Lecture Notes 30: SOCIO-EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF INTERMEDIATE SCHOOLERS

UNDERSTANDING SELF-COMPETENCE, SELF-IDENTITY AND SELF-CONCEPT

One of the most widely recognized characteristics of this period of development is the
acquisition of feelings of self-competence

Children should be offered chances to both fail and succeed, along with sincere feedback and
support

Children can now describe themselves with internal and psychological characteristics and traits

 They most likely employ more social comparison – distinguishing themselves from
others

Perspective taking enables the child to:

1. Judge others’ intentions, purposes and actions

2. Give importance to social attitudes and behaviors
3. Increase skepticism of others’ claims

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Children show improved emotional understanding, increased understanding that more than one
emotion can be experienced in a single experience

Children may also

a. show greater ability to show or conceal emotions

b. Utilize ways to redirect feelings
c. Capacity for genuine empathy

Another milestone is the development of the children’s emotional intelligence (EQ)

 Emotional Intelligence

 Involves the ability to monitor feelings of oneself and others

 Has four main areas

1. Developing emotional self-awareness

2. Managing emotions (self-control)
3. Reading emotions (perspective taking)
4. Handling emotions (resolve problems)
BUILDING FRIENDSHIPS

The approval and belongingness they receive contribute to the stability and security of their
emotional development

Children prefer to belong to same-sex per groups

Peer status

1. Popular

 Frequently nominated as the bestfriend and one who is rarely disliked by peers

2. Average

 Receives an average number of positive and negative nominations from peers

3. Neglected

 Very seldom nominated as bestfriend but is not really disliked

4. Rejected

 Frequently nominated as a bestfriend but one who is also disliked by peers

5. Controversial

 Frequently nominated as a bestfriend but at the same time is disliked by peers

Popular children which peers find very positive have the following skills and as a result they
become the most favored in the group:

a. They give out reinforcement

b. They act naturally
c. They listen carefully and keep open communication
d. They are happy and are in control of their negative emotions
e. They show enthusiasm and concern for others

Characteristics of why the group or majority of the peers develop negative feelings toward
rejected children:

a. They participate less in the classroom

b. They have negative attitudes on school tardiness and attendance
c. They are more often reported as being lonely
d. Aggressive
  In boys

1. They become impulsive, have problems in being attentive and

disruptive
2. They are emotionally reactive and slow to calm down
3. They have fewer social skills to make and maintain friends

FAMILY

Family support is crucial which characterized by success or failure

a. If children do not find a supportive family when they find their interest (e.g. in hobbies
like riding a bike or playing a musical instrument) they can easily get frustrated

b. If families are seen as a primary support system, failures and setbacks become
temporary and surmountable rather than something that is attributed to personal flaws
or deficits