SOCIOCULTURAL RISK AND OPPORTUNITY

Chapter 3 Garbarino

What are they?

WHAT IS RISK?Sociocultural Risk refers to the

impoverishing of the child’s world so that the child lacks the basic social and psychological necessities of life.

RISK AND OPPORTUNITY IN THE MICROSYSTEM

Microsystem is a set of shared experiences and offers some clue to the child’s future.

System evolves and develops Reciprocal relationship: the child

influences and is influenced by the system.

Child forms a cognitive map of the world.

MICROSYSTEM RISKBecomes developmental risk when

it is socially impoverished:Too few participantsToo little reciprocal interactionPsychologically destructive pattern of

interactionResults in warped image of the

world

MICROSYSTEM“Microsystem should be a gateway to

the world, not a locked room.” (p.39)Healthy microsystem:

Child has the capacity for understanding and successfully dealing with ever wider spheres of reality increases.

Child learns self-respect and self-confidence, and to be socially and intellectually competent.

SMALL VS. LARGEDevelopmental needs may not be

met if the child lacks a sufficient number of supports within the microsystem.

Can be supplemented by outside sources to produce a fuller, richer range of roles, activities and relationships.

THE “EMPTYING” OF MICROSYSTEM

Mothers are working outside the homeKin less likely to be involved in

immediate familyAge segregation in housing increasesMany distractions of “modern life” pull

parents away from homeAll leads to sociocultural risk

MICROSYSTEM OPPORTUNITIES

Microsystem made up of a large number of relatives, neighbors, and friends results in a rich and stimulating experiences for the child.

Development depends on the accumulation of risk that jeopardizes development.

IMBALANCED VS. BALANCEDReciprocity: the give and take

interaction that both respects and challenges the child, that stimulates and responds appropriately.

A decline in reciprocity results in the jeopardizing of the child’s development.Happens when balance of power within

the family breaks down

HEALTHY MICROSYSTEMReciprocal relationship between

parent and infant. Both play a role in shaping the other’s behavior.

Principle of Reciprocity violated when:Parent refuses to be influenced by childParent is impaired by drugs, alcohol or

psychiatric illness.

PARENTING STYLES Authoritative: where reciprocity was

maintained in day to day interactions Child enjoys the greatest number of

opportunities to develop social competence

Authoritarian: violates principle of reciprocity by lodging excessive power in the hands of the parent and places the child in a passive role.

Permissive: inappropriately gives “blank slate” to the child and the parent is placed in a passive role.

NEGATIVE VS. POSITIVEChildren incorporate experiences

into concepts of themselves, the world, and their place in the world.

Emotional climate – most effective element of the microsystem.

POSITIVE TONEProduces “social momentum”Self-confidence formed, which

leads to a foundation for competence

Parents are nurturing, involved and actively contributing to produce high self-esteem.

NEGATIVE TONE Produces “social deadweight” Expressed in multiple ways

In what is said (or not said) In what is done (or not done)

Makes child vulnerable to being easily discouraged by everyday problems and turns child away from full and satisfying participation in the world.

Parent is passive, neglecting and uninvolved… producing low self-worth

IMPORTANTChild constructs image of self

based on feedback from significant others.Starts at homeContinues at school and with peers

Why is this important to realize?

DEVELOPMENTAL RISKRobs child of positive self-regard

Deliberately deprecating child and his or her accomplishments

Conveying a sense of worthlessness by neglecting them

To develop positive self-worthChild needs warm, responsive and

active “partners”

PARENTAL THREATS One of the most serious threats in the

microsystem are parents who neglect their children

Parents likely to exhibit “apathy-futility syndrome” Emotional deadness, and unwillingness to

initiate or respond to actions of the child. Threat – unable to provide that

responsive interaction.

REJECTION “Eats away” at a child’s

Self-esteem Social competence Hope

Results of Rejection: hostility, aggression, passive aggression or problems with dependency; negative self evaluation, negative world view, emotional instability

RISK AND OPPORTUNITY IN THE MESOSYSTEM

Social richness of mesosytem measured by the number and the quality of connections.

Mesosystem risk is defined by:Absence of connectionsConflicts of values between one

microsystem and another

WEAK VS. STRONG Ecological Transition - the establishment

of a mesosystem at the point where a child enters a new setting

Two critical issues: How this is done Who is involved

Strong/Positive link if: Child is prepared Accompanied by adult Received by new setting with enthusiasm

NEGATIVE VS. POSITVEOpportunity – stronger, more

positive, more diverse links between settings

Risk – poor set of mesosystems, either work in isolation or opposition

Strongest “mesolink” is between home an school.

HOME-SCHOOL LINKMost important mesosystem If Strong/Positive - Provides the child

with an opportunity to develop intellectually and socially, to become a more competent human being.

If Weak/Negative – Burdens child with conflicts of values, styles and interest.

RECENT TRENDS: HOME-SCHOOL

Schools are more isolated from neighborhood or community institutions

Demands for academic success increased

Violence in schoolsStresses on family are magnifiedRisk in the Home-School link increased

RISK AND OPPORTUNITY IN THE EXOSYSTEM

Parents’ workplace Parents’ diminished ability to participate

productively in the child’s microsystem When people make decisions in official

capacities that adversely affect the child’s day-to-day realities.

Ecological approach highlights situations where the development of the child is significantly shaped by individuals with no direct contact with the child.

STRESSES AND SUPPORTS IN THE EXOSYSTEM

Enhances development when they make life easier for parents

Undermines development when they make life harder for parents

When child rearing “has friends in high places” the opportunities for children and parents increase.

INSTITUTIONAL POLICIES AND PRACTICES

Multiple functions of neighborhoods Neighborhood can either be a source

of support or risk for the child Micro – child acts as part of the

neighborhood Meso – complementarity of

neighborhood and family Exo – Setting for parents to participate

independently of the child

NEIGHBORHOODS Strong neighborhoods enhance

development by: Providing multiple connections Providing multiple situations for children

that permit them to make the best use of intellectual and social resources

Quality neighborhoods depend on: How the community’s economic and

political institutions treat the neighborhood Do they sustain or undermine them?

IMPLICATIONSMost important decisions people

make that have an impact on children are made indirectlyDecisions about: work, residence,

budget, transportation, housing and more

These decisions reflect the cultural “blueprints” of what people understand to be “normal”.