HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AND

SOCIALIZATION

CHAPTER 7
OVERVIEW
 Quality of Life and the Child’s Development Norms
 Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development

 Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development

 Stages of Moral Development

 Childhood, Adolescence, Adulthood, Late Adulthood

 DEVELOPMENT AND SOCIALIZATION
 Human development: changes in physical, psychological, and
social behavior that are experienced by individuals across the life span
—from conception to death.

 Socialization: is the process by which an individual becomes a

member of a particular culture and takes on its values and behaviors.

 There is overlap between human development and socialization,

and neither of them stops at age 18 or even 25.
 Both are lifelong processes full up with acceleration and delay,
changes in direction, sudden transitions, and long-term conversions.
 1. QUALITY OF LIFE AND
CHILD’S DEVLOPMENT
Quality of life: availability of food and other products,
physical and financial security, type of living conditions,
quality of education and health care, presence or absence
of violence in the family or neighborhood
A unit of two adults living with their own children is common
in Western societies, such as Canada, Sweden, or the United
States, whereas the large extended family in which parents,
children, grandparents, cousins, and even some distant
relatives live in one household is common in non-Western
countries, such as Pakistan, Rwanda, or Indonesia.
 2. Immigration is also an important factor that changes many
century-old family traditions substantially.
 In cross-cultural studies, it is extremely important to distinguish
between several generations of immigrants because, among other
things, they are likely to be different from a socioeconomic point of
view

 3. Fertility. One significant development of the past decade is a

global decline in fertility rates. General demographic trends in
Europe, North and South America, and Asia show surprisingly low
fertility rates
 4. NORMS, CUSTOMS, AND CHILD CARE
 Patterns of social support from children, spouses, relatives, and
friends (National and Cultural Differences)
 Rocking or thumb sucking in children is wrong white South African
mothers. ( native African mothers, such behavior is absolutely
normal).
 U.S. mothers respond more to their babies’ requests when the infants
are playing with physical objects.
 Japanese mothers, more responsive when their babies are engaged in
play with them.
 Japanese parents, unlike U.S. parents, rarely leave their children
with babysitters.
 Cultural traditions of collectivism are positively
correlated with the authoritarian style of
parenting, which is based on strict demands,
behavioral control, and sanctions
 In collectivist cultures, parents practice authoritarian
methods than they do in individualist cultures.
 Russian adolescents perceived parents and teachers
as more controlling than did U.S. students
 Parents typically have their own developmental timetables:
 They expect their children to acquire particular characteristics (such as
walking, talking, or reasoning) at certain ages.
 Israeli mothers of European background expected their children to
develop certain cognitive skills earlier than did mothers of non-
European origin
 U.S. mothers had earlier expectations of their children’s assertiveness

 Japanese mothers had earlier expectations about their children’s ability

to control their emotions and express courtesy
 societies that are small, with little occupational specialization, children
are expected to learn “on their own,” (Bhutan, Nepal) whereas in
industrialized democratic societies, there are explicit expectations
about what, with whom, when, and how children should learn
 ERIKSON’S STAGES OF PSYCHOSOCIAL
DEVELOPMENT
Eight developmental stages.
Each stage is characterized by a developmental conflict,
problem, or crisis.
If the crisis has a positive resolution, the person’s ego is
strengthened by gaining a virtue that results in greater
adaptation and a healthier personality.
If the crisis has a negative resolution, the ego loses strength,
resulting in inhibited adaptation and an unhealthier
personality.
  Stage Ego Crisis Age Positive Outcome
 1 Basic trust versus mistrust 0–1 (Hope)

 2 Autonomy versus shame and doubt 2–3 (Will)

 3 Initiative Versus Guilt 3–5 (Purpose)

 4 Industry Versus Inferiority 5–12(Competence )

 5 Ego identity versus role confusion Adolescence

(Fidelity)
 6 Intimacy Versus Isolation Young adult (Love)

