“Growth of self-regulation is a cornerstone of early childhood development and is visible in all areas of behavior” (Shonkoff & Phillips, 2000) Throughout the course of a person’s life, they will face many situations where self-regulation of the emotions is needed to make decisions that can determine a positive outcome of a given situation. Most adult are able to think about the consequences of their actions before a situation gets out of hand. They have, through experience, the understanding and knowledge that for every action there is a reaction and the decision you make at this given time may affect some other aspect of your life. An example of this would be a scenario where a person is driving and someone cuts them off. The outcome of a crisis situation such as this depends on the action of the person who was cut off. Some adults will react aggressively as in instances of “road rage.” A more mature adult would simply count to ten and continue as if nothing untoward happened. To be faced with this type of experiences is why development of good emotional self-regulation and secure attachments is important for children to learn and important for adults to practice. According to Santrock, children are faced with emotions that range from anger and frustration to joy and excitement that starts in infancy where emotions are rooted in the more primitive area of the brain, the limbic system. As the child grows and learns through experiences such as social referencing, changes in their brain will help in gaining better control of their “mood swings” (Santrock, 2013). In studying child development, self-regulation and secure attachments factor into the child’s overall health, physical and emotional well-being, and cont... ... middle of paper ... ...t, K. (2008, December 29). Borderline personality. Retrieved March 27, 2014, from About.com: http://bpd.about.com/od/glossary/g/emotreg.htm Santrock, J. (2013). Emotional development. In Child Development, An Introduction (14e ed., pp. 281-311). McGraw Hill. Shonkoff, J. P. (2000). From neurons to neighborhoods: the science of early childhood development. Free Executive Summary. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press. Shonkoff, J., & Phillips, D. (2000). From neurons to neighborhoods: the science of early child development / Committee on Integrating the Science of Early Childhood Development; Jack P. Shonkoff and Deborah A. Phillips, editors. Washington D.C.: National Academy Press, c2000 (2002 printing). Tools of the Mind. (2012). Self-Regulation - Tools of the Mind. Retrieved from Tools of the Mind: http://www.toolsofthemind.org/philosophy/self-regulation/
Slater, A., and Muir, D., (1998). The Blackwell Reader in Developmental Psychology. Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishers, Ltd.
Shaffer, D. R., & Kipp, K. (2014). Infancy. In Developmental psychology: Childhood and adolescence (p. 158). Australia: Wadsworth.
Attachments are formed with parents; this contributes to give a sense of who we are and who we will become in later life. However where these attachments are broken the child needs to have a secure attachment established with an alternative adult care giver,...
Baillargeon, R. (1994). How do infants learn about the physical world? Current Directions in Psychological Science, 3, 133-140.
It has been proven that a child’s early years are the peak at which the mind can bend and shape, creating the foundation for a life. We know now that even before birth, the mind is a delicate matter that if improperly taken care of could alter a person’s entire life. Nourishment and stimulation before and after the birth of a child mold’s the brain in its most malleable state. Medical and scientific institutes paired with parenting information organizations have made information readily available for parents, childcare providers, and students to advise them of the importance of childhood brain development. This information is not only critical for the child, but for the person they will become in the future.
Attachment is described as the close emotional bond between two people and Attachment Theory (AT) generally concentrates on the early bonds in a person’s development as well as the effects that these bonds have on later socio-emotional development. While emphasis on attachment as an antecedent for future behavior and personality has decreased somewhat in recent years, it is interesting to note that the DSM IV-TR includes a “reactive attachment disorder” which it states is caused when extreme circumstances prevent proper attachment development.
To some an acorn is just an acorn, nothing more than a nut. The acorn with its tough leathery outside and rich amber color signifies nothing more than the commencement of autumn. To others it represents a great deal of potential. This tiny seed has the ability to endure many adverse effects including long periods of cold temperatures, drought, and human interference. The fragile acorn contains all the necessary elements to become the giant, majestic oak that has come to signify strength. When the conditions are favorable, the little nut will thrive and become an impressive adult tree providing oxygen and shade as nature intended. The most important factor to the budding tree is the environment. Like all other living things, the acorn needs care and ideal circumstances to develop properly. This is also true for humans and their offspring. Creating the perfect environment for an infant to flourish is quite possibly, the single most important factor to the success of a well-adjusted, adult human.
Infant attachment is the first relationship a child experiences and is crucial to the child’s survival (BOOK). A mother’s response to her child will yield either a secure bond or insecurity with the infant. Parents who respond “more sensitively and responsively to the child’s distress” establish a secure bond faster than “parents of insecure children”. (Attachment and Emotion, page 475) The quality of the attachment has “profound implications for the child’s feelings of security and capacity to form trusting relationships” (Book). Simply stated, a positive early attachment will likely yield positive physical, socio-emotional, and cognitive development for the child. (BOOK)
Myers, D.G. (2010). Social Development . In D. Kasowitz ( Ed.) , Psychology (p. 200-201).
As children grow and develop, their actions become more self-directed and less subject to outside regulation by others (Poulsen, et al., 2006, p....
Smith P.J., Cowie, H., & Blades, M. (2003). Understanding Children’s Development (4th ed.). London, UK: Blackwell Publishing. (Chapter 15 covers the work of Vygotsky, Bruner and Call)
...preschool years they will learn to initiate and carry out tasks based on experience or exposure to those tasks. Interactions with parents, teachers, peers, and other adults are important in a child's life. These relationships actually shape the brain and lay the foundation for later developmental outcomes, from academic performance to mental health and interpersonal skills.
Peterson, Candida C., James L. Peterson, and Diane Seeto. Child Developement. Vol. 54. N.p.: Blackwell Publishing, n.d. JSTOR. Web. 29 Sept. 2011.
Emotional self-regulation refers to the strategies used to adjust emotions to a contented level so goals can be accomplished. This requires voluntary, effortless management of emotions (Berk, 2007). Promoting young children’s social-emotional development is essential for three interconnected reasons: Positive social-emotional development provides a base for life-long learning; Social skills and emotional self-regulation are integrally related to later academic success in school, and prevention of future social and behavioral difficulties is more effective than later remediation (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services). Research on early childhood has highlighted the strength of the first five years of a child’s life in their social-emotional development. Negative early experiences can damage children’s mental health and affect cognitive, behavioral, and social-emotional development (Cooper, Masi, & Vick, 2009)....
Wood, A. E., Wood, E. G., & Boyd, D. (2007). Child development: The world of psychology.