Preface by the authors
The social world of the developing child is an intriguing one–a world filled with challenges, discoveries, and barriers. In the past, we tended for the most part to view this social world partly through rather independent, separate windows. Traditional theories of personality and socialization processes focused largely on the role of the parent, particularly the mother. Social learning theories also focused on the roles of parents and significant others with personality development seen as outcomes of differential age- and gender-appropriate reinforcement. In contrast, cognitive theories emphasized representational capacities mediating social transactions between the child and caregivers.
In recent years many psychologists are employing constructs derived from cognitive developmental theories in viewing the social development during early and middle childhood. At present there is growing realization of the complexities of the developing child’s social life and greater consideration of the multifaced set of influences that impact the child’s social world.
This volume assumes that social integration takes place within interdependent and highly complex sets of systems–social, cognitive, biological, and technological. These define the developing child’s social world with the child and the environment forming a reciprocal relation. The contributing authors focus on intrapersonal and interpersonal integration and socialization at early and middle childhood levels.