14.6: Emotional Development

Emotional Growth and Development

All individuals experience emotions. Emotions are feelings that are triggered by events that prompt a response from the individual. Emotions are important because they help children stay safe, provide information about their well-being, and aid them in communication (Kostelnik et al., 2018). Children must learn to identify their emotions, recognize emotions in others, and eventually be able to manage their emotions.

The Emergence of Emotions

Joy, anger, sadness, and fear are considered primary emotions and begin appearing within the first six weeks of a child's life with a baby's first social smile. With maturation and experiences, children's emotions evolve becoming more complex with the emergence of secondary emotions. Secondary emotions are combinations of primary emotions and a child's reflection or evaluation of the emotions.

Infants and toddlers may react to other's emotions though they are not accurately interpreting them. Preschool-age children often use clues such as facial expressions to interpret emotions in others. Primary-age children are better at using situational clues and their own experiences to help them interpret other's emotions. Children under the age of five tend to express and understand one emotion at a time. Older children begin expressing and understanding emotions that stem from one primary emotion, such as being scared and worried about starting kindergarten.

Milestones and Timelines

Figure 14.6.1 "Emotional Development Milestones from 6-weeks to 60-months". by Amber Tankersley is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Accessible version.

Erikson's Emotional Tasks of Childhood

American psychoanalyst, Erik Erikson's stages or emotional tasks of childhood are key to understanding the emotional development of children. Erikson proposed that individuals face various tasks at different stages of life. The tasks focus on an emotional "crisis" with a positive or negative outcome. Ideally, an individual resolves the "crisis" at the positive end of the stage. Adults in a child's life help guide children through the different stages by offering experiences, challenges, and modifying the level of guidance provided. Each stage serves as the foundation for the next. While Erikson's stages span more than the childhood years, for this text we will focus on the first four stages.

Stage	Task	Approximate Age
trust vs. mistrust	During this stage, children develop an attachment to primary caregivers which then allows them to trust others and themselves. With trust, children feel safe.	birth-1 year
autonomy vs. shame and doubt	During this stage, children seek to do things on their own, thus, developing independence or autonomy. With autonomy, children develop confidence in themselves.	1-3 years
initiative vs. guilt	During this stage, children focus on new skills such as exploring, planning, and creating. With initiative, children develop competence.	3-6 years
industry vs. inferiority	During this stage, children strive to be productive and successful. With industry, children develop a "can-do-it" attitude.	6-12 years

Self-Concept

As children develop an awareness of their emotions, they also begin to form an opinion of themselves, their self-concept. Warm and caring relationships with trusting adults help children develop a positive self-concept. Self-esteem is part of a child's self-concept. Self-esteem is comprised of the thoughts one has about one's worth, one's ability to achieve, and how much control one has over life's events (Kostelnik, et al., 2018). Children's self-esteem evolves with new experiences and knowledge. Toddlers may refer to concrete, observable characteristics such as, "I'm two", and "I'm a girl". Preschoolers provide more elaboration regarding who they are, "I ride my bike fast" or "I am a good helper."

References

Kostelnik, M.J., Whiren, A.P., Soderman, A.K., Stein, L.C., & Gregory, K. (9th ed.) (2018). Guiding children’s social development: Theory to practice. Cengage.