NEED DISCUSSION IN 5 HOURS or LESS

Respond to the Classmate’s Discussion (below) as you would in a face-to face class by stating why you agree and asking questions pertaining to the discussion.

Discussion 1 (Dave)

When Dr. H was going through the slide on “self-esteem” one of the questions I had was, “how does attachment style affect this part of development?” I can’t help but think that those with less healthy attachments to their caregivers must struggle with this more during early childhood, whereas those with healthier and trusting attachments would develop in this area in deeper and more complete ways.

Also considering anxiety and depression in this age group. I’m reminded of my oldest son. When we returned to the states after living abroad for several years, or oldest entering middle school had a significant amount of anxiety dealing with social situations, school phobia, and separation anxiety from his mom and me. I think there were several legitimate reasons for this considering all the major changes and stressors in his life at the time. But now, as I consider the developmental phase he was in, it makes even more sense that we would often spend 15-20 minutes in the parking lot talking through tears, and considering the day ahead as he found the nerve to go into the school yet again.

In considering peer relationships in this age group. If we see a child who is lacking in quality and quantity of peer relationships. What might be some interventions we could apply as professionals to help a child develop more and quality relationships with peers? Is this a matter of coaching the child, introducing other children and positive environments, a combination of the two, or are there other strategies to help develop this vital piece for healthy development?

Thinking about bullying in this age group: I’m curious to see others’ responses to what if any part, children should be involved with any type of social media during this stage. We live in a world where it is almost impossible to mitigate all forms of online and social interaction. What guidance would you give to caregivers regarding social media, online, and the ideas of bullying?

Respond to the Classmate’s Discussion (below) as you would in a face-to face class by

stating why you agree and asking questions pertaining to the discussion.

Discussion 2 (Eve)

Learning about Erickson's Industry vs Inferiority view of development has helped me gain some insight into how I experienced my development during my elementary school years. As is described in the text, this was a time of learning tasks and expanding my knowledge and abilities and beginning to see my capacity for industry. However, I also experienced what Erikson described as the "developmental crisis" as I struggled in areas such as reading and writing and needed to be placed in classes to help address these struggles. I remember how struggling in my regular classes impacted my self-concept. I

struggled with this tension between feeling inferior and feeling capable and industrious. Through the support of various teachers, I was able to gain the skills needed to "catch up" and even excel in the areas where I struggled, my self-esteem began to improve, and self-concept began to change. Learning about Erickson's paradigm helped me understand these experiences in a new way. While my view of what it means to be "industrious" and contribute to society has changed and I no longer place so much weight on being able to read and write at the same level of my peers, I do believe that Erikson's model captures the tension that many children experience as they go through the developmental processes of middle childhood. I believe that it is important for counselors to understand the "Industry vs Inferiority" view of middle childhood development, especially as they work with kids who my be struggling with self-esteem or children who are performing below their grade level and help them understand the tension they are experiencing as they struggle to meet the demands of school. I thought the material from this chapter was very insightful, beneficial, and useful as an aspiring counselor.

Reference:

Erford, B. T. (2017). An advanced Lifespan Odyssey for Counseling Professionals. Cengage Learning.