THEME 6.

1: SOCIAL AND PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT

WHAT KIND OF CHILD I WAS? WHO AM I? The answers that come to mind include: influences of
parents, peers, sense of self; life experiences...

HOW CAN WE DEFINE PERSONALITY?

Is the complex organization of cognition, emotions and behaviours that give orientations and
guidelines (coherence) to the life of a person.

Is integrated by structures and processes and reflects nature (genes) and learning (experience) It
encompasses the effects of the past (memories) and the constructions of present and future

Understanding social and personality development requires looking at children from three
perspectives that interact to shape development:

 Bio: Biological Characteristics-Temperament

 Psycho: Representational aspects (representations of oneself)
 Social: Social context (family, peer)

WHAT ASPECTS OF PERSONALITY ARE RELATED TO BIOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS?

BIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS: TEMPERAMENT

It influences the way we react to different situations (emotional expressiveness and reactions to the
stimulation of the environment - sets predictable trends; can persist over time or not).

Biological foundation (genetic resources): Behavioural geneticists have studied hereditary influences
by comparing temperamental similarities between identical twins. Findings-> Moderate hereditary
influences throughout early childhood.

Modulated by environmental factors; parental response - “Goodness of fit” / “bondad de ajuste”:

compatibility between environment and child’s temperament.

FUNDAMENTAL COMPONENTS OF TEMPERAMENT:

 Activity level: typical rhythm or vigor of each individual's activities

 Irritability/negative emotion: how easily/intensely a person is irritated by negative events
 Consolability: how easily each person calms down after becoming restless
 Sociability: receptivity to social stimulation

THREE DIFFERENT PATTERNS:

Certain aspects of temperament group together in predictable ways and form patterns.

 Easy: Flexible and calm, quickly stablish regular routines, adaptative to new environments.
 Difficult: intense, too active, difficulty to adopt routines, react strongly to new environments.
 Slow-to-warm-up: Inactive, can adjust slowly to new environments and new people.

HOW DOES THE CHILD'S TEMPERAMENT INTERACT WITH THE SOCIAL COMPONENT?

Goodness of fit (Thomas & Chess): theory holds that development is more likely to optimize when
parenting practices are adapted to children's temperament characteristics. Adjustment.
Ex. Children with difficult temperament (intense and with difficulty in adapting to new routines // calm
parents, who negotiate rules, which allows the child to adapt to novelties with a slower pace -> children
often manage to reduce their intensity, their level of irritability.

SOCIAL CONTEXT (FAMILY, PEERS)

Two aspects of parenting style are important throughout childhood and adolescence:

PERMISSIVENESS:
 Paternal sensitivity RESTRICTION:
 Acceptance  Parental Control
 Demand
These two main aspects of parenting style are independent: there are parents who show each of the four
possible combinations of acceptance and sensitivity, and control and demand.

FAMILY EDUCATIONAL STYLES_DIMENSIONS

Parental Control: Ex. behavioural control

Inculcate rules; if high: can lead to punish, get angry if children do not comply with rules
Parental sensitivity: Ex. esteem/respect in the relationship
Affectionate parents, concerned about the physical and mental well-being of their children.
Demand: Ex. demand regarding maturity
Pressure for the children to be autonomous and make decisions for themselves. vs. Lack of confidence and
underestimation of their capabilities.
Acceptance : Ex. communication parents – children, supportive parents
Highly communicative parents, who give arguments when they punish children, who ask for their opinion.
vs. Parents who do not give explanations, don’t listen to children's reasons.

Types of educational styles, according to the combination of the abovementioned 4 dimensions:

AUTHORITATIVE PARENT H AUTHORITARIAN PARENT

Nurturing, Affectionate, non-punitive, Strict, inflexible, high expectations, no

Discipline, through guidance, open C secret with parent, high supervision,
communication O obedience
N
HIGH WARMTH T WARMTH LOW
R
PERMISSIVE PARENT O UNINVOLVED PARENT
L
Nurturing, affectionate, few or inconsistent Emotionally detached, self-absorbed,
boundaries, takes the role of friend rather inconsistent or no boundaries, slight
than parent interaction
L
HOW RESTRICTIVE?
CONTROLLING AND NON-CONTROLLING AND
DEMANDING NON-DEMANDING
 Authoritative/democratic Permissive parenting
SENSITIVE parenting
AND Parents are supportive, but expect
ACCEPTING Parents expects much of the child little of the children; relationship
and inculcate rules, but is indulgent, low in control
HOW PERMISSIVE

relationship is reciprocal, attempts; can be extremely

responsive, high in bidirectional sensitive and overprotectors)
communication)
Authoritarian parenting Uninvolved/ Neglecting
INSENSITIV parenting
E AND NOT Parent expects much of the child
ACCEPTING and inculcate rules, but Parents expect little of the
relationship is controlling, power- children, are undemanding;
assertive, high in unidirectional relationship is rejecting or
communication, adult-centered) neglecting, uninvolved; adult-
centered)
 THEME 6.2: SOCIAL AND PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT

HOW COMPONENTS PARTICIPATE IN THE CHILD'S PSYCHOLOGICAL COMPONENT?

SELFCONCEPT SELF ESTEEM

How do I see myself? The self as an object of Do I like what I see of myself? Affective
knowledge. Set of representations we have of evaluation of self-concept.
ourselves.
ACADEMIC SELF-CONCEPT POSSIBLE SELF
How do I see myself in learning situations? Set of How will I be? How should it be? How would
representations that the child has of himself as I like to be? Representation of oneself in the
apprentice. future.

