Child Psychology is a way of looking at the issues, stages and various influences that a child experiences throughout their development into functioning adults. The actual process of psychological development that the child goes through when growing up and the analysis and treatment of the various problems that a child may face throughout their development are two main areas that child psychology can be divided into. Many influences are responsible for shaping their ways of seeing the world, their ideas of their own identity and their place within society, during a child's development from infancy to adulthood. The factors that shape a child are environmental setting, family, community and the media. A child would develop successfully into a happily functioning adult, without any problems along the way, in a perfect world. This is not usually the case and many children find that they struggle throughout the process.
Infancy, early childhood, middle childhood, and adolescence are the four stages of childhood. I will give you a brief summary of the main stages of childhood development and the important steps and influences a child faces at each stage.
Infancy:
This stage lasts from birth until about the age of 2. A great deal of initial learning occurs in this stage. Parents behavior is an important part of this stage, this is called learning through environmental cues. Basic skills are mastered during this time, such as crying, nursing, coordination and the ability to represent images and objects with words.
The parents are the most important influence in this stage of the child's life. A child at the ages of 7-9 months will experience attachment, and that is very common among parents at this age. This is an important factor in determining how a child will behave in future relationships as they mature.
Early Childhood:
This is a child's early years, from 2-6 years old. This is when they undergo a great deal of mental development and social development. Identity is usually formed in this stage and the child learns how to function in a social setting. This is usually when children will learn about aggression and prosocial behaviour and that is why parenting is very important at this stage of development, as well as community influences.
Middle Childhood:
During this stage, friendships and peer relations become very important, as children begin to spend a lot of time with their peers. It is important that they find a place within their social group, therefore this requires increased attention to social rules and an increased ability to consider other peoples point of view. Children are placed into a certain category of social status based on how they are treated by their peers. Children who receive positive attention from their peers are considered Popular children. Children who receive little attention or negative attention are considered rejected children. Children who are generally ignored by their peers rather than disliked are neglected. Children who receive both positive and negative attention are controversial children. Children who are selectively and actively harmed, psychologically and physically by a few in their peer group are usually victimized children. Bullies are children who act aggressively without provocation in order to dominate children.
Why are some Children popular and others are not?
Popular children seem to be physically attractive and skilled at interacting and maintaining positive relationships, being socially competent. Rejected children are ofter highly aggressive and are often treated negatively. They underestimate how much others dislike them and they overestimate their competence and social skills. Neglected children are less sociable, but not aggressive or shy. Their social status will improve over time. They are often like by their teachers because they perform academically and are cooperative. Controversial children are aggressive, but they compensate for it by joking and using social skills so they don't break relationships with others. The children who lose their tempers easily and are immature or dependent are usually the victimized children. Bullies are usually aggressive without provocation and it is beneficial for them to behave that way because they usually get something they want.
Self-Esteem:
This stage (Middle childhood) is the time when most children begin to judge themselves and are judged by others. Children who have good self-esteem see themselves as competent and smart and likes who they are. A child will have poor self-esteem if that child fails to demonstrate some skill that they feel makes them worthy. Children use two factors to judge their worth - their degree of competence and their acceptance. The children who will have the lower self-esteem will usually feel that they are lacking certain skills or are not accepted by others than those who perceive themselves to be high in these areas.
Foundations for self-esteem:
Parenting plays a very important roll in the self-esteem of a child. There are three parental characteristics that combine to produce high self-esteem in children.
- Parents accept their children. Children with high self-esteem have mothers who are closer and more affectionate. A child views their mother as supportive and accepts their mother's approval.
- Parents set clearly defined limits. Parents can contribute to a child's self definition by enforcing strict limits on a child's activities and appear to give their child a sense that norms are real and significant.
- Parents respect individuality. Children who are allowed a great deal of self-expression usually have higher self-esteem. Parents show respect for children's ideas by reasoning with them and considering their points of view.
Adolescence
Looking at the issues, stages and various influences that a child experiences throughout their development into functioning is this stage. Child and adolescent psychology can be divided into two main areas- the actual process of psychological development that the child goes through when growing up and the analysis and treatment of the various problems that a child may face throughout their development.
This stage is from 12-18 years old and this is a particularly hard time for children. There are all kinds of new changes in their bodies and in their feelings. This stage is where the children are trying to leave behind their childhood and become adults so they often feel misunderstood. Rebellious behavior, lying, cheating, school performance problems, negative attitudes, disobedience and disrespect, sibling rivalry, drug and alcohol abuse, pressures from peers, depression, and issues of sexuality are how adolescence are usually characterized by.
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