How Does the Nature of Children’s Friendship Change with Age

How does the genius of peasantrens experience change with age? within this essay I get out be looking at how childrens friendships change in record as they age. I will begin first by defining what is meant by the term friendship. I will then examine theories on re-create and age development in relation to the development of friendships, exploring research which suggests that the reputation of a childs friendship is based on their age.I will look at hostile research which suggests that although submits of friendship may be categorize, that there is conflicting research to suggest the ages at which this doings manifests itself may not be the same for each child. Finally I will summarize by concluding how the nature of childrens friendship changes with age. The very definition of what the term friendship authenticly means in itself is difficult to clarify and categorize. A dictionary definition defines friendship as an attachment from unwashed esteem, and a friend as ap proximatelyone who is loving or attached to another.As an adult it undersurface namem easy to define who are friends are, they are like minded individuals whom we share common interests with, people we trust and complaisantize with. Other people within our adult life are associates, work colleagues or public acquaintances. The category of friend is reserved for those whom we have developed a bond with and in most cases an emotional attachment to. However, when we consider this in relation to the nature of childrens friendship this dictionary definition and an adults view of friendship may not hold true for all children.It as sound over simplifies the nature and dynamics involved in friendship. Barnes (2003, pg 49) highlights this when he discusses the many experiences children have of friendship, and the emotions and experiences these friendships expose children to, for simulation it affords them the opportunity to share experiences, develop communication and develop a sense of closeness to another person, however in contrast to this Barnes tells us that friendships in childhood introduces children to a to conflict situations and emotions such as jealousy, anger and loneliness.Best to leave a line space between paragraphs. The significance of childhood friendships can be a difficult area to gauge. The importance of these relationships and the subsequent repair on a child is not something which can be measured with any certainty. Allison James, an anthropologist, states the difficulty of guaging impact but also acknowledges the significance of childhood relationships and the importance of these friendships in preparing children for later life and adult roles. participation in this tangled web of social relationships helps to habitus identity and sense of self which is assumed as s/he moves towards adulthood to become a person in society. the actual make for of socialisation can only ever be haltingly documented (James, 1993 cited in Kehily and Swann, 2003. pg 51). James admission that research in this area can be difficult to record and analyse is supported by Barnes when he discusses the reminiscing of childhood by adults in later life none of this is to deny the the value of private reminiscence.. ut it serves as a reminder not just to accept it in an unquestioning way ( Barnes, 2003, pg. 51) American psychologist Robert Selman supports the theory that the nature of childrens friendships is influenced by their social understanding which develops as they age. Selman carried out research whereby he posed dilemmas through scenarios to children aged between three and fifteen, he then questioned the children on their solutions to these dilemmas and save these interviews.In doing this Selman came to the conclusion that the nature of friendship could be categorized into four unequivocal stages, related to four distinct ages. Barnes (2003, pg 56) outlines Selmans four stages, Momentary physical playmate this is the stage whereby c hildren, usually around the age of three to five will categorize their friends as those who live in their locality, go to the same school and who partake in similar activities.The second stage is One-way assistance this is the stage whereby children do things to please another, within this stage Selman acknowledges that although at this stage children may try to adapt to others the friendship is still one sided and there is little evidence of the reciprocal nature of friendship, the age at which this occurs in most children is between the age of six to 8 years old. The third stage of Selmans theory is the fairweather co-operation stage usually evident in children aged between nine and twelve years. inwardly this stage children begin to see the consequence of their actions and begin to act accordingly, that is to say they appreciate that their actions and the actions of their friends are now evaluated and hence they begin to become adaptable pickings into account the thoughts, need s and preferences of their friends. Within this stage Selman argues that children may encounter conflict and disagreements which in turn may cause these friendships to peter out as opposed to enduring. Selmans final stage is called mutual concern this is usually seen around the ages of eleven to fifteen.Within this stage Selmans research suggested that children have developed the skills required to develop stronger friendships based on a mutal understanding Within this stage friendships can survive minor conflicts, Selman acknowledges the fact that, through his research, he build the way in which children describe their friendship has now changed, he found that descriptions were