INFANT SOCIAL

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INFANT SOCIAL EMOTIONAL DEV.

• Chapter 9

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ATTACHMENT

• E. Eriksons theory
• Security feeling the world is a safe,
  predictable, nurturing place
• Necessary stage for healthy emotional dev

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ATTACHMENT

• Forming an emotional bond with at least one other
  person
• A bidirectional process
• Infants generally form attachments to multiple
  caregivers

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STRANGER ANXIETY

• Occurs at about 6-8 months
• Difficult time to start new child care

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SEPARATION ANXIETY

• Begins at about 6 months
• Effects are less if child has multiple caregivers
  at home
• At child care
• parental trust and positive attitude
• parents dont stay to play
• child told when parent is leaving
• established routine

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ATTACHMENT

• Secure (see p. 175)
• Insecure
• Insecure/avoidant ignore moms return
• Insecure/ambivalent alternate between upset and
  rejection
• Disorganized

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INSECURE ATTACHMENTS

• Attachment behaviors are relatively fixed over
  time but are able to change
• Insecure/avoidant attachments may lead to
  aggressive, impulsive, uncooperative behavior in
  later years
• Insecure/ambivalent attachments may lead to
  timid, dependent, whining, inhibited behaviors in
  later years

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CULTURAL VARIATIONS

• Attachment theory may not be universally true
• In some cultures (ex. Japanese, Chinese) cultural
  and parental attitudes and expectations and
  childs temperament may affect attachment
  behaviors of children

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• SECURE ATTACHMENT IN BABIES REQUIRES
  RESPONSIVENESS AND WARM PHYSICAL CONTACT within a
  cluster of culturally appropriate behaviors
  such as nursing, snuggling, carrying

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INFANT CARE AND ATTACHMENT

• There is no evidence that quality infant care
  leads to attachment problems
• There is evidence that poor quality care may
  contribute to attachment problems
• Staff turnover
• Stressed, overworked caregivers
• Lack of individualized attention
• Lack of respectful. loving care

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AUTONOMY

• E. Eriksons second stage of development
  Autonomy V Shame and doubt
• Begins at about 1 year of age
• Toddlers assert their individuality through
  exploration, experimentation, self-determination
  (no)

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AUTONOMY, contd

• Aids in the development of autonomy
• Physical skills, such as walking and grasping
• Thinking skills, such as cause-and-effect
  planning

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AUTONOMY ISSUES

• Toileting
• Dressing
• Food
• Transitions

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TRYING TIME FOR CAREGIVERS

• Caregivers need to support autonomy and
  discourage shame and doubt by setting clear,
  age-appropriate boundaries without being harsh
  and punitive
• Children need to feel loved and supported despite
  tantrums and difficult behaviors

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CULTURAL VARIATIONS

• Asian and other cultures stress
  interconnectedness, not autonomy
• Many societies stress dependence for girls/women
• There is debate about how to apply Eriksons
  theory

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TEMPERAMENT

• Three personality types
• Easy friendly, happy
• Difficult easily upset, have difficulty in
  unfamiliar situations
• Slow to warm up shy, reluctant to separate from
  parents, less overtly emotional
• Temperament seems to be stable throughout life

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TEMPERAMENT

• Seems related to genetics and culture
• African-Americans tend to be emotionally
  expressive verve
• Asians calm, reserved, slow-to-warm-up

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EMOTIONS

• Emotions are universal
• Social referencing infants refer to adult
  emotional reactions to determine how they should
  feel
• Infants appear to feel the basic emotions happy,
  sad, pain, surprise, fear, anger

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ABUSIVE PARENTS

• Seem to have a poor ability to read their
  childrens emotional expressions (through body
  language, facial expressions, and vocalizations)

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EMOTIONAL REGULATION

• Children have relatively little ability to
  control ones (negative) emotional feelings
• Caregivers can help through
• Soothing touch
• Distraction

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EGOCENTRISM

• Piaget says kids perceive themselves as central
  to all that happens (egocentric)
• But kids can be empathetic and can consider the
  needs of others
• Some children are naturally more empathetic
  others need to be trained

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SPECIAL NEEDS CHILDREN

• Some special needs interfere with healthy bonding
• Hearing
• Abused

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INTERVENTIONS

• Nurturing, responsive care
• Quiet, safe, predictable environment
• Positive social interactions
• Modeling by adults of social interactions