Psych 212a Gender preference

Chapter 7 – Early School Age

Gender typicality – whether a child fits in
with others of the same sex.
Gender Identification Gender contentedness – a child likes being
Sex – person’s person’s biological maleness or the sex proscribed at birth.
femaleness determined by chromosomal Gender dysphoria – a desire to be the
information. opposite sex.
Gender – integrated cognitive, social, emotional,
and behavioral patterns associated with being a
boy or girl, man or woman. Early Moral Development

Sexual orientation – one’s preference for and Internalization – behaving according to parental
attraction to sexually intimate partners. standards, rules, and values without external
(heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, and asexual). monitoring.

Understanding the concept of gender Want versus should conflict – inhibiting harmful or
socially unacceptable impulses and striving to do
1. Applying the correct gender label to what is right.
oneseld and others (21 months).
2. Understanding that gender is permanent Four Theoretical Perspectives on Moral
(age 7months-4years). Development:
3. Understanding gender constancy.
1. Learning Theories
4. Understanding the genital basis of
2. Cognitive Development Theory
gender.
3. Psychosexual and Object Relations Theory
Gender-role standards and sex stereotypes 4. Evolutionary Theory

Gender-role standards – are cultural Learning Theories

expectations about appropriate behavior for
Moral behaviors can be shaped by the
boys and girls and for men and women (or
consequences that follow them.
sex stereotypes). It also tells us what the
culture considers typical and admirable. Behavior + reinforced = more likely to occur.
Parental influences on children’s gender- Behavior + ignored or punished = less likely
role stereotyping: to occur.
1. Toys Cognitive Developmental Theory
2. Experiences
3. Activities Focusing on developmental changes in the
4. Words ways children make judgments and reason
about morally relevant situations.
Identification with parents
Heteronomous morality – rules are
Children admire and want to be like their understood as fixed, unchangeable aspects
parents. of social reality.
They integrate parental values and Autonomous morality – children see rules
behaviors as part of their gender scheme. as products of cooperative agreements.
Traditional views about gender greatly affect Stages in the Development of Moral
children’s ideas about themselves and Judgment
about others.
Preconventional; Conventional,
Postconventional
 Psychosexual and Object Relations Theories The Neuroscience of the Self
Psychosexual theory – a moral sense Four functions of the brain contributing to the
develops as a result of strong parental components of self-concept:
identification.
1. Recognition and experience of the physical
Psychoanalytic view – young children act on self.
their impulses. But as the superego 2. Self-representations.
develops, they improve in resisting 3. Awareness of the expectations of others for
temptation. oneself.
4. Awareness of the differences between the
Evolutionary Theory
self and others.
Emphasizes an emotional or affective as
well as cognitive aspect to morality.
The Me and the I
A more primitive and automatic system that
evaluates experiences as positive or William James – provided One of the earliest
negative, good or bad, without weighing psychological analysis of self-theory.
information or evidences.
The me is the self as object.
Related Concepts
The self one can describe.
Empathy – sharing the perceived emotion of
 Physical self
another.
 Active self
Care – a sense of duty or obligation to help  Social self
someone in need.  Psychological self
Perspective taking – the cognitive capacity The I is the self as subject.
to consider a situation from the point of view
The self who is aware of one’s actions.
of another person.
 Continuity – I am the same person
from day to day.
Self-Theory  Distinctiveness – I differ from others,
therefore I am unique.
The development of the self-concept is at the heart
 Agency- I can be a cause, I have an
of psychosocial development.
impact.
Self-concept – can be viewed as the theory that
Developmental chages in the self-theory:
links the child’s understanding of the world, the self,
and the interactions between the two.  In infancy, the self consists of one’s
independent existence.
One’s self-theory is also based on logical thoughts
 In toddlerhood, there is an active
and information such as assessment of abilities and
process of self-differentiation.
comparison with others.
 During early school age, there is
Self-theory is expected to be modified over life’s distinction of real self and ideal self.
course.  In middle childhood, the child shifts
to comparative assessments.

Self-Esteem
For every component of the self, a person makes
an evaluation of worthiness.
The Psychosocial Crisis: Initiative versus Guilt
The self-evaluation is based on three sources:
During early school age, children shift their
1. Messages of love, support, and approval. attention toward investigation of the external
2. Specific attributes and competencies. environment.
3. Comparison with others and in relation to
Initiative
one’s ideal self.
 The manifestation of the I.
Feelings of positive self-worth provide a protective
 The active, conceptual investigation of the
shield against anxiety.
world.
Self-esteem and the early school age child:  It can be recognized in a child’s curiosity,
exploratory behavior, and coping strategies
 Children’s sense of self-esteem begins to
in the face of obstacles.
crystallize.
 Children can perform a variety of actions
 They are able to make assessments of their
and observe the consequences.
competence.
 One expression is children’s playful
 They are aware of the expectations of
exploration of their own bodies and
others.
sometimes of their friends’ bodies.
 They are able to reflect how well or poorly
they meet these expectations. Guilt
Success in competence increases self-esteem,  An emotion that accompanies the sense
which increases confidence and positivity. that one has been responsible for an
unacceptable thought, fantasy, or action.
 It is recognized as a fundamental moral
Peer Play emotion that is usually accompanied by
remorse.
Interactions with peers contribute important
opportunities for physical, cognitive, social, and Guilt as an emotional reaction to:
emotional development.
1. One’s unacceptable sexual and
Group play – is a transitional form between fantasy aggressive impulses.
of the toddler and the team sports and other games 2. Emotional arousal and sensitivity to
with rules f middle adulthood. emotional distress.
3. When one fails to accord with one’s own
Media environment – can be a zone of personal standards and beliefs.
development when friends work together to
advance their reasoning and problem-solving skills.
Friends – make play exciting, provide experiences The Central Process: Identification
of emotional closeness, and create opportunities for
Identification – is the central process in the
new and interesting activities.
resolution of the conflict between initiative and guilt.
Friendships are likely based on proximity
 Gender identity
and mutual enjoyment of activities.
 Moral development
Friendships are maintained through acts of
 Self-concept
affection, sharing, and collaboration in
fantasy. The sense of self is clarified in the context of
interactions with significant others.
Four motives for parental identification:
1. Fear of loss of love.
2. Identification with aggressor.
3. Identification to satisfy needs for power.
 4. Identification to increase perceived
similarity.
An important outciome is the formation of the self-
image (ego ideal).
The conscience punishes misdeeds and rewards
actions that bring children closer to their ideal self-
image.
Ideal self – a complex view of the self as it may be
in the future.

The Prime Adaptive Ego Quality and the Core

Pathology
As a result of efforts to resolve the crisis of initiative
versus guilt, children emerge with the benefit of the
prime adaptive ego quality of purpose or the core
pathology of inhibition.
Purpose – is thought or behavior with direction, and
therefore, with meaning.
Inhibition – a self-conscious restraint or
suppression of thoughts and behavior.