SELFCONCEPT How do I see myself?

Related to the image we have of ourselves. Set of attributes we use to define ourselves and
differentiate from others. Encompasses body image, values, skills, and abilities. Linked to an affective
aspect (self-esteem), which refers to positive or negative feelings that about himself.

It is the result of an active process of construction by the subject throughout his development. Self-
concept begins to be defined in early childhood and follows its course throughout life.

WHEN AND HOW CHILDREN BEGIN TO DEMONSTRATE CONSCIOUSNESS OF SELF?

Wallon: between 2 and 6 is focused on the construction of the self, crucial stage for the construction
of the child's personality.

“Stadium of personalism” marked by the fact that it is also a stage of negativism and opposition.
Importance use of "I" in sentence construction. Children reinforce their self opposing to others.

“Ha conquistado la noción de si mismo y quiere intensificarla a base de oponerla y quiere que los
demás sean conscientes como él de que dentro de aquel cuerpo se ya todo un individuo”

HOW DO CHILDREN DEFINE THEMSELVES?

Between 3-4 years: they are based on simple and global terms (e.g. good or bad; big or small).
Between 4-6 years: self-concept more complex (Ex: good for some things, bad for others).

Normally, they describe physical characteristics (Ex.: I have long hair) and related to the activities
(Ex.: I play ball), although they may already include psychological characteristics (Ex.: I like to play
with my friends).

Self-concept influenced by social interaction, especially how caregivers define. Pygmalion effect.

GENDER DEVELOPMENT

Rooted in self-concept: one of the most identifying features. Children are soon taught about gender,
and asked whether they are boys or girls.

Adults act in a way to introduce the baby into a boy's or girl's world, based on the biological sex.
Gender transmission: before the child's birth (sex reveal); entire environment begins to organize its
life according to gender characteristics: the name, the clothes, the colour of the room, etc.

Society gives us a specific identity related to how to express ourselves and how to act according to
whether we are a boy or a girl. It inserts us within a culture, forms of behaviour and habits. As we
build ourselves as boy or girl we come closer to the stereotype of our society.

FEMALE MALE
  Ability to take care  Aptitude for scientific work
 Tenderness  Aggressiveness
 Intuition  Rationality

BINARY SYSTEM SEX-GENDER:

Culture guides us as we should be, feel and act and presupposes a direct and univocal
correspondence: a baby born with a vagina is expected to feel like a girl, to act according to a model
of femininity and to feel sexual desire towards men at some point in its life.

BIOLOGICAL VS CULTURAL FOUNDATIONS, ACTIVE DISCUSSION:

Both sexual orientation and gender identity are not conscious choices. Throughout development
(from age 2-3), each individual perceives him/herself as belonging to one gender or another.

IMPLICATIONS OF THE SEX-GENDER BINARY SYSTEM:

Conditions or limits some people's lives, especially

those who do not follow the binary model.

Exclusion of group mostly made up of transexual,

lesbians, bisexuals, gays, etc.

NORMATIVITY VS EXCLUSION

Sexo biológico (anatomía): genitales internos y externos, cromosomas, hormonas, gónadas…

- Sexos normativos: macho y hembra
- Sexo excluido: intersexual
Identidad de género: sexo que sentimos y en el que queremos a que nos tratan
- Identidades normativas: mujer y hombre cis (están de acuerdo con el sexo asignado)
- Identidades excluidas: transexuales, transgéneros, trans (se identifican con uno de los dos
sexos binarios, con ningún, con uno y a veces con otro)
Expresión de género: como vestimos, sentimos, nos comportamos
- Expresiones normativas mujeres femeninas y hombres masculinos.
- Expresiones excluidas mujeres masculinas, hombres femeninos, personas ambiguas...
Orientación sexual quien nos gusta, a quien deseamos, de quien nos enamoramos.
- Orientación normativa: heterosexual
- Orientaciones excluidas homosexual, bisexual, pansexual, demisexual, asexual.

GENDER INTERIORIZATION:

Process through which each child will adopt characteristics that will shape its gender identity
(identification of people as boy or girl)

Awareness of sex and gender begins at birth, fixed from six and maintained throughout life.
Development of gender awareness related to cognitive development and social experience.

PHASE 1: ASSIGNMENT SEX AND PARENTING ACCORDING TO SEX

People who care the baby treat it in a certain way according to its genitals (room, clothes, toys, name)
When the baby arrives, it gets some messages according to a gender.

PHASE 2: SEXUAL/GENDER DISTINCTION (2-4 YEARS)

The child discriminate behaviours corresponding to each sex. At 3, the conception of sex is acquired
and identify which are the situations, behaviours and objects that go with each sex.

Verbalize whether they are boys or girls. Association with genital differences.

Inestability can be found in associations: children can think that other’s gender can be changed if
those attributes are changed (Ex: a boy could be a girl if his hair is long). Cognitive limitations.

PHASE 3: GENDER CONSISTENCY (FROM 6 YEARS-OLD)

Children understand gender is invariant and does not change no matter how much external aspects
such as clothing or hair length are changed. The gender is differentiated into boy/girl).

Construction of stereotypes is reinforced (through children’s toys and stories, for example).

WHAT’S PERSONALITY?

It’s a result of the continuous interplay between biological foundations and experience. Social and
personality development continues through adolescence and adult years…