In our current society we consider this a special state of development where one is neither infant nor adult, around which, Aries believed, our whole structure of family revolves. By contrast, in a medieval society young people from about the age of seven were weaned from the protection of their family and cast into the wider adult society where they acted and were treated as ‘mini-adults’ Aries argued that in the middle ages, prior to our social and economic progression away from feudalism, children were not acknowledged as going through any developmental stages in life. He considered that this was why they were treated as miniature adults and dressed up in the same style of clothes, perhaps this was also to ensure that they conform to social status and/or to display the social class of their
How people define themselves in relationship to society is an ongoing concern of sociology. This essay examines the question of whether young people’s identities are more individualised today than they were in earlier generations. The question itself is an interesting one because it implies that identity is discrete and unique. That notion is in itself modern, so it becomes axiomatic to say that identities are more “individualised” because by the framing of the question it is already presumed that identity is individual. However, as all individuals operate within the framework of society it is reasonable to examine how and to what extent the relationship has changed between earlier generations and now.
TITLE: A REFLECTION ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHILD AND YOUTH CARE PROFESSION. ‘’The child in need of care is not a new phenomenon”, (K Beukes & B Gannon 1996). The problem of what to do with underprivileged children has existed throughout history. The history of Child and Youth Care dates back in the days in the days when children were oppressed by adults and were seen as “evil beings”. Many changes has taken place throughout the centuries on how children are seen.
Asses’ sociological explanations of changes in the status of childhood Childhood is a socially defined age status up to the age of 19 years old. It is a state which is both socially and biologically constructed and where a person has not reached adult status yet. There are major differences in how childhood is defined, both historically and between cultures. Western society’s today define children as vulnerable and segregate them from the adult world and therefore childhood is seen as a special and privileged time. In addition, in the past and in some countries today children such as Africa and India the children are apart of adult society which shows that childhood is social construction.
According to Loevinger’s Theory of Ego Development, the ego is the struggle to comprehend, understand, and organize the experiences of life (McAdams, 2006). The sense of self or ego changes based on experiences and challenges faced throughout life, and hence, the ego is in constant flux. Loevinger developed a theory based on the stages of cognitive development and how it influences the personality. Loevinger measures ego development through a verbal sentence completion test; this means that infants are unable to take the test. Though Loevinger does not specifically address the preverbal stage of ego development, other theorists agree that ego begins in infancy with the recognition of self.
The understanding of children is that they are not the same everywhere and they are different from adults, how they are different, and the expectations placed on them differ depending on the society they live in. Childhood has been shaped by culture and society to have a specific meaning .As a result The way children are brought up, the length of time child hood should last, and the behaviour considered to be appropriate for children are examples of aspects of childhood that are socially constructed. Cross-cultural evidence supports the view that childhood is a social construct. If it were a natural state it would be found in all societies. This also relates to how children are seen to be young adults.
It was only during this time frame that ‘upper class’ children first attended school. This is due to the fact that there had been no direct barrier between adults and children, with children working side by side with adults. Whilst children of the upper class were allowed to attended school, this didn’t apply to all classes within society. Throughout the industrial revolution, many children worked in factories and mills right up until the 19th century where laws regarding factory acts banned child labour in mines and factories. Children were not only viewed as adults but also portrayed as adults.
IS CHILDHOOD ‘SOCIALLY CONSTRUCTED’? Most sociologists argue that the idea of childhood is not something natural and given How we treat children – how we expect them to look, behave and develop – is decided by the kind of society you live in. This is what ‘socially constructed’ means. • Different societies have treated children very differently • Different historical periods have varied a lot in the way children are regarded and treated. HOW WE ‘CONSTRUCT’ CHILDHOOD TODAY (western societies).
It is difficult, therefore, to imagine if and how youth work was at the front of society’s mind many years ago in the 1920’s for example. Gilchrist et al (2003) demonstrates that these issues and tensions are long standing and that the origins of youth work are a response to the insecurities, inequalities and instability created by social changes. It seems that there was a slow conflict of interest between many agencies such as the state, education, the labour markets and in particular the youths themselves during this time period. Did these conflicting agencies have similar aspirations for the young person? Or did they all have some hidden agenda?
Pursuing this further is my second thought on why I say no. Children, like any other human being all have their own free will. They are not your clones, only to be duplicated and look or act the way you do, or not puppets to be controlled every which way. You can tell them what to do, but at the end of the day its their own choice to take your advice or ignore it. As a parent, you know you weren’t an adult your whole life.