Emotional Regulation and Early Development Psychology - Essay Example

Affiliation Section/# Childhood Development: Babies, Emotional Regulation and Early Development Psychology Introduction: Although it is true that the documentary “Babies”, directed by Thomas Balmes engages many different points of interest regarding early childhood development, focusing a research paper on each and every one of these aspects would lead to an extraordinarily wide range of analysis. Instead, this particular paper will seek to present a discussion of early childhood development, as represented within the documentary, from the standpoint of emotional regulation, and developmental psychology. As Bronfenbrenner illustrated, “If the children...of a nation are afforded opportunity to develop their capacities to the fullest, if they are given the knowledge to understand the world,... then the prospects for the future are bright”. Yet, the obvious impediment to this actually taking place is the fact that the provision of developmental education and knowledge must be specifically focused on issues pertaining to what components of this development make the opportunity important, what examples of development exist with relation to such opportunities, and how each developmental domain (physical, cognitive, language, social, and emotional) inter-relate to this over-arching goal. As a result of this level of research that has been ongoing for the past few decades, scientists have definitively determined that the patterns and strengthening of bonding synapses is primarily influenced and aided by the existence of physical activity within the regime of the child. This should not be understood to mean that a level of sports or competitive games must be engaged in order for this physicality aspect to be positively correlated to brain activity (Balmes, 2010). Rather, almost all of the accident research which is been conducted on this topic has determined that physical activity in the form of play, kinetic learning, and many other forms are equally as beneficial; perhaps more due to the fact that they do not oftentimes behave within rigid norms or regulations. In effect, the inclusion of creativity alongside physical activity seems to be as something of a magic formula with regards to stimulating brain development and maximizing the overall levels of connections that can be made within the adolescent mind. Perhaps most importantly of all, scientists have determined that there is a “sweet spot” with regards the timeframe in which this can be affected. As sociologists and psychologists have understood for many years, childhood development cannot be understood in something of a monolithic appreciation. Rather, just as with any other developmental process, childhood development of mental capacity takes place in varying stages and at varying speeds. If the children...of a nation are afforded opportunity to develop their capacities to the fullest, if they are given the knowledge to understand the world,... then the prospects for the future are bright. Opportunity 1: Within such an understanding, it becomes painfully obvious that it is both the responsibility and duty of caretakers to attempt to leverage this level of brain development as a means of creating a well-rounded and mentally stimulated baby (Rubin et al., 1998). Such a process does not have a definitive beginning or an end point. Attempting to leverage physical activity as a means of integrating knowledge of the child should begin sooner rather than later. It should extend at least until the conclusion of kindergarten. To some extent, it appears as if developmental educational experts have been fully aware of this understanding due to the fact that they have historically chosen to include physical activity in the form of recess, certain types of games, and other means within the curriculum. However, from an understanding of the research that is been conducted upon this topic, this is not enough. Rather, it is necessary for the stakeholder within the educational system to understand that physical activity with respect to integrating knowledge and learning as well as building neural connection within the mind of the stakeholders must be engaged at more and more junctures within the educational process. In such a manner, the reader can come to an understanding of the fact that physical activity, as integrated both in the environment of the baby can and should come to be seen as a vital tool by which caretakers can leverage. Doubtless, further information and scientific research will help to shed light on the means by which key periods in neurodevelopment can be leveraged with regards to the opportunities that the caretaker can engage (Cook & Cook, 2010). However, such a level of potential future knowledge should not stop the caretaker at the current juncture in seeking to integrate further levels of physical activity within their lesson plans. If done correctly, it is perfectly reasonable to assume that the results which have been indicated within the analysis could easily be translated to the classroom and its participants. Due to the fact that only a narrow window of time defines the opportunity that caretakers have to integrate with the stakeholders, it is incumbent to do so at all available haste and utilizing all tools available so that even if this is done in excess, it will ensure that the baby will have at least been exposed to a minimum and mandatory level of physical activity with respect to neural development and educational process as a whole. Opportunity 2: Emotional Regulation (ER) has been the subject of many studies and a great deal of research. Vast databases have been created about this topic due to the relevance that this field has to social competence and developmental psychology. The interaction between the child and adults creates a stable bond that is crucial in the child’s emotional regulation (Ursache et al., 2013). This helps in establishing a firm foundation that fosters important social-emotional development that defines a child’s long term mental status. Conversely, the ability to control these children’s emotions is based on the mental ability of the children to accept this control. This means that a child with a higher level of intelligence is more likely to absorb any kind of emotional regulation from a caregiver than a child whose mental abilities are relatively inferior. Thus, skills are very important in emotional development among children. Others have astutely noted that a specific issue with regards to the study of ER is predicated upon the fact that few researchers differentiate between ER and emotions themselves. As such, the following analysis will seek to specifically leverage a discussion of ER; without the intervening confusion that an expanded focus of “emotions” in general might denote (Spinrad et al., 2006). Definition of ER Emotional regulation is mainly concerned with an individual’s change of attitude due to emotional disturbances caused by internal and external elements of human nature. This mainly necessitates the need to initiate proper regulation that will adapt children to emotional outcomes to cope with emotional frustration (Cicchetti et al 1991). It is more practical to consider environmental factors, such as the help of parents, as well as natural and fundamental coping processes in human beings. Such environmental factors are conversely effective with respect to the skills that children have and/or are able to develop. It is senseless to imagine that skills play an insignificant role in the enhancement of emotional regulation among children. Emotional self-regulation can be affected by both genetic and environmental