not based on physical descriptions, which had been the case with younger children but were now based on psychological attributes.Selmans theories on stage development of friendships can be compared with other researchers who also concluded that their were specific points in a childs life whereby the nature of their friendship differed dependent on age, Barnes (2003, pg 55) comments on Bigelow and La Gaipa (1980) who also categorized the nature of friendship based on particular age/stage brackets. Bigelow and La Gaipa argued that the changing nature of friendship developed alongside childrens cognitive development.That is to say as children develop their cognitive understanding and have experiences of social interaction and the nature of their friendships develop and this can be categorized in general terms into particular ages. Barnes uses Zick Rubin, an American psychologist, to illustrate this staging theory, Rubin (1980) likens this to climbing a ladder and resting at each rung in order to consolidate the natural level of interpersonal awareness that has been achieved (Barnes,2003, cited in Kehily and Swann).This categorization of stage development is not a new concept in the 1950s and 1960s Jean Piaget a Swiss psychologist through years of research developed theories regarding c hild development and the stages which children will act in a certain way based on their cognitive development, however Increasingly psychologists have adopted a lifespan perspective which recognizes that development is a process that continues from birth to death he end of childhood, as well as the beginning and middle, is not fixed by chronological age (Morrow, 2003). It is therefore important not to wholly focus on the age of a child and assume that they will fit into a pre-defined category or stage, in my opinion what Morrow highlights for us is that development isnt fixed in to particular ages and stages, it suggests to me the way in which children and adults act can be determined by other factors such as their surroundings and the experiences they have.Avoid using too many quotations in U212 essays use them sparingly. We essential to hear your answer primarily in your words. Although it can be argued that slottingchildrens friendship development solely into age brackets isnt conclusive, it is helpful in determining the changing nature of friendship. By using stage development theories such as Selmans or Piagets theories on the cognitive development of children we can use these stages to further explore the changing nature of friendship within a wider context.In the case of Selman, research was carried out by interviewing children of varying ages and asking them to comment on scenarios, a different overture in determining the changing nature of friendship has been explored through the observation of children in the context of play and life experiences and comparing these social interactions against the stage models.By taking an ethnographic approach studying children, this involves the direct observation and analysis of their communications, sociologist William Cursaro (1985) explored the way in which children talked about friendship with each other. Through his studies Cursaro identified six distinct ways in which children talked in relation to friends hip these included instances whereby children talked about friends as a method to gain access to play or categorized friends as the people they were playing with.Cursaros research was based around children aged between three and five year old and in his findings highlights that empathetic behaviour is displayed even in children at this young age, if we compare this to Selmans stages of friendship development this empathetic behaviour should be seen at around the age of eleven in front according to his research. Barnes (2003, pg 61) uses Allison James own findings from her study of four year olds to support Cursaros findings.James (1993) suggests through its discrete performance that children learn about and experience friendship, which means that social contexts in which children find themselves, not simply their age, play the greater part in shaping childrens understanding of the concept James and Cursaro offer a separate view to that of Selman and Piaget in the way in which chil dren develop their friendships. It is clear that age alone can not truly determine how a child will behave towards their friends and that considerations relating to social experiences and environmental influences have to be taken into account.Common held beliefs, discourses, can also influence the way in which children will behave and react in relation to friends and friendship, factors such as culture, gender and social status will also have a bearing on a child or adults behaviour and thus influence the way in which they behave and feel they should behave. What is clear is that research offers no definitive model on the changing nature of childrens friendships it cannot be precise in relation to age when a child will move from one stage to another it merely confirms the fluid nature of friendships.Previous sentence is too long and is actually three separate sentences. However what is apparent is the importance and significance of friendships need linking words or an introduction o f some sort here for this quotegt friendships are among the central ingredients in childrens lives from as early as age three. through adolescence. Friendships occupy, both in their actual conduct and in the world of thought and fantasy, a large proportion of childrens waking hours. They are often the sources of childrens greatest pleasures and deepest frustrations. ( Rubin,1980, cited in Barnes, 2003, pg 52).