisons. Children compare their emerging skills to those of their peers and judge themselves to be competent or inferior. These judgments form the basis of self-esteem and contribute to children’s self-concepts. Emotional development and cognitive development together influence social development. An important component of social development is moral development, which would not be possible without concurrent gains in cognition. As children mature, they acquire a more complex set of guidelines and principles to help them distinguish between right and wrong. These morals are attained through social interaction and observation and become ensconced through practice. Central to moral development is emotional development, and in particular the ability to be empathic. In middle childhood, as children

come to appreciate others, they become able to sense how others feel. Having a sense of how others feel further guides social interaction.

Being able to think about people and relationships is known as social cognition. Through social cognition, children learn about themselves. They gain understanding of how they are viewed by others and thus modify their self-concepts. Social cognition, along with emotional intelligence, social perspective taking, and moral development also makes friendships, healthy peer relationships, and pro-social behavior possible. Being accepted by peers seems to be associated with happiness, higher self- esteem, fewer behavioral problems, and better school performance.

Friendships are a unique form of peer relationship. The ability to make friends develops in stages that parallel cognitive development. Through friendships children gain companionship, support, intimacy, and affection. Not having friends puts children at risk. Those who do not have friends or who are rejected by peers are less likely to engage in pro-social behaviors, and more likely to be hostile or aggressive.

Aggression may be reactive or proactive. Reactive aggression often is seen in children who misinterpret the intentions of others. Children who demonstrate proactive aggression, on the other hand, are deliberate about their behavior. Proactively aggressive behaviors are intended to harm, and the perpetrators may be considered bullies. Bullies, as well as victims, tend to be children who have gaps in their social skills and are rejected by peers. It is often the case that victims turn to bullying behaviors themselves.

In addition to peers and friendships, there are a number of other social influences on development during middle childhood. Participation in sports provides opportunities to enhance communication, cooperation, empathy, and connection. Team sports in particular seem to be associated with higher self-esteem; however, children who participate in certain sports such as wrestling and martial arts also tend to exhibit aggression.

During the elementary years, children spend many hours in front of video screens, watching television, playing games, or interacting with digital technology. The more hours they spend in front of video screens, however, the less time they have to spend sleeping, engaging in outdoor activities, studying, or interacting with family and friends. Spending many hours in front of video screens is also associated with being overweight.

With or without television, video games, and computers, elementary-aged children spend less time with parents than they did when they were younger. Parents and families have an important role in helping children feel safe, secure, and supported. Although a slightly decreasing trend from decades past has been observed, many elementary children experience the divorce of their parents. One in three children in middle childhood is likely to live with a single parent, foster parents, grandparents, or other relatives. These types of living situations often place stressors on children and decrease the availability of tangible and intangible resources from which they could benefit. Increased stress and decreased resources often contributes to negative outcomes; however, the right balance of protective factors such as appropriate parenting and support mediate these outcomes. Development in middle childhood is impacted by an ever-expanding social context. The interactive influences of school, peers, media, and family all contribute to the developing child’s readiness for adolescence.