Answer the following questions 1. Compare and contrast egocentrism of preschool
ID: 129796 • Letter: A
Question
Answer the following questions 1. Compare and contrast egocentrism of preschool children and adolescent egocentrism. What can a parent or teacher do to encourage children and teenagers to become less egocentric? 2. Describe some of the changes in our relationships with our parents from early childhood through adolescence and adulthood. Describe the unique challenges of caring for a child and those of becoming the caregiver for a parent in late adulthood. 3. Describe who our friends usually are and how we benefit from those relationships. How do friendships change over the lifespan (early childhood to late adulthood) and how do they stay the same?Explanation / Answer
Note: This response is in UK English, please paste the response to MS Word and you should be able to spot discrepancies easily.
(Answer) (1) Egocentrism: This attribute encourages a vicarious attitude in individuals. They basically look at situations from another’s point of view.
Egocentrism in Children: According to Piaget, egocentric children believe that others see the same thing that they see, hear and feel the way they do. In other words, they believe that others are capable of being sad, happy etc just like them.
Egocentrism in Teenagers: David Elkind said that egocentrism in teenagers is when they are able to distinguish between their perception of what others think about them and what people actually think about them.
For parents to inculcate this behaviour in their child, they must be taught to share. Sharing things, influences sharing experiences. This is when children began to feel that we are all capable of the same emotions and experiences.
In adolescent people, parents need to teach them to be understanding and compassionate towards people. This is what will make them sensitive towards how people are feeling without being told directly.
(2) Parent-child relationships are constantly changing with age. A young child looks to their parent for protection and comfort. However, as the child ages, they tend to look to their parents more for emotional support and understanding. The child no longer needs a bulwark and is able to hold their own in the society.
The parent-child relationship is the best allegory for a “give and take relationship.” Parents of little children face extraordinary physical, emotional and mental challenges. Caring for a baby’s every need, schooling a child, supporting a child in young-adulthood etc. Conversely, a child will grow-up to take care of their parents through their infirmities. Sigmund Freud believed that adult development was largely defined by the relationships that children share with their parents.
(3) Friends are usually the people that we tend to share a mutual affection with. We benefit from these relationships through emotional growth and social securities. The third level of Maslow’s needs hierarchy is “love and affection.”
Friendships in childhood can mostly be equated with group security. There is a certain level of camaraderie that a group shares which makes them almost immune to a certain amount of social insecurities. However, a friendship between adults is more with the priority of emotional pleasure, moral support, nurturing bonds and other such reasons.