Advanced Psychology Notes for

Chapter 3 Social
Development

Contexts

and

Socioemotional

Contemporary Theories
1.)Bronfenbrenners Ecological Theory
a.) Focuses on the social contexts in which people live and the people
who influence their development.
b.) Explain
how
environmental
systems
influence
childrens
development.
c.) 5 environment systems that include micro and macro inputs were
described:
i.)
Microsystem: Direct interactions with parents, teachers,
peers, and
others.
ii.)
Mesosystem: Linkages between microsystems such as
family and school,
and relationships between students and peers.
iii.)
Exosystem: Experiences in settings in which a child does
not have an
active role influence the childs experiences.
iv.)
Macrosystem: The broader culture in which students and
teachers live.
v.)
Chronosystem: The sociohistorical conditions of a students
development.
d.) Lacks attention to biological and cognitive factors and does not
address step by step development.

2.)Eriksons Life Span Development Theory

a.) Propose development proceeds into 8 stages
b.) Each stage is characterized by a psychosocial challenge or crisis
reflect the
motivation of the individual as well.
i.) Trust vs. Mistrust (01 years)
- Developed through consistent love and support
ii.) Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt (13 years)
- Independence fostered by support and encouragement
iii.) Initiative vs. Guilt (35 years)
- Developed by exploring and accepting challenges
iv.)Industry vs. Inferiority (6 yearspuberty)
- Mastery comes from success and recognition
v.) Identity vs. Role Confusion (Adolescence)
- Exploration of different paths to attain a healthy identity
vi.)Intimacy vs. Isolation (Early adult years)
- Form positive, close relationships with others
vii.)Generativity vs. Stagnation (Middle Adulthood)
- Transmitting something positive to the next generation
viii.) Integrity vs. Despair (Late Adulthood)
- Life review and retrospective evaluation of ones past
c.) Stages are too rigid and that their sequencing lacks research
support.

Social Contexts of Development

1.)Families

a.) Baumrinds Parenting Styles. Proposed 4 parenting style:

i.)
Authoritarian
- Parents are restrictive and punitive. Children tend to be
socially
incompetent,
anxious,
and
exhibit
poor
communication skills.
ii.)
Authoritative
- Parents are nurturing and supportive, yet set limits.
Children are self-reliant, get along with peers, and have high
self-esteem.
- Likely most effective.
iii.) Indulgent
- Parents are highly involved but set few restrictions. Children
have poor self-control.
iv.)
Neglectful
- Parents are uninvolved. Children have poor self-control,
dont handle independence well, and low achievement
motivation.
b.) Coparenting - Parents support one another in jointly raising a
child. Children benefit when parents engage in coparenting.
c.) The Changing Family
i.) Working parents - Nature of parents work matters.
ii.) Children in divorced families
- The quality of parental relationships, timing of divorce, use of
support systems, type of custody, SES, and quality schooling all
affect children.
- Elementary school children did best when the parent and the
school
environment were authoritative.
iii.) Children in stepfamilies
- Show more adjustment problems than children in intact
families,
especially during adolescence
d.) Ethnic and Socioeconomic Variations in Families.
i.)
Minority students
- Families tend to be larger; depend more on the extended family
for support
- Single parents are more common
- Less educated; lower income
ii.)
Low-income parents
- Tend to value external characteristics such as obedience and
neatness
- See education as the teachers job
iii.)
Middle-class families
- Often place high value on internal characteristics such as selfcontrol and delayed gratification
- See education as a mutual responsibility
e.) School-Family Linkages
i.)
Provide assistance to families
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ii.)
iii.)
iv.)

