Social Development

To live with people, children must learn what behavior is acceptable and unacceptable Learn when to apply rules and when to bend

them Gaining an identity (society, family, and

individual) Learning to live with people and yourself

Children must learn that other people have rights and that they have limitations

Theories on Social Development

Sigmund Freud believed that all children are born with powerful sexual and aggressive urges.

Erik Erikson believed that a child’s need for social approval is just as important as sexual urges.

Lawrence Kohlberg studied the development of moral reasoning—deciding what is right and what is wrong

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Psychosexual Development

Sigmund Freud believed that all children are born with powerful sexual and aggressive urges

Children suppress these urges and learn right and wrong

Believed that that for the first few years of life boys and girls experiences were similar

Five stages

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1. Oral Stage

Ages: first 18 months of life Infant’s pleasure seeking focused on the mouth

Beginning of life erotic pleasures are obtained through the mouth

Weaning child from nursing is a difficult process for children

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2. Anal Stage

Ages: 1.5 – 3 years Infant’s pleasure seeking centered on functions

of elimination Through toilet training the child learns to curb

freedom and establish social control

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3. Phallic Stage

Ages: 3 – 6 years Infant’s pleasure seeking focused on the genitals Aware of differences in opposite sex Child becomes a rival for the affections of the

parent of the opposite sex

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4. Latency Stage

Ages: 6 years to puberty Sexual thoughts are repressed; child focuses on

developing social and intellectual skills Use of Sublimation

The process of redirecting sexual impulses into learning tasks

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5. Genital Stage

Ages: puberty through adulthood Sexual desires are renewed Individual seeks relationships with others

One derives as much satisfaction from giving pleasure as from receiving it

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Erikson’s Theory

Biological in belief that there are innate drives to develop social relationships and that these promote survival (Darwinism)

Divided life span into eight psychosocial stages, each associated with a different drive and a problem or crisis to resolve

Outcome of each stage varies along a continuum from positive to negative

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Stage 1 (birth - 1)Trust vs. Mistrust Infants must rely on others for careConsistent and dependable caregiving

and meeting infant needs leads to a sense of trust

Infants who are not well cared for will develop mistrust

Example: Is my world predictable and supportive?

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Stage 2 (1-3 years) Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt

Children are discovering their own independence

Those given the opportunity to experience independence will gain a sense of autonomy

Children that are overly restrained or punished harshly will develop shame and doubt

Example: Can I do things myself or must I rely on others?

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Stage 3 (3-5 years)Initiative vs. Guilt

Children are exposed to the wider social world and given greater responsibility

Sense of accomplishment leads to initiative, whereas feelings of guilt can emerge if the child is made to feel too anxious or irresponsible

Example: Am I good or bad?

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Stage 4 (5-12 years) Industry vs. Inferiority

Stage of life surrounding mastery of knowledge and intellectual skills

Sense of competence and achievement leads to industry

Feeling incompetent and unproductive leads to inferiority

Example: Am I successful or worthless?

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Stage 5 (adolescence)Identity vs. Confusion

Developing a sense of who one is and where s/he is going in life

Successful resolution leads to positive identity

Unsuccessful resolution leads to identity confusion or a negative identity

Example: Who am I?

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Stage 6 (young adulthood)Intimacy vs. Isolation

Time for sharing oneself with another person

Capacity to hold commitments with others leads to intimacy

Failure to establish commitments leads to feelings of isolation

Example: Shall I share my life with someone or live alone?

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Stage 7 (middle adulthood)Generativity vs. Stagnation

Caring for others in family, friends and work leads to sense of contribution to later generations

Stagnation comes from a sense of boredom and meaninglessness

Example: Will I succeed in life?

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Stage 8 (late adulthood to death)Integrity vs. Despair

Successful resolutions of all previous crises leads to integrity and the ability to see broad truths and advise those in earlier stages

Despair arises from feelings of helplessness and the bitter sense that life has been incomplete

Example: Have I lived a full life?

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Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development

Assessed moral reasoning by posing hypothetical moral dilemmas and examining the reasoning behind people’s answers

Proposed five stages, each taking into account a broader portion of the social world

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Levels of Moral Reasoning

Preconventional - moral reasoning is based on external rewards and punishments

Conventional - laws and rules are upheld simply because they are laws and rules

Postconventional - reasoning based on personal moral standards

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Stage 1

A focus on direct consequencesEgocentricNo sense of right and wrongChildren would fear

Not stealing and being blamed for wife’s death

Stealing and going to jail.

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Stage 2

Have understanding of how to avoid punishment and receive awards

Still slightly egocentric

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Stage 3: Interpersonal Accord and Conformity

An attempt to live up to the expectations of important others

Positive actions will improve relations with significant others

Negative actions will harm those relationships

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Stage 4: Law-and-Order Morality

To maintain social order, people must resist personal pressures and follow the laws of the larger society

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Stage 5: Human-Rights and Social-Welfare Morality

A balance is struck between respect for laws and ethical principles that transcend specific laws

Laws that fail to promote general welfare or that violate ethical principles can be changed, reinterpreted, or abandoned