The factors that interfere with family function in every structure, ethnic group, and nation are:

what expands the social world?

industry vs inferiority- char by tension between productivity and incompetence

- kids attempt to master culturally values skills and develop a sense of themselves as either industrious/inferior, competent/incompetent

shift from care provision to engagement in dialogue, discussion, and shared activities.- various levels of release from parental supervision and provision of more autonomy

- less time with parents, more time alone or with peers

signs of psychological maturation

- responsibility perform chores- manage allowance and activities - complete homework- attempt to conform to peers- express preferences for after-school hours- accept some responsibility for pets or younger siblings

- strive for independence from parents

development of more specific and logical ideas about personal intelligence, personal abilities, gender, and ethnic background

- measurement of self to others in relation to own abilities, social status, and other attributes

as self-concept develops...

formulation of a more reality-grounded view of self; increase in self criticism and self consciousness.- children who affirm pride in gender/ethnicity likely to develop healthy self-esteem- some face social prejudice related to minority or religious group membership.

- developing a sense of pride is more effective for self-confidence than directly preparing children for prejudice

- cultures and families differ in which attitudes and accomplishments they value- emerging self-perception benefits academic and social competence- praise for process (not static qualities) encourages growth

- notice and value of material possessions increase

capacity to adapt well to significant adversity and to overcome serious stress- dynamic; not a stable trait- positive adaption to stress

- adversity must be significant

- stress accumulates over time- daily hassles can be more detrimental than isolated major stress

- social context is imperative

factors contributing to resilience

- child's interpretation of events- support of family and community- personal strengths

- avoidance of parentification

shared and nonshared environments

most personality traits and intellectual characteristics traced to genes and nonshared environment

- influence of shared environment decreases with age; fx of nonshared increases

legal and genetic relationships among relatives living in the same home

the way a family works to meet needs of its members (more important than structure, but harder to measure)

during middle childhood, family can help children by...

- providing basic material necessities- encouraging learning- helping them develop self-respect- nurturing friendships

- fostering harmony and stability

stability is difficult in military families and children displaced by storms, fire, war, etc

nuclear familystepparent familyadoptive familygrandparents alone

same-sex parents

single mother/father never marriedsingle mother/father divorced/separated/widowed

grandparent alone

more than two adult families

extended family
polygamous family

cohort changes in family structures

more single-parent householdsmore divorces and remarriagesless children per family

proportions differ, but problems within non-nuclear families are similar worldwide.

US has more single-parents than other developed nations, but almost 2/3 of all US school-age children live with two parents

what percent of US children are in single-parent homes or 1 or more years?

work best on average; children learn better in school and have less psychological problems.

education, earning potential, and emotional maturity increase the rate of marriage, and parenthood and decrease rate of divorce.

major predictor of child well-being

not parent's sexual orientation but their income and stability, contact increases affection and care

child maltreatment and shared parenting

shared parenting leads to decreased child maltreatment risk

- generally, fathers who don't live with their children are less involve each year
- single fathers face the same problems as single mothers

- remarried adults tend to spend less time on stepkids, reject them, change residences, disrupt harmony and stability
- stepkids may experience constellation shits, differential dis strat, anger, sadness, destructive behaviours

family consisting of parents, children, and other relatives living in one household.

10% of US school-age kids

opposing perspectives: aren't extended families always great?

- depends on intergenerational attitudes and income- multiple generation habitation often accumulate by stress

- potential for family conflict evident worldwide

two factors increasing likelihood of dysfunction in every structure, ethnic group, and nation

1) low-income or poverty
2) high conflict

poverty: family-stress model

- any risk factor damages family only if high stress in family
- adult stress rxn to poverty crucial in determining fx on kids

- generally, high income correlates to higher family function- score gap between high and low income kids larger in US

- rxn to wealth may cause differences; parental rxn is key

family conflict harms children, especially when adults fight about child rearing- more common in stepfamilies, divorced families, extended families

- genes have some fx, but conflict is the main influence

each group of children has games, sayings, clothing styles, and superstitions that are not common among adults, just as every culture has distinct values, behaviours, and beliefs.- customs, rules, rituals- appearance

- independence from adults

school-age children value personal friendships more than peer acceptance. intense and intimate friendships improve with advances in social cognition and effortful control. by the end of middle childhood, close friends are almost always between children of the same sex, age, ethnicity, SES

popular and unpopular children

particular qualities make a child liked or disliked depending on culture, cohort, and sometimes the local region/school

- friendly and cooperative
- aggressive

unpopular children in the US

- neglected, not rejected children (don't enjoy school, but psychologically unharmed)- aggressive-rejected children (disliked b/c of antagonistic, confrontational behaviour; may become bully-victims)

- withdrawn-rejected children (disliked b/c of timid, withdrawn, or anxious behaviour)

repeated, systematic efforts to inflict harm through on a weaker person.

physicalverbalrelational

cyberbullying

- endure repeated shameful experiences with no defense- tend to be cautious, sensitive, quiet, and friendless- providing psychological defense against lower self-respect is crucial- section for bullying based on emotional vulnerability and social isolation, not appearances

- in pervasive bullying, almost any trait can develop into an excuse to exclude and harass a vulnerable child

popular, proud, and socially dominant.- more skilled at avoiding adult awareness, picking victims, and using nonphysical methods to avoid adult punishment- boys typically attack smaller, weaker boys- girls use words and relational aggression to demean shyer girls

- gay boys become targets, esp at the end of middle childhood

causes of bullying in early childhood

chaotic home lifeineffectual disciplinehostile siblings

insecure attachment

causes of bullying in middle childhood

attempt to gain status and power

serious psychological disorders by age 18impaired social understandinglower school achievement, relational diff

higher adult mental illness rates

successful efforts to eliminate bullying

- personally finding ways to halt ongoing bullying by ignoring, retaliating, defusing, or avoiding- involving whole school not just bullies (convivencia)- engaging bystanders

- encouraging multicultural sensitivity

- making moral judgments
- differentiating universal principles from conventional norms

moral rules of child culture

children align themselves with peers when adult morality clashes with child cultureinfluences:- peer culture- personal experience- empathy

school-age children can think and act morally, but don't always do so due to hidden curriculum or adult values

3 moral imperatives of child culture

1) defend your friends2) don't tell adults about kids' misbehaviour

3) conform to peer standards of dress, talk, and behaviour

understanding of basic humanity of other people

Kohlberg's Levels of Moral Thought

stages stem from three levels of moral reasoning with 2 stages at each level- preconventional moral reasoning- conventional moral reasoning

- postconventional moral reasoning

pros and cons of Kohlberg

pros: child's use of intellectual ability to justify moral actions

cons: culture and gender differences ignored; exclusive male sample; diff between child and adult morality not addressed; rational principles values more than individual needs

once children understand moral equity, they may be more ethical than adults; morality can be scaffolded with mentors using moral dilemmas to advance moral understanding, empathy, and moral regulation