Theories Of Social Development

This table represents how social development occurs in the various stages. The table displays the differences among elementary, middle, and high school students in terms of their social development.

Elementary students are more into cooperative gameplay. This is when they first start to develop their fine motor skills. Elementary kids are trying to please adults as well as being obedient to rules and feels guilty when defies them. Doesn’t understand gender and has no sense of privacy when curious.

Middle schoolers tend to make friends in certain situations. They become accustomed to the concepts of right and wrong. Middle schoolers are getting a grasp of the social roles around them, also allowing them to play more team oriented sports. Takes

Identity Diffusion," which he considered one of the stages of psycho-social development. Positive resolution leads to a self-assured identity; disappointment leads to role confusion and a fragile awareness of character or identity. Erikson’s theory of Identity vs. Role Confusion is prominent in adolescence from age from twelve to twenty. Up until this fifth stage, development depends on what is done to a person. At this point, development now depends primarily upon what a person does. An adolescent must struggle to discover and find his or her own identity, while negotiating and struggling with social interactions and “fitting in”, and developing a sense of morality and right from wrong. Some attempt to delay entrance to adulthood and withdraw from responsibilities (moratorium). Those unsuccessful with this stage tend to experience role confusion and upheaval. Adolescents begin to develop a strong affiliation and devotion to ideals, causes, and

According to Piaget, adolescents may be at the stage of concrete operations, in transition to formal operations. Some may be fully in formal operational thought and according to Kohlberg, people develop morally as they grow cognitively in their capability to reason. Adolescents are developing morally and although they tend still to be egocentric in some ways, they are able to consider others’ perspectives and are beginning to realize the implications of their moral beliefs, value system, and behavior. Piaget stated, “Younger children base their moral judgments more on consequences, whereas older children base their judgments on intentions.” They are starting to actively question the justice and fairness in issues and care deeply about serious community problems, and are capable of weighing the consequences of their actions on others. During my visit at Jennings Country High School, a student (Ben), had a typical moral development. When I asked him to write out what he would do in situation that required a moral response, his was an atypical answer. The question asked him to describe “why people should do everything they can to keep from breaking the law?” Ben’s response reached the highest category in Piaget and Kohlberg’s stages of intellect and moral development. He wrote, “because if everybody broke the