2. The three components of the developmental niche include (1) the physical and social settings of daily life (family structure), (2) customs of childcare and child rearing (sleeping patterns), and (3) psychology of the caretakers (parenting styles and belief systems). My developmental niche consists of my family of four (mom, dad, me, and my younger brother). Growing up, we lived in a small town with an undiverse population. My parents followed the childcare and child rearing practices of the American culture. my brother and I did not sleep with our parents as infants. Due to the fact that both of our parents worked full-time, we went to babysitter's houses until were old enough to stay home alone. My parents used an authoritative parenting style. They were very loving, caring, and understanding yet they still provided structure and enforced rules. They were both very religious and very close to their extended families.
3. There are many cultural variations in the socialization of infant's basic needs that include sleeping, feeding, and crying. For instance, middle-class families in the United States and Canada put young infants to sleep in their own room in order to enforce independence, whereas Japanese parents, whose culture emphasizes interdependence, sleep with their children until approximately the age of six. Infant feeding is also determined by the culture. In most non-Western cultures, breastfeeding is the preferred method by mothers, whereas this is not the case in the United States. When and how often a caregiver should respond to an infant crying is also culturally determined.
4. Rites of passage are ceremonies or ritual that recognize or symbolize individual's movement from one status to another (p. 71). These experiences vary from culture to culture but are found in most non-industrualized societies where nearly 80 percent of girls and 70 percent of boys got through some form of initiation (p. 71). These rites of passage help define a male/female's role in their individual society.
5. Erikson's Stages of Psychosocial Development:
Stage Crisis Psychosocial Task
Infancy Trust vs. mistrust Develop first social relationship with primary caretaker; develop a
fundamental trust in life and the world
Toddlerhood Autonomy vs.Shame Explore the social environment outside the primary relationship; recognize self as an individual being
Early Childhood Initiative vs. guilt Negotiate one's place within social relationships; learn about the impact of one's social behavior on others; develop a sense of power
Middle Childhood Industry vs. inferiority Learn the importance of social norms and the personal consequences of conformity and nonconformity; develop a sense of competence
Adolescence Identity vs. role confusion Find social roles and social environments that correspond to one's identity and principles; form one's own identity
Young adulthood Intimacy vs. isolation Negotiate one's own identity within the context of intimate relationships
Middle adulthood Generativity vs. stagnation Make a contribution to the larger society; acquire a sense of accommplishment and a place in the world
Late adulthood Integrity vs. despair Become an integral and active part of one's family and community; come to terms with one's life and choices