Hanyi World Education Classics Series -- Child Development and Education

Author: None
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1999-09-01
Features: In this way, young children will make judgments about right and wrong based on others' reactions to their behavior, using others' responses as a guide for their actions. In this process, they gradually form a self with personal characteristics and, on this basis, develop a self-image. Others are like a mirror reflecting oneself.
2. Influence of the Surrounding Environment
Recently, people have had new thoughts about behaviors previously referred to as "simple imitation." I feel that imitation itself holds immense significance. This type of imitation is also called identification or observational learning. Psychologists like Bandura in the United States conducted an experiment where they showed young children two short films. The protagonists were the same person, but the stories had slight differences. One story depicted a rough and aggressive boy who succeeded. For example, how the other person treated him, he would respond in kind, and as a result, he received praise. The other story showed the same rough and aggressive boy, but his aggressive behavior was punished. These two stories were shown to different groups of children. The results showed that the group who watched the first story had an increase in aggressive behavior similar to that of the film's protagonist, while the group who watched the second story had a decrease in aggressive behavior.
When children use peers of the same age as role models, such an influence is already significant. How much more so when they use parents or adults around them as role models? When children see someone they are close to being praised after doing something, they feel as happy as if they themselves had been praised. Conversely, if that adult's behavior is rejected or punished by others, the children will feel disgust or fear. In other words, after observing adults' behavior, children's own behavior is indirectly reinforced or weakened. Through this, children's behavior becomes organized, and the behavior patterns of parents or role models are absorbed by the children.
According to Freud, this process is called "identification," while the currently popular term is "observational learning." This process is important because parents or adults consciously teach children and hope they will follow suit. However, sometimes children may not accept it, or even do the opposite. Young children in kindergarten imitating athletes is also a form of observational learning.
If we expand the scope of children's observational learning, it is not only parents' behavior that influences them, but also that of other adults or children, which has a significant impact. Through these influences, children will gradually establish their own standards of positive or negative behavior and form a self-image.
So, when does the formation of a child's self-image complete? To date, there is no definitive data to answer this question. I believe it may be a gradual process. Generally speaking, it can be said that by the age of three or four, and more commonly around five or six, children will have formed a relatively clear self-image.
So, when does the formation of a child's self-image complete? To date, there is no definitive data to answer this question.