Polli Soholt points to normalization in the first plane as leading to the successful realization of the human personality, which is the basis of social development. Children who have cultivated concentration and purposeful work at an early age develop the virtues to become world citizens. Normalization can be assisted by certain practices: 1)…

A psychological/ritual model of criticism is used to examine the movie "The Deer Hunter" as a rhetorical event in which males undergo psychological change through their war and postwar experiences. The critical model depends on understanding a Jungian interpretation of the human psyche, the form and function of initiation rituals, and…

Discusses the goal of Montessori education to develop environments for children that support their evolution as human beings. Proposes social, moral, cognitive, and emotional developmental outcomes for preschoolers, elementary children, and adolescents. (JPB)

Using pattern observation, this study examined the relationship between communication in a small group of children and basic parameters of social support (quantity, content, structure, and function of the communication). Researchers observed two separate groups. Subjects were 77 children (54 girls and 23 boys), ages 5-7. Data showed that: (1) when…

The relationship between psychosocial development and ego identity was explored among a group of 29 married women, 21-59 years old. After being interviewed, subjects were assigned to one of four categories of identity status, based on their statements regarding decision-making and commitment. There were significant differences between identity…

Supporting earlier research evidence showing that participation in school activities is related to later positive cognitive, social, and personality development, the findings of this study suggest that the advantages for the well rounded development of the individual student in small schools--those graduating 150 or fewer students per year--may…

Family socialization patterns were examined from the viewpoint of the child and the parent in terms of parental socialization practices, attitudes, and goals. Questionnaires were developed and used to collect data on the parents of about 1,300 families and the children (7-13 years old) of approximately 400 families in West Germany. Results of…

Recent research about children's early personal-social learning and development is reviewed in relation to three basic psychological questions. The first concerns extent of stability or consistency in stylistic patterns of personal-social behavior across infancy, the preschool years, and the early school years. The second concerns current…

This paper presents a review of research studies and theories involving sociodramatic play and its effect on the learning power of middle class children. Discussion centers on definitions, criteria, and principles of play, and ways for teachers to identify and encourage sociodramatic play in the classroom. Play, and especially sociodramatic play,…

This paper reviews the research and theories on ethnic identity development, and draws some implications from these ideas for improving curriculum design for, and instructional effectiveness with, ethnically different students, especially Black Americans. The paradigm of "the developmental stages of ethnic identity transformation"…

In response to the growing public interest in seeing that higher education institutions address the personal development needs of students, this study evaluated the personal and social growth of college students and introduced an index of personal and social growth of college students. The study used the new American College Testing Program's…

The purposes of this paper are: (1) to identify uses of the term social competence for preschool and early school children, with origins directly in research, and (2) to formulate a definition of social competence reflecting consensus across three different research perspectives. From an ethnological perspective, social competence consists of…

This paper discussed a stage theory of childhood, preadolescent, and adolescent concepts of role-relationships and social reasoning in friendship. It was hypothesized that these concepts develop through levels of perspective-taking, within which individuals view and structure interpersonal relationships. At level one, relationships are based on…

Relationships between patterns of family interaction and child development are investigated in this study on how family environment and quality of interaction relate to an adolescent's psychological and social functioning. A sample of 99 white middle-class families participated in a 2-hour structured interview in their homes. The interview…

Intimacy as experienced in best friendships was studied with respect to sex differences and sex roles, the development of components of intimacy in childhood and adolescence, and the possible interrelationship of intimacy and ego identity. Instruments included items from: (1) The Self-Perception Inventory; (2) The Gender-Role Assignment Scale; (3)…