Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.
Chapter 10 Social-Emotional Development in the First Year 277
Social-emotional
development is an important
type of development that happens as quickly
during the fi rst year as physical and intellectual
development. A baby enters the world with unique
traits, which are the roots of the child’s later
personality. By the end of the fi rst year, personality
traits are even more evident. As a baby’s social-
emotional world expands, he or she forms ideas
about him- or herself and whether the world is a
friendly place. The baby begins to express feelings
with different emotions.
Aspects of Social-
Emotional Development
Social-emotional development involves a
person’s concepts about him- or herself as well as
concepts about others. There are three main aspects
or parts of social-emotional development.
1. Disposition or general mood of a person.
Some people have a more cheerful disposition,
and others are more moody.
2. Social relations, such as interactions with
people and social groups. These interactions
may include family members, friends, schools,
and clubs (Figure 10.1).
3. Ways people express feelings through emotions
(thoughts that lead to feelings, such as joy, fear,
and anger, and cause changes in the body).
For example, if you are upset at someone or
something (a thought), you may become angry
(a feeling), which may increase your heart
rate (a change in the body). Even babies have
emotions, which they display through their
interactions with others.
Temperamental Differences
in Babies
Temperament is the inherited tendency to react
in a certain way, such as being cheerful or grumpy.
Sometimes the word disposition also defi nes the
ways people react consistently in different settings
and over a long period of time.
Jerome Kagan, a well-known psychologist and
researcher, has extensively studied personality,
including temperament, in children. He theorizes
that temperament is inherited and very noticeable
by three months of age. Some children inherit genes
that cause them to become overexcited and have
problems calming down whereas other babies are
rather easy-going.
Kagan believes temperament does not determine
behavior, but does push a child to react in a certain
way. In his research, Kagan compared infants who
are high reactive and low reactive, and then studied
Figure 10.1 Social relations,
one of the three aspects of
social-emotional development,
involves interactions with family
members, friends, and other
people. What are the most
important social relations in
your life? With whom do you
interact the most?