Jenna Woosley
PSY 199
Chapter 6:
Emotional & Social development in infancy and toddler hood:
A. Erikson’s theory of infancy and toddler personality
a. Trust vs. Mistrust : (birth – one year)
i. From warm responsive care, infants gain a sense of trust, or confidence, that the world to good.
ii. Mistrust occurs when infants have to wait too long for comfort and are handled harshly
iii. First Stage
b. Autonomy vs. Shame & Doubt : (one – three years)
i. Using new mental and motor skills, children want to choose and decide for themselves
ii. Autonomy is fostered when parents permit reasonable free choice and do not force or shame the child
iii. Second stage
B. Emotional Development
iv. Basic Emotions :
1. Happiness, interest, surprise, fear, anger, sadness and disgust – are universal in humans and
other primates, have a long evolutionary history of promoting survival, and can be directly
inferred from facial expressions.
2. Social Smile :
a. Between 6 and 10 weeks, the human face evokes a broad grin.
3. Stranger Anxiety :
a. Most frequent expression of fear is to unfamiliar adults.
4. Separation Anxiety:
a. Babies sometimes become upset when their adult leaves the room
5. Secure Base :
a. Point from which explore, venturing into the environment and then returning for
emotional support.
c. Understanding and Responding to the Emotions of Others :
i. Social Referencing :
1. They actively seek emotional information from a trusted person in an uncertain situation.
d. Emergence of Self-Conscious Emotions :
i. Self-Conscious Emotions :
1. Emotions that involve injury to or enhancement of the sense of self. Examples are shame,
embarrassment, guilt, envy and pride.
C. Development of Attachment
ii. Attachment :
1. The strong affectionate tie we have with special people in out lives that lead us to feel pleasure
when we interact with them and to be comforted by their nearness in times of stress.
2. By second half of the first year, infants have become attached to familiar adults how have
responded to their needs.
e. Harrow’s Surrogate mother experiment :
i. Monkey and (towel vs. wire) fake mother
ii. Infants become attached to family members who seldom feed them.
f. Ethological Theory of Attachment : (Bowlby)
i. Attachment bonds can best be understood in an evolutionary context in which survival of the species –
through ensuring both safety and competence – is of utmost importance.
ii. Promotes survival
iii. Is the most widely accepted view
1. Preattachment Phase – birth to six weeks
2. Attachment-in-the-making phase – six weeks to 6-8 months
3. Clear-cut phase – 6-8 months to 18 months-2 years
a. Separation anxiety
4. Formation of reciprocal relationship – 18 months-2 years+
a. Internal working model : set of expectations about the availability of attachment figures
and their likelihood of providing support during times of stress. The internal working
model becomes a vital part of personality, serving as a guide for all future close
relationships.
