Psychosocial Development in Middle Childhood

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Children in middle childhood are growing psychosocially at a quick rate. During middle childhood they become industrious, develop a self-concept, and learn how to be friends, amongst other things. In Erickson’s Stages of Development a child in middle childhood, (or children from age six to age eleven), move through the industry versus inferiority stage. This stage is marked by the child working to gain new skills and in general just being productive (Click P. M., Parker J., 2002, p. 89). A child who is successful in their attempts will gain confidence in themselves and move on into adolescence firmly on the industrious side. A child who is not successful in acquiring the skills they try will move on to the adolescent stage with the mindset that they are inferior to their peers. Their success or failure in the development of new skills informs the child’s self-concept. Self-concept is the ideas that one holds about themselves. How they feel about their intelligence, personality, ethnicity, gender, and more are all a part of the child’s self-concept (Berger K. S., 2010, p. 285). In early childhood a person’s self-concept is optimistic and strong. In middle childhood, the child’s self-concept becomes more pessimistic and logical. They become more aware of what other’s think of them, and so they become aware of, and internalize, the stereotypes that follow minority groups (Berger K. S., 2010, p.285-286) Self-concept in middle childhood also becomes more dependent on others, especially in their peer group. They begin to compare themselves and their talents to others, an action called social comparison. Social comparison can, ideally, help a child value themselves in a way that is realistic and leaves behind their overly unrealistic se... ... middle of paper ... ...d developmentally. Works Cited Berger, K. S. (2010). Invitation to The Life Span (Second Edition). Unite State of America: Worth Publishers. Click, P. M., & Parker, J. (2002). Caring for School-Age Children (Third Edition). United States of America: Delmar. Edwards, Lynda. "Myths Over Miami."Miami New Times. N.p., 5 June 1997. Web. 8 Mar. 2014. . Fox, N. H. (2011). The effects of severe psychosocial deprivation and foster care intervention on cognitive development at 8 years of age: findings from the Bucharest Early Intervention Project. Journal Of Child Psychology & Psychiatry, 52(9), 919-928. Williams, R. (2007). The psychosocial consequences for children of mass violence, terrorism and disasters. International Review Of Psychiatry, 19(3), 263-277.

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