Lecture Module Five Physical Cognitive and Psychosocial Development

Lecture Module Five Physical, Cognitive and Psychosocial Development During Middle Childhood Psychosocial Development During the Early School years ages 7 to 11

What is the Challenge during the early school years? Starting with he first day of school, the child faces a new life challenge. They leave the constant guidance and protection of their parents. They begin to look to peers as models and as others who will accept or reject them. They begin to look to teachers as role models of success and as adults who literally grade them and decide if they have passed or failed. For the first time, the child is loved, accepted, praised, or rewarded based upon their skills and output, not just on who they are. They face the challenge of being productive!

Has the child been set up to succeed? What 3 internal characteristics might a child need to have to be productive in an academic setting. 1. Courage to try new things and to keep trying even if they fail at first. (HOPE) 2. The capacity to appropriately work independently without constantly seeking the teachers direction and approval. (WILL) 3. The confidence and ego strength to go beyond the minimum that is required and appropriately do more, even if not asked to do so. (PURPOSE) Clearly the successful balancing of the dual competing emotional crises of Erikson’s first three stages sets the child up to face the next psychosocial stage crisis.

Erikson's Fourth Psychosocial Stage The challenge of productivity means that the child must face the tendency to be industrious or face a tendency to be less than could be. Industry vs. Inferiority Learn the skills of the culture and feeling competent • Industry is being able to accomplish things valued by one’s culture. Able to succeed. • Inferiority which is failing at most valued tasks. • This is based upon the child making social comparisons. They evaluate/compare their perceived abilities to others who are similar in age or other characteristics (especially in school)so it is a subjective judgement not necessarily an objective reality. View the video on You. Tube: Industry versus Inferiority

Resolving The Crises of Industry Versus Inferiority • Of course you know what I am going to say…too much industry, to much success in other words, is NOT a good thing. Similarly too much failure is equally damaging. • A child who always wins, always gets a trophy, never has to feel the pain of a defeat, will have unrealistic opinions of who they are, what they can accomplish, and will not clearly know in what activities they will actually excel. • The child can become obsessed with perfection, winning and work. This can lead to becoming a workaholic in later life. They may constantly pursue unreachable goals.

Resolving The Crises of Industry Versus Inferiority Cont. On the other extreme, the child who seldom succeeds will eventually give up, withdraw, and suffer low self-esteem. While some failure is good, too much is obviously very damaging. Recall from module 2 the topic of genotype-environmental correlations. A quick review:

Resolving The Crises of Industry Versus Inferiority Genotype 3 types of Genotype-environmental correlations. 1. Passive correlations occur when others who pass genetic potential to their child create matching environments and the child excels as they have innate ability and opportunity to use and develop it. 2. Reactive correlations occur when children with differing genetic makeups evoke different reactions from others, who seeing the child’s potential, seek to nurture it and provide opportunities to that purpose. 3. Active correlations occur when the child, of their own choosing, avoids activities for which they lack natural ability and consequently, in which they do not perform well and niche-pick those that fit them well and in which they succeed. All of this means that a child must sort through everything they attempt to do and find that which suits their innate abilities and discard that which does not. They must succeed AND fail.

Industry vs. Inferiority If this “crisis” is resolved with balance, that is the child experiences both success and appropriate failure ( they learn to not become overly focused on being industrious or shrink from a challenge) they will develop the ego virtue of Competence: A realistic self concept that includes a clear idea of their potential for success in varying areas of life.