Social Development in Early Childhood

Our social abilities are something that we are not born with. Part of our abilities stem from who we are as a person, but a large percentage comes from our surroundings. How we are raised, who we interact with, and what we are exposed to are all factors that impact our social and emotional development.

• What is social development?
• What are Erikson's stages?
• What are different theories that affect social development?
• What are examples of social development in childhood?

Social and Emotional Development Stages in Early Childhood

Erikson's Stages

Erik Erikson put forth eight stages of psychosocial development that have served as an outline for psychologists' understanding of these concepts. Each stage has a conflict that must be overcome to move on to the next developmental stage.

These stages highlight the different hurdles that a child has to clear, including understanding the safety of their environment, the development of independence, becoming curious about their surroundings, developing complex skills, and figuring out who they are. The stages help outline the different social and emotional developments during childhood.

Social Development Theories in Early Childhood

Along with Erikson's theory, there are other concepts crucial for social development during childhood.

Attachment

When you hear the word attachment, what do you think of? Are you attached to your phone, your friends, or maybe your parents?

Attachment develops as we grow, but it is also present from the time we are born. When a newborn enters this world, one of the first things they do is bonding with their caregiver. This could be their biological parents, adopted parents, or grandparents - whoever is there providing food and warmth.

The Harlows

It was initially believed that infants and children only bonded with caregivers who provided them with food, but that changed after Harlow and Harlow's study. The Harlows examined a baby monkey's preference for "caregiver." One of these makeshift caregivers was a wire "mom" with a bottle, and the other was a "mom" made out of blankets but with no food. The monkeys overwhelmingly preferred the comfortable mom despite her not having any food, showing it is not the nutrition they prefer but the comfort and safety.

Psychologists believe that children who are more often exposed to a person will become more likely to get attached to them. They also think that there is a sensitive attachment period during early childhood. Some have stated it occurs around 2.5 years old, and others have said around 5 years old, but all agree on the importance of attachment around this time. Without attachment, children are more likely to be less intelligent and have higher anxiety levels.

Unfortunately, not all attachment is positive. People who experienced attachment to abusive figures during childhood have reportedly higher levels of depression, are startled easier, and are more likely to continue the cycle of abuse.

There are three main types of parenting styles that psychologists agree on. Each parenting style affects the child's social development.

Authoritarian

Authoritarian parenting relies on rules and obeying the rules. These parents will follow through with strict consequences and punishments and often leave little room for the child to have any input.

Children raised in an authoritarian household will often have lower levels of self-esteem and lack social skills.

Permissive

Permissive parenting is lax and has little to no enforced rules. These parents will allow their children to dictate anything they want and cave if they try to employ any sanctions.

Children with permissive parents will often be immature. Their lack of consequences and authority figures also cause them to be more aggressive than those not raised in permissive houses.

Authoritative

Authoritative parenting enforces rules and explains the reasons for the rules and consequences. These parents will encourage discussion about the limits they set and allow for input from their children.

In general, authoritative parenting is understood to be the one that produces children with the highest self-esteem and social abilities. However, these results rely on studies whose participants were primarily middle-class white people. Additionally, just because children from authoritative backgrounds are the most socially adjusted does not mean this correlation causes the social abilities. There could be other factors!

Fig. 1 Authoritative parenting sets rules but also lets the child be themselves.

Self-Concept

While attachment is a critical step in developing relationships when younger, it is the development of self-concept that is the key during childhood.

Have you ever seen a dog look at itself in the mirror? It might jump, growl, or sniff the mirror to figure out who that dog is staring back. Because of a lack of self-concept, it won't realize that it is actually its reflection in the mirror.

It is shown that only when babies are around 18 months old can they recognize their reflection. Through childhood and their social development, they begin to understand who they are and their own identities. They will be able to compare themselves and their characteristics to their peers and understand the differences between each person.

Importance of Social and Emotional Development in Early Childhood

Just like other aspects of our being, our social and emotional development during childhood is crucial for setting us up for the best possible future. How we develop when we are young sets out the blueprint for how we will be when we are older. It impacts who we are, what we believe in, our emotional abilities, social skills, attachment to and relationships with other people, and even our intelligence.

Maybe it's time we cut our parents some slack for the pressure they've been under. They know that childhood is a super important time in our lives for developing and laying the groundwork for our future selves. They are such crucial figures in our lives for all of our development. They can show us what attachment is (can be good or bad), their parenting style can affect our socialization skills down the road, and they can be pivotal in our development of self-concept. That's a lot of work!

Examples of Social Development in Early Childhood

In infants and young children, social and emotional development occurs the same, i.e. there are little individual differences. For instance, infants learn to develop close relationships with caregivers, soothe themselves when upset, share, play, interact with others, and listen and follow directions.

Examples of Social Development in Early Childhood: Explanation

As we now know, many factors contribute to a child's social development. Even though different aspects of childhood affect someone's upbringing, certain elements are universal.

During childhood, kids will learn and gain independence. This starts when children are around two years old and begin to do things independently, such as opening doors and feeding themselves. This social independence they develop is crucial for later when they have the confidence to act independently.

Another development that happens during childhood is sharing. Initially, children are egocentric and are unable to think past themselves. They can't understand that other kids may want to play with the same toy they do. As they socially develop, they realize that they can take turns, share the toy, and still end up with it. Sharing is caring!

Fig. 2 Remember to share!

A key element in social development in childhood is self-concept. As stated before, this is the ability to understand who we are as individuals. Children can understand their identities, feelings, and interactions as they develop. These developments are crucial for leading the children to form their own sense of self and identity.