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Child Psychology: A Contemporary Viewpoint, First Canadian Edition

E. Mavis Hetherington, University of Virginia
Ross D. Parke, University of California
Mark Schmuckler, University of Toronto at Scarborough

The Family

Application Questions


1		Erik Erikson identified eight stages of human psychosocial development, with each stage presenting a tension or crisis between opposing extremes that the individual needs to resolve on the road to maturity. The second stage, labelled autonomy versus shame and doubt, characterizes development between 18 months and three years of age. Preschoolers work at defining themselves as separate from adults. They learn to define themselves as individuals. They feel shame when they do not develop emotional autonomy. Individual shame is caused by misunderstandings when adults do not understand what is happening when children assert themselves. Adults sometimes think their job is to eliminate willfulness in young children (and often refer to this age range as the "terrible two's"). This may cause a child, testing his/her independence, to believe he/she is being bad or naughty. Did this ever happen to you as a child? How did you resolve the issue? In fact, are not the "terrible two's" necessary for healthy development? Comment.



2		The continuum of approaches in disciplining children spans from authoritarian to permissive. Research suggests that children who have the opportunity for choice and self-direction in the preschool years are better able to make wise choices as adolescents. Describe what effective discipline means to you. In your opinion, what is the difference between the terms discipline and punishment? How do the theories reviewed in this chapter support your beliefs?



3		There is a growing literature that examines the impact of birth order on personality and achievement. Where are you in birth order in your family? How did birth order affect your development? Do your observations agree with the research reviewed in your textbook?



4		Pretend that you are a psychologist trained in the teaching of effective parenting skills. Recently, you have been hired by a family services organization in your town to develop an ad campaign designed for television. Specifically, you are to design a brief ad to help first-time parents better understand their children's development and behaviour. What are the key points to be made in your announcement? How will you grab and hold the listener's attention? How can you motivate struggling parents to seek help from professionals? Use your lecture notes, textbook, and personal experience in developing the announcement!



5		Recently, you have begun to babysit three-year-old Dennis, a new child in your neighbourhood. As prepared as you were to really enjoy spending time with Dennis, you now are dreading his mother's phone calls asking if you are free to babysit on Saturday evening. The reason? Dennis refuses to go to bed at night; once in bed, he repeatedly hops out of his bed and wanders back downstairs; he demands endless drinks of water and bathroom visits; he complains of being scared of the dark ... in short, Dennis has become "Dennis the Menace". Moreover, your conversations with the mother suggest that these are typical nightly behaviours for Dennis even when his parents are at home! It's time to put your psychology training into play! Please devise a training procedure to teach Dennis more appropriate behaviour. How might you reward appropriate behaviour and punish inappropriate behaviour? How can you work with the parents to make these new behaviours and standards consistent at home? Discuss.

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