Читать книгу Introduction to Abnormal Child and Adolescent Psychology - Robert Weis - Страница 98

Emotional development refers to the emergence and refinement of a child’s experience, expression, understanding, and regulation of feelings (Odle, 2016). The process of emotional development reflects the child’s physical maturation, increased cognitive complexity, and experiences with others (Cole, 2016).

Emotional expression begins in infancy. Crying is a powerful means of communication for newborns. Distress, pleasure, anger, fear, and interest are among the earliest emotions that infants display. Young infants occasionally laugh and smile, although smiling deliberately at others typically does not emerge until age 4 months. Emotions such as sadness and fear are typically seen in the second half of the first year of life.

Toddlerhood is characterized by rapid development of the brain’s limbic system and frontal lobe as well as greater independence from parents. Consequently, toddlers begin to show more complex feelings such as pride (in asserting autonomy) and shame (in taking risks and failing). Between the ages of 3 and 5, children develop greater capacity for empathy. Empathy is dependent on their ability to attend to other’s emotional expressions, label them correctly, and take their perspective. Children with autism spectrum disorder typically show delays in their emotional expression and understanding of others’ feelings.

Advances in cognition, especially language, allow preschoolers and young school-age children to label and to differentiate their own emotions. For example, kindergarteners can begin to distinguish feeling “mad” from feeling “sad.” Young children also become better able to share their feelings verbally, rather than expressing them through aggression, crying, or throwing tantrums. Young children also learn how to alter their emotional expressions in different contexts. For example, the emotions a child can express at home might be different from the emotions he might show in the classroom or on a playground (Bridges, 2018).