KAS1043

HASRUL HOSSHAN
JABATAN PENDIDIKAN AWAL KANAK-KANAK
& PENDIDIKAN KHAS
UNDERSTANDING OF
CHILD EMOTIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
What is emotional
development?
consists of a gradual growth in the ability to
recognize, label, and appropriately respond to
their feelings
Each of these steps is important to their
emotional health and must be learned
through repeated interactions with others
 ERIKSON’S THEORY
OF PSYCHOSOCIAL
DEVELOPMENT

Suggested that people experience 8

“crises” in the form of psychosocial
stages, as they progress from birth to
old age
1. Trust VS Mistrust (birth to 18
months)

2. Autonomy VS Shame & Doubt (18 Months to 3

Years)

3. Initiative VS Guilt (3 to 5 Years)

4. Industry VS inferiority (6 to 12
Years)
5. Identity VS Role confusion (12 to 18
Years)
6. Intimacy VS Isolation (18 to 35
years)
7. Generativity VS stagnation (35 to 55 or 65
years)
8. Integrity VS dispair (55 or 65 to
Death)
 1. Trust Vs Mistrust
 Basic strength: Drive and hope
  Referred to infancy as the Oral Sensory Stage
(baby put everything in the mouth)
 Children develop a sense of trust when caregivers
provide reliabilty, care, and affection. 
 If a child successfully develops trust, he or she will feel safe
and secure in the world. Caregivers who are inconsistent,
emotionally unavailable, or rejecting contribute to feelings of
mistrust in the children they care for.
 Failure to develop trust will result in fear and a belief that the
world is inconsistent and unpredictable.
 Important event: Feeding
 2. Autonomy Vs Shame
 Basic Strengths: Self-control, Courage, and Will
 learn to master skills (eg: walk, talk, feed) and also
learn finer motor development as well as
the much appreciated toilet training
 have the opportunity to build self-esteem and 
autonomy as we gain more control over our bodies and
acquire new skills, learning right from wrong
 failure results in feelings of shame and doubt.
 Important event: Toilet training
3. Initiative Vs Guilt
 Basic strength: Purpose
 experience a desire to copy the adults and take initiative in
creating play situations.
 Eg: toy phones, miniature cars
 begin to use “WHY?” to explore the world
 children begin to assert their power and control over the world
through directing play and other social interaction.
 Children who are successful at this stage feel capable and
able to lead others. Those who fail to acquire these skills are
left with a sense of guilt, self-doubt and lack
of initiative
 Important event: Exploration
4. Industry Vs Inferiority
 Basic Strengths: Method and Competence
 Capable of learning, creating and accomplishing numerous
new skills and knowledge, thus developing a sense
of industry
 Also known as Social stage. Children need to cope with
new social and academic demands. Success leads to a
sense of competence, while failure results in feelings of
inferiority.
 Important event: School
5. Identity Vs Role
confusion
 Basic Strengths: Devotion and Fidelity
 Life is getting more complex - attempt to find their
own identity, struggle with social interactions, and moral
issues.
 The task is to discover who they are as individuals separate
from their family of origin and as members of a wider
society
 Success leads to an ability to stay true to themselves, while
failure leads to role confusion and a weak sense of self.
 Important event: Social Relationships
6. Intimacy VS Isolation
 Basic Strengths: Affiliation and Love
 In the initial stage of being an adult ,we seek one or more
companions and love. As we try to find mutually satisfying
relationships, primarily through marriage and friends, we
generally also begin to start a family
 Success leads to strong relationships and intimacy,
while failure results in loneliness and isolation.
 Important event: Relationships
 7. Generativity VS
stagnation
 Basic Strengths: Production and Care
 work is most crucial
 occupied with creative and meaningful work and with issues
surrounding the family
 expect to "be in charge,“
 The significant task is to transmit values of the culture through the
family (taming the kids) and working to establish a stable
environment
 Strength comes through care of others and production of something
that contributes to the betterment of society, which Erikson
calls generativity
 Those who are successful during this phase will feel that they are
contributing to the world by being active in their home and
community. Those who fail to attain this skill will feel unproductive
and uninvolved in the world (Stagnation).
 Important event: Work and Parenthood
 8. Integrity VS despair
 Basic Strengths: Wisdom
 This phase occurs during old age and is focused on reflecting
back on life.
 Those who feel proud of their accomplishments will feel a
sense of integrity. Successfully completing this phase means
looking back with few regrets and a general feeling of
satisfaction
 Our strength comes from a wisdom that the world is very
large and we now have a detached concern for the whole of
life, accepting death as the completion of life.
 Those who are unsuccessful during this phase will feel that
their life has been wasted and will experience many regrets.
The individual will be left with feelings of
bitterness and despair.
 Important event: Reflection on Life
 HT
I G Exhibit jealousy
M
O U E
Y RV
AT SE
H OB Distress at
W
separation
Increasing skills to
communicate through facial
expressions and body
posture
Beginning ability to
soothe (especially when
caregiver is not around)
 HT Desire to be
G
MI close to parents
O U E
Y RV
AT SE 
H OB Wide variety of
W emotions

begin to mature in their

ability to interact with
others

Emergence of
self-concept
 HT Increasing number
I G
M of bonds with
O U E
Y RV people outside the
AT SE
H OB family
W