 7 Generativity Versus Stagnation Adulthood (Care )

 8 Ego Integrity Versus Despair Maturity (Wisdom)

 PIAGET’S STAGES OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
Child’s cognitive growth consisting of four stages (almost
universal in nature).
First stage, the sensorimotor stage, infants learn about their
interaction with their immediate environment.
Second stage, the preoperational stage, children develop the
foundation for language acquisition. Here, children do not
comprehend that other people may see things differently
(egocentrism).
Third stage of concrete operations, children learn logic and
realize that volume, amount, and weight may stay the same
despite changes in the object’s physical appearance (the
process is called conservation).
Fourth stage, formal operations, is when adolescents
develop the ability to think abstractly
 KOHLBERG’S STAGES OF MORAL DEVLOPMENT
Kohlberg described six stages of moral development
children and adults are able to make several types of moral
judgments
People go from lower stages of reasoning, where they prefer to
avoid punishment for wrongdoing,
to the higher stages, where they choose social contract and
universal principles to guide moral actions
27 countries: the first four stages appear to be universal in
the subjects of all cultures studied.
 Stage 1. Pre-conventional level: Judgments about what is right
and what is wrong are based on fear of punishment.
 Stage 2. Pre-conventional level: Moral conduct produces
pleasure, whereas immoral conduct results in unwanted consequences.
 Stage 3. Conventional level: Any behavior is good if it is
approved by significant others.
 Stage 4. Conventional level: The existing laws determine what is
moral and immoral.
 Stage 5. Post-conventional level: Moral behavior is based on
individual rights and underlying social circumstances.
 Stage 6. Post-conventional level: Moral conduct is regulated by
universal ethical principles that may rise above government and laws.
 DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES

Typically, birth and physical death—as the initial and final

points of physical existence— are present in
developmental classifications.

Birthdays, weddings, graduations, job promotions, the birth of

children and grandchildren, retirement, and other significant
life events mark the most important points of human
transition.
 PRENATAL TO BIRTH
 Russia A child is not supposed to be seen by strangers for at
least one month so that he or she is protected from the “evil
eye.”
 Vietnam A new mother should not be exposed to cold
because it disrupts the equilibrium that is believed crucial to
good health.
 Muslim countries Examination or delivery must be done
by female health workers only.
 African countries The tradition is to take the placenta home
and bury it.
 Latin American countries Women do not breast-feed the
child in the first couple of days after delivery.
 INFANCY
cross-cultural similarities and differences in mother–
infant communications
Kenyan and middle-class Bostonian mothers eagerly
touch, hold, or talk to a child if baby was crying.
U.S. mothers communicated more with words and
less with physical contact
Right-handedness prevalent in all cultures, and left-
handedness is resisted
 Childhood
During middle childhood, which lasts from approximately
ages 6 to 12 years
 English, Japanese, and Norwegian children: develop
conceptions of war earlier than of peace.
 700 stories generated by 160 Chinese and U.S. elementary
school students
 Chinese stories showed greater concern for authority,
greater concern for moral rectitude, role of natural forces
than the U.S. sample
 Eating preferences show great variability among
countries and families. Bread and many types of fruit and
vegetables are common in most cultures; however, there are
products that children begin to eat during childhood
 Adolescence
extended schooling in many developed countries stretches the period
from childhood to adulthood.
many non-industrialized cultures encourage their members to take on
adult roles as early as possible.
Sudan and Brazil, many children begin to work full-time and take care of
other family members as early as age 12 and sometimes even earlier.
India, a girl can marry in her early teens and move to her husband’s
home to accept the roles of wife and mother.
Israel, North American and Soviet immigrants showed significantly
different patterns of behavior in the classroom. Students from North
America were peer group oriented. Students from the Soviet Union
were teacher oriented
 Adulthood
 adulthood is linked to wisdom.

 Western societies, speed of thinking is highly valued and

fluid intelligence is interpreted as an indicator of success.
 Non-Western societies, crystallized intelligence, is
perceived as more important than quickness
 For example, a 60-year-old Iranian father can be a perfect
mentor for his son who starts a business in a small town .
 The same father could be less efficient and knowledgeable
after his family immigrates to another country
 Late Adulthood
In many countries, the late adulthood period begins with retirement,
when a person formally quits her job.
If a person does not work outside the home, this period begins when the
individual gives up major family responsibilities.
There are common national “deadlines” for formal retirement,
which vary greatly.
Russia, a woman can retire at age 55 and men can do so five years later.
United States, the common retirement age is 65.
Norwegians push their retirement age up to 70. It is expected that so
long as life expectancy goes up, the retirement age will go higher
Canada 75 is retirement age (same for men and women)