APSY 650 John Laing

Influence of parents on childrens emotional

competence and the link/association with the influence of peers Looked at the link between emotional competence and social competence Looked at the role parents play in children's emotion socialization and its influence on peer group selection

 Influence of parents on emotion

socialization/emotional competence 3 modes of parental socialization: parental reactions, discussion and expressivity of emotion Role of empathy, sympathy and personal distress Association between parental influence over emotional competence, social competence and peer influence Child characteristics Conclusion

 Parental reactions to children's emotions

Supportive vs. non-supportive Early interaction between parent and child/infant

Negative reactions heighten and extend childrens

emotional arousal

 Role of Empathy - emotional response stemming

from the recognition of anothers emotional state or condition Sympathy - feeling of concern for another is based on the recognition of anothers emotional state or situation and is said to stem from empathy Personal distress - also stems from empathy; however, it reflects empathic over-arousal
(Eisenberg, Fabes, Murphy, et al., 1996)

 Parental leniency vs. parental restrictiveness Punitive parental reactions

Parental minimizing reactions

(Eisenberg, Schaller, et al., 1998)

 Supportive parental reactions

Comforting and teaching coping strategies increases

childrens ability to deal constructively with emotions Enhances childrens readiness to learn about others thoughts, feelings and behaviour Supported children are less likely to become overaroused and dysregulated in their actions
(Gable & Isabella, 1992)

 Supportive reactions
Enhances emotional security, attachment and cognitive

schemas about social interactions

(Thompson, 1998)

Children express distress more appropriately and show

sympathy toward others if their parents react openly with sympathy and nurturance to childrens feelings of distress and helplessness
(Eisenberg, Cumberland & Spinrad, 1998)

 Communication about emotion and its regulation

contribute to childrens socioemotional development Children reared in families in which emotions are not discussed freely may be deprived of information about emotions and their regulation

 Importance of using affective language with infants

and toddlers Young children who feel free to discuss their emotions and who are sophisticated in their understanding of emotion may be more skilled at controlling their own negative arousal Toddlers who can communicate their feelings become less stressed during potentially frustrating situations
(Kopp, 1992)

 Parents expression of emotion is linked to childrens

emotional and social competence in several ways

Directly through imitation and contagion

As a correlate or mediator of other aspects of parenting that affects childrens emotional/social competence

 Parental expressivity influences childrens abilities to

interpret and understand others emotional reactions Parental expression of emotion can have influence over childrens developing personal schemas
Generally, parental expression of emotion is positively

associated with socioemotional competence

 Parents and peers exert conjoint influence on

development in several way

Similarity between children and their peers Peers influence daily behaviours and attitudes but have

less influence over emotional competence, social competence and personality traits (Brown, 1990) Parents and parent-child relationships have significant influence over which peer groups children chose

 Parents and parent-child relationship cont...

Selecting peers can be viewed as a process that occurs later in

the childs emotional socialization

Parents influence their childrens peers by managing social

activities
Parents influence emotional and social competence before

peers are a part of their childs life

 Parents and parent-child relationship cont... Susceptibility to peer influence (role of authoritative parenting)

So, parent and peer influence over emotional and

social competence tend to be complementary

 Temperament of the child

Developmental stage Age
(Grolnick, McMenamy, Kurowski, & Bridges, 1997)

 Parents likely have strong influence over emotional

competence and peer selection Peers have strong influence over daily behaviours and attitudes, but may have less influence over emotional competence, social competence and personality traits Parental and peer influence is likely complementary and not antithetical regarding the development of emotional competence

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