Increasing ability
to regulate
emotions
Adult’s role:
Adults have traditionally denied children's feelings by
saying things such as, "You shouldn't feel that way!" or
"You'll be fine. Forget it.“
Negating children's strong emotions can result in
fearfulness, confusion, shame and resentment, which can
interfere with their learning. When negative emotions are
suppressed, they usually resurface and cause problems.
Children who are taught to identify, express, and cope
positively with their feelings develop useful life skills.
Adult’s role – what should adults
do?
1. Help the children gain an understanding of their feelings
through the use of books, board games, puppets,
interactive storytelling or role-plays.
2. Watch a child's facial expressions, posture, play or art
work for signs that a child is experiencing a strong
negative emotion. Then offer constructive ways to defuse
it, such as painting, dialogue or taking a "time out.“
3. Accept emotional responses as legitimate, even if you
don't like the behavior the feeling produces. For example,
when a child hits, the feeling of anger is demonstrated.
Stop the child and say, "It's okay to feel angry; it's not
okay to hurt others. Talk to me about what your feeling."
Adult’s role – what should adults
do?
4. Communicate understanding and empathy by
reflecting the observed emotion. For example,
say, "You seem sad" or "You seem upset." Then, if
the child confirms your reflection and begins
talking, be quiet and listen.
5. Avoid negative statements like, "Can't you do
anything right?" or "What's your problem?" These
comments discourage open communication and
suggest that when a child does not behave
perfectly, he or she is "bad."
Adult’s role – what should adults
do?
6. Avoid moralizing ("That was wrong of you!"); humiliating ("I
can't believe you did that."); lecturing ("You should have known
better."); denying ("You'll be okay."); pitying, ("Poor you. It's all
their fault."); and rescuing, ("I'll take care of it."). Instead, listen
patiently and nod your head appropriately. Remember that
questions can often lead the child away from the real problem
or cause the child to stop talking.

7. Problem solve with the child by encouraging him or her to think

of options and decide what constructive action to take.

8. Keep lines of communication open. You might say something

like: "Emily, I am glad you told me about your mom's illness. It
must be hard to have her in the hospital. Please know that I
care about you and that I am here if you want to talk again." 
Emotional Problems
Children with emotional and behavioural difficulties may:
 find it difficult to form friendships
 have difficulty keeping on task
 have difficulty taking part in group activities and discussion
 often become tearful or throw tantrums for no apparent reason
 have low self-esteem and often become victims of bullies
 become bullies themselves
 be aggressive and disruptive
 find it difficult to conform to classroom rules and routines
 be excessively attention-seeking through either negative
behaviour or
 sometimes have school phobia
 underachieve in many areas of the school curriculum.
 SUPPORTIN
G CHILD
WITH
EMOTIONAL
PROBLEM
2. set up small
3. develop social
social skills
interaction through
groups or
1. encourage the games and paired
anger
provision of a problem-solving
management
positive classroom activities
environment 5.provide activities
that encourage the
building of self-
esteem 6. give the child opportunities
. to express their feelings
4. give short, through the use of puppets or
clearly-defined role-play in pairs or small
tasks groups

7. develop positive links

between older and 8.Tell the parents of
younger children their children needs
Temper Tantrums
Why do tantrums happen?
A tantrum is the expression of a child's frustration with the
physical, mental or emotional challenges of the moment.
Causes include frustration, tiredness, and hunger. Children
also may have temper tantrums to seek attention, obtain
something, or avoid doing something.
Examples: whining, crying, screaming, kicking, hitting, and
breath holding, trashing, stomping feet
They usually appear toward the end of the first year, are
most common between ages 2 and 4, and are typically
infrequent after age 5. If tantrums are frequent after age 5,
they may persist throughout childhood.
How to handle tantrum
1. Try to remain calm. Shaking, spanking, or screaming at
your child tends to make the tantrum worse instead of
better. Set a positive example for your child
by remaining in control of yourself and your emotions.
2. Pause before you act. Take at least 30 seconds to decide
how you will handle the tantrum. Four possible ways to
deal with a tantrum include:
a) Distract—Try to get your child’s attention focused on
something else. If your child screams when you take
away something unsafe (like mommy’s purse) offer
something else to play with. This technique works well
with toddlers.
How to handle tantrum:
b. Remove—Take your child to a quiet, private place to calm
down. Avoid trying to talk with a screaming child. Stay
nearby until your child calms down.
c. Ignore—Older children will sometimes throw tantrums to
get attention. Try ignoring the tantrum and go about your
business as usual.
d. Hold - Physically restrain children if they are “out of
control” (may harm themselves and others). You also might
say something like: “I can see you are angry right now and I
am going to hold you until you calm down. I won’t let you
hurt me or anyone else.” Often this approach can be
comforting to a child. Children don’t like to be out of
control. An adult who is able to take charge of the situation,
remain calm and in control, can be very reassuring.
How to handle tantrum:
3. Wait until your child calms down before talking
about the situation. It’s difficult to reason with a
screaming child. Use this opportunity to teach your
child acceptable ways to handle anger and difficult
situations. With practice, preschoolers and school-agers
can learn:
a) How to ask for help,
b) When to go somewhere to cool down,
c) How to try a more successful way of doing
something, and
d) How to express their feelings and emotions in words
(rather than hitting, kicking, or screaming).
How to handle tantrum
4. Comfort and reassure your child. Tantrums
scare most kids. They often are not able to
understand the reason for their anger and
generally feel shaken
when it is all over. They need to know that you do
not approve of their behavior, but that you still
love them.
 Embarrassin
g the child.

Screaming at Labeling the

the child child.

Hurting the
Threatening
child in any
the child.
way.

Hitting the
Indulging the
child.
child