Child Development: Emotions, Self-Awareness, and Attachment

Understanding Child Emotional & Social Development

Separation Anxiety: Meaning, Age, and Explanatory Factors

Separation anxiety is a form of phobic reaction, classified as a separation anxiety disorder, characterized by emotions such as fear, insecurity, or apprehension. This anxiety arises from separation from parental figures or primary caregivers.

Typically, separation anxiety from a caregiver appears between 8 and 14 months of age. During this period, the child's emotional responses, including anger, increase in speed, intensity, and persistence.

The Meaning of "Self": Manifestation in Children and Consequences

Self-awareness involves recognizing one's own moods, resources, and intuitions. It means understanding our emotions, how they affect us, and identifying our strengths and weaknesses. Essentially, it's knowing ourselves as unique individuals who exist and feel like others.

Key developmental milestones for self-awareness:

• Around 18 months, a child's identity strengthens, as they begin to recognize themselves as unique and distinct from others.
• By one year, children often react to their own image.
• Within two years, they typically begin using their own name.

The emergence of self-consciousness can lead to various emotional expressions, including:

• Tantrums
• Guilt or self-criticism
• Anger or anxiety
• Pride and sensitivity

More complex secondary emotions such as shame, envy, and empathy also emerge. Empathy, in particular, is a crucial driver of prosocial behavior. The influence of cultural values is critical for social understanding.

Emergence of Complex Emotions: Shame, Envy, and Empathy

These complex emotions arise with the development of the "self", when the child becomes aware of their individual existence and understands that their actions have consequences.

For example, shame might appear when a child, previously unconcerned by being the center of attention, now feels intense embarrassment if everyone looks at them, prompting them to moderate their behavior.

Self-knowledge also brings the realization that others are individuals who feel and suffer similarly. This understanding fosters empathy, the ability to place ourselves in another's situation and comprehend their experiences.

John Bowlby's Significant Ideas on Attachment

John Bowlby's work on attachment theory offers profound insights into early childhood development:

• The need for affection is as fundamental as hunger; bonding serves an adaptive function for survival.
• The bond originates from initial activations, such as visual guidance towards faces, a preference for the human voice, and seeking the primary caregiver when at risk.
• Between the first and second year, the child typically forms attachments to adults.
• Attachment is not necessarily limited to a single person. While the mother was often considered the primary figure in the 1950s, any consistent caregiver who provides long-term care can form a secure attachment with a baby.