CHAPTER 7: Social Development



CHAPTER 7: Social Development and Attachment

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This chapter addresses social development in the context of relationships between significant others and children from birth through 36 months. The theoretical bases for social development, stages of attachment, atypical social development, and adult-child interactions are discussed.

Learning Objectives

After reading this chapter, you should be able to:

• Understand the theoretical and empirical bases for social development and attachment.

• Address the stages and process of social development and attachment.

• Highlight the crucial aspects of adult-child and child-child interactions in relation to social development.

• Discuss atypical social development and attachment disorders.

Key Terms and Concepts

Anal stage, part of Freud’s theory, focuses on children from about 18 to 36 months and their eliminative functions. He felt that exercising the anal muscles reduces tension. Early or late toilet training could produce personality problems later.

Autism spectrum disorders are a range of disorders that vary in severity and must have their onset before age three. The affected children have problems related to social interaction, language as a communication skill, or symbolic play.

Avoidant attachment is a pattern of attachment where the infant or toddler neither protests when her parent leaves nor does she immediately acknowledge the parent’s return. It is an organized defensive strategy. This behavior is seen as a response to parents who minimize or dismiss the importance of attachment.

Disorganized/Controlling attachment is a pattern of attachment that lacks a consistent pattern in response to stress. It typically develops in response to caregivers whose behavior is frightening, abusive, or neglectful. These infants and toddlers are vulnerable to both internalizing and externalizing disorders.

Joint attention is the ability of individuals to coordinate attention with a social partner focusing on a third object or event.

Joint socialization is an interactive process in which adults respond accurately to the infant’s cues and the infant then reads the adult’s response to modify his behavior.

Onlooker play is when the child is watching other children play but not actively participating.

Oral stage is part of Freud’s theory about infants from birth to 18 months. He feels that the infant’s pleasure centers on his mouth as evidenced by his sucking, mouthing, and biting and that weaning too early or too late could cause personality problems.

Parallel play is when the child is playing near other children using similar materials, but playing in his own way.

Phallic stage, part of Freud’s theory, is the stage from three to six years during which the child’s pleasure focuses on the genitals. The young child typically finds self-manipulation enjoyable. Lack of resolution causes personality problems.

Prosocial behaviors are behaviors that are kind and supportive of others such as helping, giving, sharing, and showing sympathy, kindness, affection, and concern for others.

Psychosexual development is Freud’s beliefs that sexual instincts and appetites play a major role in the formation of adult personality.

Resistant attachment is an organized pattern of attachment where the infant or toddler shows distress at separation from her parent but when the parent returns, the child is angry, cannot be easily comforted, and cannot resume play. This behavior has been interpreted as the infant’s response to inconsistent caregiving.

Secondary viewing is when infants and toddlers are in a room with the TV on with the programming selected for someone else in the room.

Secure attachment is characterized by infants and toddlers who seek out their parent for comfort when they are scared, hurt, or even hungry and use their parent as a secure base from which to explore their environment.

Social referencing is a process whereby a child refers to a trusted adult to decide how to interpret a situation.

Solitary play is when the child is playing independently.

Unoccupied play is when the child is not focused on his surroundings or the other children.

Victimization of infants and toddlers can be caused by child abuse, homicide, and abductions by parents in custody cases. The most clearly dependency-related form of victimization is neglect. Victimized children may use dissociation as a defense mechanism and can develop memory loss, a tendency for trancelike behavior, and auditory or visual hallucinations.

Chapter Outline

Relationships

Theories of Attachment

Attachment and Attachment Disorders

Adult-Child Interactions

Child-Child Interacations

Media

Promoting Prosocial Behavior

Atypical Social Development

Recommended Reading

Balaban, N. (2006). Everyday goodbyes: Starting school and early care—A guide to the

separation process. New York: Teachers College Press.

Brown, W. H., Odom, S. L., & McConnell, S. R. (2008). Social competence of young

children: Risk, disability, and intervention. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes.

Dozier, M., Dozier, D., & Manni, M. (2002). Attachment and biobehavioral catch-up: The ABC’s of helping foster infants cope with early adversity. Zero to Three 22(5), 7–13.

Honig, A. S. (2001). Secure relationships: Nurturing infant/toddler attachment in early

care settings. Washington, DC: NAEYC.

Karp, H. (2004). The happiest toddler on the block: The new way to stop the daily battle of wills and raise a secure and well-behaved one. New York: Bantam.

NAEYC. (2005). Relationships. From the NAEYC Accreditation Self-Study Kit. Washington, DC: Author.

Sroufe, L. A., Egeland, B., Carlson, E., & Collins, W. A. (2005). Placing early attachment experiences in developmental context: The Minnesota longitudinal study. In K. E. Grossmann, K. Grossmann, & E. Waters (Eds.), Attachment from infancy to adulthood: The major longitudinal studies (pp. 48–70). New York: The Guilford Press.

Relevant Web Sites

FPG Child Development Institute of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is one of the nation’s largest multidisciplinary centers for studying young children and their families. FPG research deals with parent and family support, early care and education, child health and development, early identification and intervention, equity, access and inclusion, and early childhood policy.

I Am Your Child Foundation (IAYC) is a national, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that was founded in 1997 to raise awareness about the importance of early childhood development and school readiness. IAYC develops a wide variety of resources for parents, early childhood professionals, child advocates, health care providers, policy makers, and the media. IAYC also promotes public policies that help ensure that children have the physical well-being and the social, emotional, and cognitive abilities they need to enter school ready to succeed.

The Administration for Children and Families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is highlighting the positive role that fathers play in The Importance of Fathers in the Healthy Development of Children. .

The Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning at Vanderbilt University focuses on promoting social and emotional development and also looks at challenging behavior. They provide training as well as a series of What Works Briefs on specific topics. These can be downloaded or purchased for a small fee. .

The National Center for Children in Poverty publishes articles that are helpful in working with high-risk families.

The Child Welfare Information Gateway, a service of the Children’s Bureau, provides access to information and resources to help protect children and strengthen families. It has links to many sites that have a similar mission.

The Infant-Caregiver Project is led by Dr. Mary Dozier at the University of Delaware. The project studies the effectiveness of training programs for parents and children and addresses the special emotional and relationship needs of young children who have experienced adversity and disruptions in care. You will be able to learn the up-to-date news of the project and find useful resources for parents, researchers, and agency professionals.

The National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (NECTAC) is a program of the FPG Child Development Institute, funded by the Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education. Navigate to the page on Early Childhood Mental Health, Social-Emotional Development, and Challenging Behaviors, a great resource center for information on infant social/emotional development and mental health.

The National Early Childhood Transition Center (NECTC) seeks to examine factors that promote successful transitions between infant/toddler programs, preschool programs, and public school programs for young children with disabilities and their families.

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is the largest scientific organization in the world dedicated to research focused on the understanding, treatment, and prevention of mental disorders and the promotion of mental health. Navigate to the page on Autism Spectrum Disorders (Pervasive Developmental Disorders) for detailed information on the definition, diagnosis, treatment, and latest research on Autism Spectrum Disorders.

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