Social – Emotional Development

Year One

What affects our social – emotional development?

Disposition: mood

Emotions: thoughts that lead to feelings and cause changes in the body.

Name an emotion you have had today.

Temperament The tendency to react a certain

way Environmental and hereditary

How do people’s temperaments differ?

Give an example

How do babies’?

Temperament Categories

Easy: regular habits such as eating or sleeping. Respond quickly to a new situation. Cheerful.

Slow to warm up: take more time to adapt to new situations.

Difficult: irregular in their habits. Often withdraw or protest (even scream) when faced with a new situation.

Interacting with others Babies understand social messages by

the way others talk to, look at, or hold them.

Babies send messages to others by coos or smiles

Between 3 and 6 months, babies distinguish between those who care for them and strangers.

Babies thrive most when they are held, talked to, cuddled and comforted.

They are often happier babies and cry less often than those who receive little attention.

Babies enjoy being around siblings

Like to play with toys of other children

How are interactions between siblings and infants beneficial to older siblings?

How are interactions between siblings and infants beneficial to babies?

Learning to Trust Trust is a key part of social

development. Erik Erikson – child development

theorist who studied trust as an aspect of personality development. – Trust vs. Mistrust (Year One):

Consistency in having basic needs met and sameness in environment leads to a feeling that the world is reliable. The baby develops a sense of basic trust.

Showing Attachment A closeness between people that

remains over time.

Bonding is not the same as attachment. Bonding is a type of attachment.

Attachment behaviors are actions that one person demonstrates to another to show closeness to that person. – Trying to stay close to, following, clinging, smiling,

crying, calling.

Bonding: parents come to love their babies soon after birth (this is a parent to baby relationship)

Attachment: babies whose needs are met come to love their parents. They realize there is a relationship between meeting needs and caring (this is a baby to parent relationship)

Four types of attachment

Attachment Description The child will…

The parents have…

Secure Feels he can depend on his parent or provider.

Knows that person will be there when he needs support.

Knows what to expect.

Strongest attachment

May cry when his mother leaves. He will usually settle down if a friendly adult is there to comfort him.

When parents pick him up from childcare, he is usually very happy to see them.

Consistently responded to the child’s needs.

Responded in a loving/caring way when the child cries.

Feeds the child quickly when hungry.

Is excited when the child is excited.

Attachment Description The child will…

The parents have…

Ambivalent Child is unsure if they can trust parent or not.

Needs are inconsistently met.

Children who are ambivalent notice what behavior got their parents’ attention in the past and use it over and over.

Ambivalent children either receive no/very little care or are over – cared for.

Be very clingy. Act younger than they really are & may seem over-emotional.

May act or talk like a baby if Pre – K.

Crave attention

Get upset if people aren’t paying attention to them

Have a very hard time letting parents go at the beginning of the day, and the crying may last a long time.

Sometimes respond to crying, sometimes they don’t.

May be fed when hungry, often fed when not hungry. When frightened, ignored sometimes and overly comfort at other times.

When a child is excited about something, a parent doesn’t understand the child’s excitement or responds in a way that does not fit.

Attachment

Description The child will… The parents…

Avoidant Avoidant children have learned that depending on parents won’t get them that secure feeling they want, so they learn to take care of themselves.

Overly independent Don’t ask for help, but get frustrated easily.

May have difficulty playing with other children their age.

Aggressive at times.

Biting, hitting, pushing, and screaming

Don’t complain when the parents leave & usually do not greet them when the parents return. Know the parents have returned, but it is almost like they want to punish them by ignoring them.

Respond to child’s needs, but it usually takes a while.

Feed child when hungry, but probably has waited a long time.

Let child deal with fear on own.

Do not get excited or ignore children when they are excited

Attachment

Description The child will… The parents…

Disorganized

Do not know what to expect from parents.

Two types:

1) Controlling-Disorganized: children who are controlling tend to be extremely bossy with their friends.

2) Caregiving-Disorganized: children who are caregiving might treat other children in a childish way, acting like a parent.

Sometimes speak really fast and will be hard to understand.

Might freeze in their footsteps for no apparent reason.

Have a hard time understanding the feelings of other children.

May act out scary or confusing scenes if playing with dolls. May be very hard to understand. They may seem very different from day to day.

Rarely respond to their needs If the parent does respond, the response usually does not fit.

Commonly neglect or abuse their children.

Possibly suffer from depression.

On the back side of your attachment chart, create a scenario to describe each of the four types of attachment.

Why is it important for children to have a strong attachment with at least one adult?

The adult – child relationship is essential to the formation of basic

trust.

Expressing Emotions Love

– Those who care for them – Objects that give them security

(pacifiers, blankets, toys)

Fear – React with the startle reflex – Fear of the unknown: strangers, a new bed,

sudden movement – Fear learned from direct experiences or

teachings: doctor’s office, napping dog, hot stoves, dogs

How can parents protect infants from danger without making them afraid?

Redirecting them and staying calm

Anxiety – Fear of a possible future event – The first anxiety of an infant is

separation anxiety, the fear that a loved one who leaves them will not return.

– Separation anxiety usually lasts between 10 and 18 months

Anger – Infant rage when distressed – By 8 to 10 months, babies begin to

develop true anger. – Direct this anger toward a certain

person or object. – May express anger in physical ways,

such as trying to get away from the person holding them, hitting, shaking an object or grabbing.

How does an infant’s anger help provide caregivers with clues about a baby’s wants and needs?

Helps to anticipate future needs and meet them before anger begins.