Understanding Child Development: Key Affective Characteristics

Understanding Affectivity in Child Development

Affectivity in a child's development exhibits several key characteristics:

1. Children are Easily Affected by Events

   Children transition rapidly between emotions, such as laughter and tears. This is due to biological factors, as their nervous system is still developing, and psychological factors, such as selfishness and subjectivism, which hinder their ability to understand different perspectives. Additionally, their intelligence is less developed than an adult's, making it harder to judge situations, and they are constantly encountering new experiences.

2. Moods are Expressed More Intensely

   Children struggle to control their emotions due to a lack of cortical control, reason, and willpower.

3. Pleasure and Pain are Fleeting

   Children are easily carried away by their emotions, and their memory of the event fades quickly due to the intensity of the experience.

4. Affective States Lack Nuance and Depth

   Children's emotional states are less complex than those of adults. Negative events can significantly impact their personality development. Adults experience emotional states with greater complexity and depth.

5. Emotions Dominate Reason and Will

   A child's emotions influence their actions and thoughts until logical thinking develops around age 7 (Piaget).

6. Childish Emotions are All-Consuming

   Emotions occupy the child's entire psychic space, leaving no room for other thoughts or feelings.

Changes in Children's Affect

Major changes in children's affect include:

1. Greater Localization and Stabilization of Emotions

   Emotional reactions become more localized and their causes more identifiable, often directed towards specific objects or people.

2. Emotional Expression Through Imitation

   Emotions are expressed and encoded through imitation and play.

3. Decoupling of Immediate Emotions

   Children can remember past experiences and anticipate future rewards or frustrations. It's crucial to avoid misleading them with false promises.

4. Symbolic Compensation for Pain and Desire

   Children can symbolically compensate for their pains and desires, experiencing related emotions.

5. Emotional Expression Through Various Functions

   All bodily functions can be used to express emotion, such as a child laughing, urinating, or losing control of their sphincters due to fear.

Understanding Child Anxiety

Child anxiety arises from several factors:

1. Helplessness in the Face of External Demands

   Anxiety stems from the child's helplessness in meeting the demands of the external world. It involves the fear of losing attention and care, which they depend on, especially from their mother.

2. Dependence on Adult Assessment

   A child's self-assessment depends on the assessment provided by adults. Losing the affection of adults can lead to a loss of self-esteem and distress.

3. Egocentric Thinking

   Egocentricity leads children to believe that their fears are shared by others.

4. Blurring of Self and Non-Self

   The imprecise boundary between self and non-self can cause anxiety about the potential loss of their newly acquired identity (around 3 months old). As children overcome subjectivism, their fears of the dark, animals, etc., gradually decrease.