factors; however, it should not be understood as a solitary definition of an undifferentiated term (Skinner & Zimmer-Gembeck, 2007). Development of Emotional Regulation There are three main stages in the developmental process of ER; these are referenced and discussed below: First stage In this stage, the regulations of a parent, guardian, or caregiver are applied mainly for self-regulation by the child. Infants from birth to around 6 months of age rely on their parents or caregivers in regulating their emotions. This could be explained in terms of the way young children behave; such as expecting sympathy or comfort from their parents or guardians in case of troubles. In such a case, the reactions of the child to emotional disturbance are manifested in the form of cries or showing other negative reactions (Stifter & Braungart, 1995). Second stage The second stage involves the need to regulate negative emotions by using cognitive strategies. This requirement has to be initiated by their respective caregivers, whether parents or guardians. Within the first six months of their age, infants start to use some self-regulating strategies to regulate their emotions. It has also been suggested and recommended that the interval of early regulation in the infant can be between the ages of five to ten months old. In early years, many children start to distract themselves more by playing. By the time they start to use the language, they will have more techniques of dealing with emotional disturbances (Siegler et al., 2010). Language development has an effect on self-regulating improvement since it equips the child with the necessary tool for expressing their grievances. The most notable self-regulation improvement can be seen in the child’s age, between 3- 4 year sold (Kim & Page, 2013). This thinking tends to show them that self-reliance is important in some situations. Third stage This is the stage where it is important to equip children with the life skills that enable them adapt to dealing with stressful life scenarios. Young children are able how to regulate their emotion most by using behavioral strategies. As they grow old, they start to apply cognitive strategies in difficult situations. An instance could be when a child is bothered by a peer child, in which case he/she will tries to underestimate the importance of the action and uses the appropriate reactions to inhibit more teasing according to Kim & Page (2013). Opportunity 3: A core argument over social development has centered upon whether or not the differentials in the stages that have been mentioned previously are significant enough to warrant further definitions of emotional regulation based upon these core differentials. Other scholars argue that the ability of children to deal with emotions usually develops over time; however, this development is not uniform and takes place at such different levels that further definitions are required. Even though Eisenberg creates a powerful case for understanding and defining these stages of emotional development, the role of life experience is the more important aspect; at least within the mind of this analyst (Kim & Page, 2013). The core issue that is represented within such a type of understanding, as represented by Siegler and Eisenberg, has to do with the fact that the reader is left in a quandary over what comes first; changes in emotional intelligence and response or life skills that provide these changes. The unpleasant situations naturally cause children stress while the pleasant ones make them happy or exited; a phenomenon that helps them in applying the appropriate mental mechanisms and strategies to deal with each situation respectively. However, the children can be guided perfectly on how to differentiate such activities, but life experiences and knowledge of the results of certain actions facilitate their independence in controlling their emotions. From an analysis of the existing research, it is clear to this author that the examination of the “chicken and egg” argument concerning emotional development and emotional skills is not likely to be settled; however, it is further the understanding of this analyst that actively stating that one necessarily gives way to another is rather futile. Instead, a far better approach would be to discuss these two interrelated concepts in terms of how they influence one another and the manner through which further studies could draw upon this interrelation to understand these elements to a better and more proficient degree. Opportunity 4: Another opportunity that is represented in terms of the documentary has to do with the unique linguistic opportunity that becomes to be represented within the developmental stage from infant to toddler. As such, most parents and educators do not pay enough attention to this particular stage as they find it natural that the child will experiment with language and slowly begin to develop their own vocabulary. However, the fact of the matter is that this stage offers unique opportunities; not only in terms of overall development but also in terms of the speed at which this development takes place. Essentially, educators and stakeholders that have access to the babies/children during this unique time period can effect monumental developmental changes in the way that the child understands language and speech patterns. As exhibited within the documentary, this is mainly the result of the fact that the speed to which the child is developing illicit an opportunity within this stage unlike any other during human life and/or development. Conclusion As indicated from the preceding analysis, the opportunities that educators/stakeholders/caretakers and parents have during these unique stages of early childhood development are much deeper and more nuanced that previously thought. If the parents or stakeholders are to make effective use of these unique developmental thresholds, they will find it necessary to become more informed and to engage these children in play/educational activities that might otherwise be put off to a later time. References Balmes, T. (Director). (2010). Babies [Motion picture]. USA: Focus Features. Ontario Ministry of Education. (2012). Health and Physical Education Interim Edition(4). Author. Cicchetti, D., Ganiban, J., Barnett, D. (1991). The development of emotion regulation. In: Dodge K, Garber J, editors. Contributions from the Study of High-Risk Populations to Understanding the Development of Emotion Regulation. New York: Cambridge University. Cook, J.L., and Cook, G. (2010). The World of Children, 2nd ed. Boston, MA: Pearson, Allyn and Bacon. Kim, H., & Page, T. (2013). Emotional Bonds with Parents, Emotion Regulation, and School-Related Behavior Problems Among Kindergarten School Truants. Journal Of Child & Family Studies, 22(6), 869-878. doi:10.1007/s10826-012-9646-5 Rubin, K.H, Bukowski, W.,& Parker, J.G.(1998). Peer interactions, relationships, and groups. In W. Damon (series ED.) & N. Eisenberg (vol. ED).Handbook of child psychology.Vol.3.Social, emotional, and personality development. (5th Ed).New York: Spinrad, T. L., Eisenberg, N, Cumberland, A, Fabes, R.A, Valiente, C, Shepard, S. A., Reiser, M., Losoya, S. H., & Guthrie, I. K. (2006).Relation of emotion-related regulation to children’s social competence: A longitudinal study. Emotion Stifter, CA, Braungart, JM. (1995).the regulation of negative reactivity in infancy: function and development.Dev Psychology Ursache, A., Blair, C., Stifter, C., & Voegtline, K. (2013). Emotional reactivity and regulation in infancy interact to predict executive functioning in early childhood. Developmental Psychology, 49(1), 127-137. doi:10.1037/a0027728 Read More