Include families as participants in school decisions

Encourage parents to be volunteers
Communicate effectively with families about school programs
and their
childs progress
v.)
Involve families with their children in learning activities at
home
vi.)
Coordinate community collaboration
2.)Peers
a.) Children of about same age maturity level, there are 5 peers
statuses:
i.)
Popular - Frequently nominated as best friend; rarely
disliked by peers.
ii.)
Neglected Infrequently best friend; not disliked by peers.
iii.)
Rejected Seldom best friend; often actively disliked by
peers.
iv.)
Average - Receive both positive and negative peer
nominations.
v.)
Controversial Frequently best friend; often disliked by
peers.
b.) Friendships Quality of friendships affect outcomes ; students
who have friends engage in more prosocial behavior, have higher
grades, and are less emotionally distressed.
3.)School
a.) Involve in changing social developmental contexts from preschool
through high school.
b.) Early Childhood Education
- Developmentally Appropriate Practices (DAP) creating setting
encourage children to become active learner and reflect their
interests and capabilities.
- Early Childhood Approaches ( Reggio Emilia, Montessori (given
freedom and spontaneity for children in choosing activities ) and
Academic versus child-centered )
c.) Transition to elementary schools
- Positive relationships with teacher lead positive attitude to
school and more enthusiastic about learning.
d.) Transition to Middle or Junior High School
- Stressful due to developmental changes
- Top-dog phenomenon and academic challenge

Socialemotional Development
1.)The Self
a.) Self-concept is a cognitive appraisal of our social, physical, and
academic competence.
b.) Self-esteem is the affective or emotional reaction to ones selfconcept.
- Also referred as self-worth or self-image
c.) 4 keys to increasing students self-esteem
i.)
Identify causes of low self-esteem and areas of competence
important to the
Self.
ii.)
Provide emotional support and social approval
iii.)
Help children achieve
iv.)
Develop coping skills
d.) Marcia proposed that adolescents one of four identity statuses.
Based on the extent to which they have explored and whether they
have made a commitment.
i.)
Identity Achievement
ii.)
Identity Closure
iii.)
Identity Moratorium
iv.)
Identity Diffusion
e.) Ethnic Identity is an important dimension of identity for ethnic
minority students.
f.) Positive ethnic identity will lead higher school engagement, lower
aggression

2.)Moral Development
a.) Concerns rules and conventions about just interactions between
people.
b.) Kohlberg developed a provocative theory of moral reasoning which
consist of 3 levels.
i.)
Preconventional - Moral reasoning is controlled by external
rewards
and punishments
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ii.)
iii.)

Conventional - Internal standards are imposed by others.

Postconventional - Morality is internal, not based on
external standards.
c.) 2 main criticisms about Kohlberg are
i.)
Does not give enough attention to moral behavior
ii.)
Gives too much power to the individual and not enough to
relationship
with others.
d.) Gilligan argued Kohlbergs theory is a male oriented justice
perspective (focuses on rights of individuals) and need a female
oriented care perspective (emphasizes relationships and concern
for others).
e.) Academic cheating is pervasive and can occur in many ways.
Research indicates the power of the situation in influencing whether
a student cheat or not.
f.) Prosocial Behavior altruism, sharing and gratitude.
g.) Moral Education
i.) Hidden Curriculum
- School personnel serve as models of ethical behavior.
- Classroom rules and peer relationships transmit positive
attitudes to
students.
ii.)
Character Education
- Schools take a direct approach to teaching moral literacy and
design an
environment that rewards proper behavior.
iii.)
Values Clarification
- Schools design programs that allow students to clarify their
own values and
understand the values of others.
iv.)
Cognitive Moral Education
- Schools base programs on the belief that students should learn
to value things
like democracy and justice as moral reasoning develops.
v.)
Service Learning
- Schools encourage students to be involved in the community
by becoming a
tutor, helping the elderly, volunteering in hospitals or day care,
etc.
vi.)
Integrative Approach
- Schools encourage students to be reflective moral thinkers and
committed to
justice, and develop childrens moral character.
3.)Coping with Stress
a.) More cognitive and greater variety of stress coping strategies as the
children get older.
b.) Teacher can help and guide students to develop effective strategies
such as
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i.) Reassure children

ii.) Encourage talk about disturbing feeling
iii.)Protect from re-exposure to stress
iv.)
Help make sense of what happen