Psychosocial DevelopmentPsychosocial Development

The first two yearsThe first two years

Ethological PerspectiveEthological Perspective

Infants come into the world Infants come into the world equipped with basic social equipped with basic social predispositions (temperament) predispositions (temperament) and skills which interact with their and skills which interact with their environmental surroundings and environmental surroundings and contribute to their developmentcontribute to their development

The beginningsThe beginnings

Social smile: in response to another Social smile: in response to another human’s voice or face (6 weeks)human’s voice or face (6 weeks)

Stranger wariness: A fear of unfamiliar Stranger wariness: A fear of unfamiliar people (6 months)people (6 months)

Separation anxiety: A fear of being left Separation anxiety: A fear of being left by caregiver (8-18 months)by caregiver (8-18 months)

Social referencing: looking to trusted Social referencing: looking to trusted adults for cues on how to interpret new adults for cues on how to interpret new events (6 months)events (6 months)

Self AwarenessSelf Awareness

A person’s sense of self as distinct A person’s sense of self as distinct from othersfrom others– stems out of an awareness of other stems out of an awareness of other

people from 9-15 monthspeople from 9-15 months– awareness of self emerges between awareness of self emerges between

15-18 months15-18 months– fosters self-conscious emotionsfosters self-conscious emotions– enables other-directed emotinsenables other-directed emotins

TemperamentTemperament

A set of innate tendencies that A set of innate tendencies that underlie and affect each person’s underlie and affect each person’s interactions with people,situations, interactions with people,situations, and events.and events.

Dimensions of Dimensions of TemperamentTemperament

Activity levelActivity level RythmicityRythmicity Approach-Approach-

withdrawalwithdrawal AdaptabilityAdaptability Intensity of Intensity of

reactionreaction

Threshold of Threshold of responsivenessresponsiveness

Quality of moodQuality of mood DistractibilityDistractibility Attention spanAttention span

Goodness of FitGoodness of Fit

The degree to which a child’s The degree to which a child’s temperament matches the temperament matches the demands of his or her environmentdemands of his or her environment

Big 5 Personality TraitsBig 5 Personality Traits

ExtroversionExtroversion

AgreeablenessAgreeableness

ConscientiousnesConscientiousnesss

NeuroticismNeuroticism

OpennessOpenness

SynchronySynchrony

Coordinated interaction between Coordinated interaction between infant and parent (where one infant and parent (where one responds to the other) responds to the other)

Evident is a high quality of Evident is a high quality of connectedness between their connectedness between their actions and reactionsactions and reactions

AttachmentAttachment

An enduring emotional connection An enduring emotional connection between people that produces a between people that produces a desire for continual contact as well as desire for continual contact as well as feelings of distress during separationfeelings of distress during separation

Infants and toddlers exhibit proximity-Infants and toddlers exhibit proximity-seeking behaviors and contact seeking behaviors and contact maintaining behaviors to ensure maintaining behaviors to ensure constant contact with caregiver.constant contact with caregiver.

AttachmentAttachment

Parents exhibit attachment Parents exhibit attachment behaviors such as keeping a close behaviors such as keeping a close eye on the infant, responding eye on the infant, responding affectionately and sensitively. affectionately and sensitively. They can also be observed They can also be observed partaking in proximity-seeking partaking in proximity-seeking behaviors and contact-maintaining behaviors and contact-maintaining behaviors.behaviors.

Ainsworth’s Attachment Ainsworth’s Attachment PatternsPatterns

Secure attachment: the caregiver-Secure attachment: the caregiver-infant relationship provides comfort infant relationship provides comfort and confidence, evidenced by the and confidence, evidenced by the infant’s attempts to be close to infant’s attempts to be close to caregiver and readiness to explorecaregiver and readiness to explore

Insecure attachment: characterized Insecure attachment: characterized by anxious clinging, resistance or by anxious clinging, resistance or indifference to caregiverindifference to caregiver