Post on 15-Jan-2016
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Chapter 9
Understanding the Reasons Positive and
Negative Behavior
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Defining Problem Behavior
• Adult-centered definitions of misbehavior focus on effect child’s behavior has on the adult
• Child-centered definitions of misbehavior…– Consider appropriateness or inappropriateness of
actions– Focus on ability level, motives and long-term well-
being
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Children misbehave because they…
—Are bursting with energy and joy
—Do not understand what we expect
—Cannot do what we expect
—Feel bored, tired or miserable
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Children misbehave because they…(Continued)
—Are desperate for attention
—Are overwhelmed by frustration
—Are angry or resentful
—Feel totally hopeless or helpless
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Dysfunctional Behavior
• Compulsive, inappropriate, or self-destructive behavior
• Uncooperative social interactions
• Hazardous actions
• Improper use of environment
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Inappropriate Behavior
–Behavior not desirable in a specific situation
–It does not suggest fault or blame
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Inappropriate behavior is…
—Not in the best interest of the child
—Troublesome
—Sometimes unsafe
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Functional Behavior
• Appropriate actions that serve some productive or positive function
• Cooperative social interactions
• Safety-conscious actions
• Proper use of environment
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Socialization
• The process by which children learn acceptable behavior
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Components of Moral Development
• Empathy
• Conscience
• Altruism
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Methods to support children’s moral development
• Provide nurturing and support
• Set limits
• Model appropriate behavior
• Teach democratic decision-making and discussion
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Stages of Moral Development
• Morality
– ability to distinguish right from wrong and act accordingly
• Moral development
– process by which human beings learn to monitor their own actions
– deciding whether a tempting behavior is appropriate or inappropriate
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Stages of Moral Development (continued)
• Moral affect
– Internalization of moral values from adult role models
– Feelings associated with guilty or clear conscience
• Moral reasoning
– Thinking processes for deciding what is or is not moral behavior
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Stages of Moral Development (continued)
• Preconventional morality
• Lawrence Kohlberg’s first stage of morality
– Children perceive right and wrong in terms of what the behavior will do for them.
• “Will action get what I want?”
• “Will action avoid what I don’t want?”
– Explaining reasons for rules fosters moral development.
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Stages of Moral Development (continued)
• Conventional morality
• Kohlberg’s second stage of morality– Develop self-control and learn to get along with others
– Focus on simplistic perceptions of goodness and badness
– Desire to please others
– Try to follow rules of family and community
– Begin to adopt ethical standards of important role models
– Attachment, love and respect trigger internalization of values
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Stages of Moral Development (continued)
• Postconventional morality
• Kohlberg’s highest stage of morality
– Older children and adults develop internal conscience
– Conscience hinges on internalized principles and values that guide behavior
– Focus on being responsible part of cooperative society
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Justice Orientation
• Perspective in which integrity tends to be the dominant “moral compass” for making autonomous, independent and self-oriented ethical and principled decisions
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Responsibility Orientation
• Perspective in which sensitivity to others, interpersonal involvement and ethical and moral decision-making reflect…– Loyalty– Responsibility– Self-sacrifice– Peacemaking
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Judging
• The process of using perceptions to create conclusions and value judgments
• Some adults judge children’s behavior
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Induction
• The process of stimulating children’s understanding of the reasons for choosing one behavior over another
• The process of thinking about the impact a behavior will have
• Some adults use inductive reasoning to help children learn self-control
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Guidance
• Positive child guidance focuses on…
– Child’s ability level
– Severity and intent of behavior
– Possible reasons for behavior
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Underlying Causes of Problem Behavior
• Inappropriate expectations
• Misunderstood expectations
• Immature self-control
• Gleeful abandon, group contagion
• Boredom
• Fatigue and discomfort
• Desire for recognition• Discouragement• Frustration• Rebellion
Temperament
– Three main types:• Easy• Difficult• Slow to warm up
– Emotions are felt, but reactions to the emotions are learned.
– Appropriate responses to an emotion need to be taught.
Temperament Children are born with their natural style of interacting with or reacting to
people, places, and things—their temperament
• Biological Predisposition
• Rhythmical functioning
• Circadian rhythmicity
• Interest in novelty
• Approach to new situations, curiosity
• Inclination to “outside’ or “inside”
Goodness of fit
• Relationship with caregiver’s style:
• Good fit, or poor fit
• Parent adapts caregiving to child’s unique characteristics
• Parent modifies expectation
TemperamentChess & Thomas
• Alexander Thomas and Stella Chess began a classic longitudinal study in the 1950s regarding infant temperament.
• The study focused on how temperamental qualities influence adjustment throughout life.
• Chess and Thomas rated young infants on a variety of characteristics, such as activity level, mood, sleeping and eating patterns, and attention span.
TemperamentChess & Thomas
• The found that most babies could be categorized into one of three groups: – Easy– Difficult– Slow to warm-up
• About one third of all infants tested were characterized as average babies because they did not fit neatly into one of these three categories (Thomas & Chess 1977).
Temperament
• Easy babies readily adapt to new experiences, generally display positive moods and emotions and also have normal eating and sleeping patterns.
• Difficult babies tend to be very emotional, irritable and fussy, and cry a lot. They also tend to have irregular eating and sleeping patterns.
• Slow-to-warm-up babies have a low activity level, and tend to withdraw from new situations and people. They are slow to adapt to new experiences.
• Thomas and Chess found that these broad patterns of temperamental qualities are remarkably stable through childhood.
Temperament
• Most experts agree that temperament does have a genetic and biological basis; but researchers also agree that environmental experiences can modify a child's temperament.
• Adults can encourage new behaviors in children, and with enough support a slow-to-warm-up child can become less shy, or a difficult baby can become more emotionally stable.