The Development of Identity and Self-Concept

In 1975, Edward Tronick conducted an experiment referred to as the Still-Face Paradigm. In this experiment, mothers resisted interaction with their infants, providing no facial or vocal cues. After a few minutes, the mothers’ lack of attentiveness or “still face” began to weigh emotionally on the infants. The infants stared at the mothers, pointing and reaching out for reassurance. Eventually, the infants disengaged and cried until their mothers offered them comfort.

As infants grow from toddlers to preschoolers, parents and primary caregivers have the greatest impact on identity and self-concept. As a child reaches elementary school, the influence of the parent wanes and various environments outside of the family unit take on greater importance. If a child is continually given a “still face” by his or her peers, what impact might this have on his or her identity? Similarly, if a child continually passes (or fails) spelling tests, what impact might this have on his or her identity development and feelings of self- worth?

For this Assignment, review the Learning Resources. Consider the factors that impact identity and self-concept in childhood and early adolescence.

Complete a 3- to 4-page paper in which you do the following:

• Explain how identity and self-concept are developed from early childhood through middle childhood, including how physiological, biological, and neurological, and cultural factors might influence the human development, functioning and behavioral process over the course of the lifespan.
• Explain how you might use this information in your future counseling practice
• Justify your response with specific references to this week’s learning resources and the current literature

Utilize the attached assignment template as a guide to completing the assignment. Support your Application Assignment with specific references to all resources used in its preparation. This assignment should be completed using APA formatting.