This document discusses psychosocial development in middle childhood. It covers topics like self-concept development, self-esteem, emotional development, peer relationships, and family relationships. Regarding self-concept, children develop more balanced views of themselves that integrate various aspects of their identity. Their self-esteem is influenced by parenting styles, academic performance, and physical appearance. Emotionally, children learn self-regulation and can experience pride and guilt. Peer relationships become important as children form stable friendships and can understand other perspectives. Siblings provide companionship but rivalry may increase as parents compare children. Resilience comes from personal characteristics, supportive families and schools, and mentors outside the family.

1. PSYCHOSOCIAL
DEVELOPMENT
The Self-Concept
The Self-Esteem
The Child In The Family
Sibling Relationships
The Child In The Peer Group
Stages Of Friendship
Aggression And Bullying
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2. I. The Developing Self
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3. I. The Developing Self
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Self-Concept Development:
Representational Systems
The third stage in development of self-
definition characterized by broad, balanced,
inclusive self-concepts that integrate various
aspects of the self, in which judgments
about the self become more conscious,
realistic, balanced, and comprehensive.

4. 4
Self-Concept Development:
Representational Systems
Children can now focus on more than one
dimension of themselves:
• Smart on subjects, dumb on others
• Comparing the real self with the ideal self
• Measuring up to social standards in
cooperation with the others
• SELF-ESTEEM
the children’s view of their capacity for
productive work/competence

5. Erikson’s Theory: Industry versus Inferiority
In Erikson’s theory, industry versus
inferiority is the psychological conflict of
middle childhood, which is resolved
positively when experiences lead children to
develop a sense of competence at
useful skills and tasks.
The danger at this stage is inferiority,
reflected in the sad pessimism of children who
have little confidence in their ability to do
things well.
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6. Self-development cont
• Children describe themselves in terms of
psychological traits, emphasizing
competencies instead of specific behaviors.
• School children begin to make social
comparisons in that they:
1. judge their appearance
2. abilities
3. behavior in relation to those of others
• Emphasize competencies
• Both positive and negative
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7. Self-esteem in Middle Childhood
• Hierarchically structured
– Separate areas and general self-
esteem
– 7 to 8, formed at least 4 separate self-
esteems—(1) academic competence,
(2) social competence, (3)
physical/athletic competence, and (4)
physical appearance
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8. Hierarchical Structure of Self-Esteem in Middle
Childhood
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9. – Although children differ in the aspects of the
self they deem most important, the way
they perceive their physical
appearance correlates more strongly
with general self-worth than any other
self-esteem factor.
Changes in Level of Self-Esteem
– Self-esteem drops during the first few
years of elementary school.
– Most appraise their characteristics and
competencies realistically while maintaining
an attitude of self-acceptance and self-
respect.
– From fourth to sixth grade, self-esteem
rises for the majority of children.
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10. Influences on Self-esteem
• Child-Rearing Practices
– Children of parents who are
authoritative feel especially
good about themselves.
– Why? Warm, positive, accept
children as competent. (1) Firm
but appropriate expectations, and
(2) explanations, help children 10

