Lesson Notes

Lesson 9.6a:  Thomas and Chess’s Temperament Theory: Biology and Personality Development

During the 1970s Alexander Thomas and Stella Chess conducted research investigating the temperament of infants and children. What they concluded was that 65% of babies can easily fall into one of the following three primary types of children:

 

  • Easy Children: Generally happy and relaxed children that adjust well to novel situations. This accounts for approximately 40% of children.
  • Difficult Children: Generally moody and tense children who get easily frustrated and do not adjust well to new situations. This accounts for 10% of children.
  • Slow-to-warm-up Children: Generally shy and somewhat withdrawn, these children take time to adjust to new situations. This accounts for about 15% of children.

 

The other 35% of children do not fall into any particular category. Instead they exhibit characteristics of more than one type. Research has shown that the types described by Thomas & Chess are good predictors of how children will behave as adults. Of course, the correlation is not perfect, but it is reliable.

 

So, how does this help us? If we can categorize children at an early age into one of these three types, this should help parents who have the responsibility to raise them. In other words, parents can strive for “goodness of fit” meaning that recognizing the child’s temperament, adjusting the parenting style to best help the child develop properly.

 

Lesson 9.6b:  Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory: The Eight Stages of Life

In this lesson, you will learn about one of the major theories in developmental psychology. Erikson believed that we go through life at different stages, but unlike Piaget, at each stage we are faced with crises or conflicts and depending on how we resolve these conflicts will determine if we develop in a healthy way. These are the 8 stages of Psychosocial Development.

 

Stage 1: Trust versus Mistrust (Birth to approx. 12 months)

  • At this stage infants learn to trust their environment. For example, if the mother is nurturing and caring, the child will move forward to the next stage. If the child does not receive this type of support, they may develop mistrust and may see the world as a place of frustration, pain, and unreliability.

 

Stage 2: Autonomy versus Shame and Doubt (age 1-3)

  • This stage is characterised by either seeing the world as one that is safe to make choices or whether it is going to raise doubts in the child’s mind, thus causing him or her to be unsure of whether they can make decisions on their own.

 

Stage 3: Initiative versus Guilt (age 3-6)

  • At this stage healthy children are supported for taking initiative, regardless of the outcome. Children who are chastised or held back by their caregivers cab develop feelings of guilt for risk taking.

 

Stage 4: Industry versus Inferiority (age 6-12)

  • During these school years, children are at the stage of gaining competence and learn skills that are desired by their culture. Children who do not develop these skills can feel inferior or low self-esteem.

 

Stage 5: Identity versus Role Confusion (age 12-20)

  • This period is commonly known as adolescence. During this part of life there are questions of discovering, such as, who we are, what we want to be, and what is my role in this world? These types of questions lead us to establishing our identity. Lack of resolve in this stage can result in poor peer relations and instability later in life.

 

Stage 6: Intimacy versus Isolation (age 20-30)

  • This is a stage in life where we seek close relationships with others and battle through the challenges this can pose. Failure to do so can result in a life of isolation or avoidance of long-term relationships.

 

Stage 7: Generativity versus Stagnation (age 30-65)

  • By this age in adulthood, the crisis involves the willingness to give back to society and the younger generation. The desire to pass on their knowledge and experience is a guiding factor in this stage. Adults who do not properly resolve this stage can have a heightened state of materialism or personal self-interests.

 

Stage 8: Ego Integrity versus Despair (age65+)

  • By this time, elderly people begin to take a look back on their lives and conclude that they either have lived a life of integrity or one of despair because they can not go back and relive the past (regrets).

 

 Like with many other theories, there are critics with Erikson’s theory. Mostly, the critics point to the testability of the theory, as well as, the lack of cross-cultural application. In other words, Erikson’s theory is most applicable to Western (individualistic) cultures).

 

Lesson 9.6c:  Myths of Development: Correcting Popular Misconceptions

In this lesson you will investigate some of our society’s biggest myths and misconceptions. These would include:

 

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AP Psychology Notes