Life Span Development II School Age and Adolescence

Life Span Development II: School age and Adolescence 3 (2+1)

Lesson 1 : Late childhood

General Characteristics

1. An increase in critical thinking by theoretical questioning about causes and effects by resistance to adult opinions and by emotional identification with peers of the same sex. Interests and activities begin to reflect the child’s sex more closely than before.
2. Substantial gains in emotional self control and greater readiness on the child’s part to assume responsibility for his/her actions can be seen during this period.
3. The childhood development will reach its peak in this stage as child’s strong drive for expansion and adventure is more. The child strongly feels confident on his competence and skill.
4. Strongly influenced by peer group while the control of parents and other family members weakens.
5. Often rejects what grown-ups consider to be good manner. At times they criticize almost everything and everyone lacks consideration for parents and often behave boisterously.
6. Mostly impressed by older brothers or sisters. They see younger children as inferior and try to avoid them.
7. Most prominent characteristic of this period is increasing degree of seriousness about life, which is known as sense of competence. The two important components related to sense of competence are reinforcement of self and skill learning.