11. Influences on Self-Esteem cont.
– In contrast, highly
coercive
parenting
communicates
a sense of
inadequacy to
children. It says
their behavior
needs to be
managed by
adults because
they cannot
manage it
themselves.
– Indulgent
parenting that
promotes a “feel
good” attitude no
matter how
children behave
creates a false
sense of self-
esteem.
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12. – Learned helplessness involves attributions
that credit success to luck and failure to
low ability.
• Learned-helpless children hold a
fixed view of ability—that it cannot
be changed.
• When a task is difficult, they
experience a loss of control and
quickly give up.
– Children’s attributions affect their
goals:
1. Master-oriented children focus on learning
goals
2. Learned-helpless children focus on
performance goals.
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13. Emotional Development
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14. Emotional Development
Self-Conscious Emotions
• Self-conscious emotions of pride and guilt become
clearly integrated by personal responsibility; these
feelings are now experienced in the absence of
adult monitoring.
• School-age children do not report guilt for any mishap,
but only for intentional wrongdoing.
• They tend to feel shame when they violated a
standard that was not under their control.
• Pride motivates children to take on further challenges
• Guilt prompts them to make amends and strive for self-
improvement as well.
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15. Emotional Self-Regulation
• There are many ways to handle emotionally
arousing situations as rapid gains are made in
emotional self-regulation during middle
childhood.
• As children are involved in comparisons with
others, they must learn to manage negative
emotions – they shift adaptively between 2
general strategies to cope with stress.
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16. Coping with Stress
Problem-Centered Coping
 Used when situation is
seen as changeable
 Identify the difficulty
 Decide what to do about
it
Emotion-Centered
Coping
 Used if problem-
centered coping does
not work.
 Situation is seen as
unchangeable
 Internal private
control of distress
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17. When emotional self-regulation goes
along well, children acquire a sense of
emotional self-efficacy —a feeling of
being in control of their emotional
experience.
Emotionally well-regulated children
are generally (1) upbeat in mood,(2)
empathic (3) prosocial, (4) better liked
by their peers.
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18. Robert Selman’s five-stage model of major
changes in children’s perspective taking skill.
• At first, limited idea of what other people might be
thinking and feeling.
• Over time, realize that people can interpret the
same event in different ways; often because
they have
access to different information.
• Soon, they can “step in another person’s shoes”
and reflect on how that person might regard
their own (1) thoughts, (2) feelings, and (3)
behavior.
• Can step outside a 2-person situation & imagine how
self and other are viewed from a third point of view.
• Realize 3rd
party perspective can be influenced by
societal values.
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19. PEER RELATIONS
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20. Peers
• The society of peers becomes an
increasingly important context for
development.
• Aggression declines in middle childhood,
but the drop is greatest for physical
attacks.
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21. Friendships
– During middle childhood, friendship becomes a
mutually agreed on relationship - children like
each other’s (1) personal qualities and (2)
respond to needs and desires of others
– Trust becomes its defining feature.
– Friends tend to be of the same age, sex, ethnicity,
and SES.
– Friendships remain fairly stable over middle
childhood.
– Children who are kind and compassionate behave
more prosocially toward others. Aggressive
children’s friendships usually magnify antisocial
acts.
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22. Peer Acceptance
–Children’s responses reveal four different
categories of social acceptance.
• Popular children are those who get
many positive votes.
• Rejected children are actively disliked.
• Controversial children get a large
number of positive and negative votes.
• Neglected children are seldom chosen,
either positively or negatively.
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23. Family Relationships
 Parents
 Coregulation
 Siblings
 Rivalry
 Companionship and assistance
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24. Family
Parent–Child
Relationships
• Time spent with
parents declines during
middle childhood
• Reasoning works
best because (1) of
their ability to think
logically and (2)
increased respect for
parents’ knowledge
and skill.
• Coregulation is a
transitional form of
supervision in which
parents exercise
general oversight,
but permit children to be
in charge of moment-
by-moment decision-
making.
• School-age children
often press for greater
independence, but know
they need parents’
continuing support.
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25. Siblings
• Siblings provide one
another with (1)
companionship, (2)
help with difficult
tasks, and (3)
comfort during times of
emotional stress.
• In middle childhood,
children participate in a
wider range of activities,
and parents often
compare siblings’
traits, abilities, and
accomplishments
which may lead to an
increase in sibling
rivalry.
• Siblings close in (1)
age and of the (2)
same sex, parental
comparisons take
place more
frequently, and more
quarreling and
antagonism results.
Particularly strong
when fathers prefer
one child.
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26. Types of Families
 Traditional
 Employed parents
 One-child
 Gay & lesbian parents
 Single parents
 Divorced parents
 Blended
 Extended
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27. Resources That
Foster Resiliency
 Personal
 Family
 School
 Community
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28. Fostering Resiliency in Middle Childhood
• Many studies indicate that only a modest
relationship exists between stressful
life experiences and psychological
disturbances in childhood.
• Three factors that consistently protect against
maladjustment:
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29. Fostering Resiliency in Middle Childhood
Personal characteristics of children (1) an easy
temperament, (2) high self-esteem, and (3) mastery-
oriented approach to new situations
A family environment that provides (1) warmth, (2)
closeness with at least one parent, and (3) positive
discipline and authoritative parents.
School (1) teachers who are warm and helpful, (2)
extracurricular activities, and (3) after-school programs
A person outside the immediate family
who develops a special relationship with
the child, offering a support system and a
positive coping model.
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