Slide 1 © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. LIFE-SPAN DEVELOPMENT 15 A...

© 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

LIFE-SPAN DEVELOPMENT15A Topical Approach to

John W. Santrock

Peers and the Sociocultural World


Peers and the Sociocultural World

• Peer Relations in Childhood and Adolescence

• Friendship

• Play and Leisure

• Aging and the Social World

• Sociocultural Influences


Peer Group Functions

• Peers—individuals about the same age or maturity level

• Peer groups provide source of information and comparison about world outside the family

• Peer influences can be negative or positive

Peer Relations in Childhood and Adolescence


Parent Influences on Peer Relations

• Choice of neighborhoods, churches, schools

• Recommend strategies to handle disputes or become less shy

• Encourage children to be tolerant or resist peer pressure



Changes in Peer Interaction in Childhood

• Early Childhood– Frequency of peer interaction increases

• Middle/Late Childhood– Children spend increasing time in peer

interaction



Social Cognition

• Perspective taking—taking another’s point of view. – In elementary school, peer interaction and

perspective-taking ability increase

• Social Knowledge

• Social Information-Processing Skills



Peer StatusesPopular

Average

Neglected

Frequently nominated as a best friend; rarely disliked by peers

Rejected

Controversial

Receive average number of positive and negative nominations from peers

Infrequently nominated as a best friend but not disliked by peers

Infrequently nominated as a best friend; actively disliked by peers

Frequently nominated as someone's best friend and as being disliked



Bullying

• Significant numbers victimized – Boys and younger middle school students– Children who said they were bullied

reported more loneliness and difficulty in making friends

– Those who did the bullying more likely to have low grades, smoke and drink alcohol



Gender and Peer Relations

• Gender composition– From age 3, children prefer same-sex

groups

• Group size– From age 6, boys prefer larger groups

• Interaction in same-sex groups– Boys: organized group games, rough-and-

tumble– Girls: collaborative discourse



Conformity to Antisocial Peer Standards



Cliques and Crowds

• Cliques– Average 5 to 6

people– Usually same

sex, age– Formed from

shared activities, friendship

• Crowds– Larger than

cliques – Usually formed

based on reputation

– May not spend much time together

Friendship


Progression of Peer Group Relations in Adolescence



Six Functions of Friendship

• Companionship• Stimulation• Physical support• Ego support• Social comparison• Intimacy/affection

– intimacy in friendship—self-disclosure and sharing of private thoughts

Friendship


Friendship during Childhood

• Children use friends as cognitive and social resources

• Quality important – Supportive friendships advantageous – Coercive, conflict-ridden friendships not

• Similar attitudes

Friendship


Friendship during Adolescence

• Need for intimacy intensifies

• Quality of friendship more strongly linked to feelings of well-being

• Important sources of support

• Mixed-age friendships

Friendship


Developmental Changes in Self-Disclosing Conversations

Friendship


Adult Friendship

• Family relationships are obligatory, ascribed; friendships optional, chosen – Friends are often similar in age; family members

from different generations

• Gender Differences– Women: more close friends, more intimate– Men: more competitive, fewer friends, more

functional– More cross-gender friendships, than childhood but

still prefer same-gender

Friendship


Friendship in Late Adulthood

• Important role in support system

• Choose close friends over new friends

• Gender differences– Women: more depressed without a best

friend; no change in desire for friends– Men: decreased desire for new & close

friends in older adulthood

Friendship


Functions of Play

• Health

• Affiliation with peers

• Cognitive development

• Exploration

• Tension release, master anxiety and conflicts– Play therapy

Play and Leisure


Parten’s Classic Study of Play

Onlooker

Parallel

Solitary

Unoccupied Child not engaging in play as commonly understood; might stand in one spot

Associative

Cooperative

Child plays alone, independently of others

Child watches other children play

Child plays separately from others, but in manner that mimics their playPlay that involves social interaction with little or no organizationPlay that involves social interaction in group with sense of organized activity

Play and Leisure


Types of Play

Pretense/Symbolic

Social

Practice

Sensorimotor Infants derive pleasure from exercising their sensorimotor schemes

Games

Repetition of behavior when new skills are being learned

Occurs when child transforms physical environment into symbol

Involves social interactions with peers

Activities engaged in for pleasure; include rules

Play and Leisure


Social Theories of AgingDisengagementtheory

Activity theory

Social breakdown-reconstructiontheory

To cope effectively, older adults should gradually withdraw from society

The more active and involved older adults are, the more likely they are to be satisfied with their lives

Breakdown begins by negative views of older adults, ends by labeling self; social reconstruction brought about by viewing older adults as competent

Aging and the Social World


Stereotyping of Older Adults

• Ageism—prejudice against other people because of age, especially prejudice against older adults



Social Support

• Linked with a reduction in symptoms of disease

• Associated with ability to meet one’s own health care needs

• Decreases probability older adult will be institutionalized

• Associated with lower incidence of depression in older adults



Successful Aging

• Many abilities maintained or even improved as we get older– Being active – Perceived control over the environment



Seven factors most likely to predict high status for elderly

• Older persons have valuable knowledge

• Older persons control key family or community resources

• Older persons permitted to engage in useful and valued functions

• Role continuity throughout the life span

• Age-related role changes involve greater responsibility, authority, and advisory capacity

• The extended family is a common family arrangement

• More collectivistic than individualistic

Sociocultural Influences


What Is Socioeconomic Status?

• Grouping of people with similar occupational, educational, and economic characteristics



Socioeconomic Variations in Families

• Higher SES parents:– Develop children’s initiative and delay

gratification– Create home atmosphere in which children

are more nearly equal participants– Less likely to use physical punishment– Less directive– More conversational with children



Psychological Ramifications of Poverty

• Powerlessness

• Vulnerable to disaster

• Alternatives are restricted

• Less prestige

• Lower quality home environments for children



Who is Poor?

• Women - feminization of poverty– 1/3 of single mothers; 10% of single fathers

• Families– Economic pressure linked with parenting– Benefits to parents help children

• Elderly– 10-12% overall, more among women and ethnic

minorities

• Some ethnic minority individuals



Ethnicity and Families

• Family structure– Extended families in some minority groups– More single parents in some groups

• Similarities and differences in parenting behavior– Poverty—disproportionate in ethnic minorities —

also has effects

• Acculturation can cause parent-child conflict



Differences and Diversity

• Recognizing differences important to getting along in diverse world

• Differences among ethnic groups too often conceived by majority as deficits of minorities.– Damaging to minorities

• Diversity within ethnic groups



Ethnicity and Aging

• Double jeopardy - ageism and racism

• Health and wealth decrease faster in age than for White Americans

• Coping mechanisms– Extended family networks– Ethnic neighborhoods– Churches


Slide 1 © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. LIFE-SPAN DEVELOPMENT 15 A...

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Transcript of Slide 1 © 2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. LIFE-SPAN DEVELOPMENT 15 A...