Education

Running Head: Guiding and Strengthening each Child: Content Review

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Guiding and Strengthening each Child: Content Review

Review the concepts of self-esteem and moral identity. Based on what you have learned in the text and your personal perspective, explain and defend whether you believe it is as important to help children develop a strong moral identity and base of values as it is to help children develop positive self-esteem.

Self-esteem concerns an introspective appraisal that a child conducts on him/herself in a bid to assess and ascertain the importance of newly acquired knowledge and the impact it has on their lives. A dual perspective exists in this scenario where the child may infer positive traits upon their behavior and actions resulting to a strong self-esteem (Marion, 2006, p. 172). The inverse relationship is imparted when feelings of helpless and unworthiness purge the child into a low self-esteem. A healthy self-esteem is a product of three concepts namely proficiency, control and value. Proficiency encompasses the child’s capability into achieving pre-established demands in the immediate environment as instituted by parents, teachers, friends and other individuals.

Control describes the extent that a child feels accountable towards the course of certain actions while value relates to the importance that the child feels in their relationship to other individuals (Marion, 2006, p. 171). Moral identity is an introspective view that a child has upon him/herself in terms of the possession or lack of moral ideals within their lives. Both concepts are equally important to the healthy development of a child as negative social behavior like bullying has been linked to lack of self-esteem and moral identity. Therefore, both aspects are an imperative component of a child’s healthy growth.

Review pages 218-220 in the course text. Describe a resilient child and explain how significant adults in children’s lives can help foster resilience.

Resilience is defined by Marion (2006, p. 219) as “the ability to recover relatively quickly from misfortune without being overwhelmed or acting in dysfunctional ways,” (p. 218). Misfortunes may be either physical like car accidents that may leave the child or parents disabled, or it may be psychological like the divorce/separation of parents or the demise of a loved one. The system of a resilient child will impart defensive body mechanisms that will cushion the shock of the misfortune in a way that inhibits the institution of unconstructive feelings like suicide or resentment within the child. The full weight of the distress has to be shared between the child and a deflection point that maybe an individual or something. For instance, sports or friends would act as good points for stress projection by the child (NYU Child Study Center, 2005, p. 1).

Adults may aid in the creation of resilience by acting compassionately towards children undergoing stressful situations. However, this must be projected in a commanding manner as this infuses assurance and optimistic action in the child. Secondly, adults need to communicate high but pragmatic prospects to the child as this inhibits the springing of self-pity a notable inhibitor of a resilient character (Marion, 2006, p. 219). Lastly, an adult has to ensure that the child is afforded involvement chances to deal and manage with stress. This acts as a practical way of imparting the relevant skills required in the management of misfortunes.

Review the different types of stressors for young children. Then write a scenario that describes a situation involving a preschool child who is experiencing a number of different stressors. Explain how an early childhood professional or another significant adult could help the child cope.

Physical stressors are those that result in extreme stimulus that lead to consequent harm to a child’s body part. For instance, an adult with no babysitter may tag a young child to a noisy discotheque where the environment is noisy and humid causing a level of deafness and an uncomfortable environment to the child. Psychological stressors affect the mind and hence the emotional, social and even health development of the child. For instance, the departure of a dad for long business trips may leave the child with a level of stress (NYU Child Study Center, 2005, p. 3). In most instances, both stressors manifest simultaneously or one as a consequent of the other. Take for instance in our last example, the child may incur eating problems until the father returns home and this is bound to cause physical health issues.

A good example of a scenario that incorporates both types of stressors may be as follows. During the vacations, young Sarah accompanied her parents on a visit to grandmother’s place. The young girl enjoys her stay at her grandma’s place and is very sad when the holidays are over. Sarah asks grandma to accompany them for a few days home and after some pestering, Sarah’s grandma obliges to her request. On the journey home, the family is involved in a tragic accident and all are hospitalized. Grandma due to age succumbs to the injuries and demises. Sarah whose arm is broken is in a lot of physical pain and she blames herself for her grandmother’s death due to her insistence. A childhood professional or adult should help Sarah overcome both stressors. The psychological stressor should be dealt with at first since a pessimistic attitude inhibits physical wellbeing (NYU Child Study Center, 2005, p. 2). Mutual talking should be initiated to allow Sarah in the eradication of her bitter feelings and the adult should then help her overcome the self-blame. Keeping her preoccupied with family and friends in visiting hours also reduces the stress.

 

 

 

 

References:

Marion, M. (2006). Guidance of Young Children. Portage, OH: Prentice Hall.

NYU Child Study Center. (2005). Stress and Children: What it is and How Parents Can Help. The Parent Letter 3 (6), 1-3.