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Chapter 10: Problem 7

Describe how gender affects friendships in middle childhood. Boys and girls in middle childhood increasingly prefer same-gender friendships. Male friendships are characterized by groups, status hierarchies, and restrictive play. Female friendships tend to involve one or two close relationships, equal status, and a reliance on cooperation.

Short Answer

Expert verified
Gender significantly influences friendships in middle childhood. Boys' friendships are usually characterized by group interactions, status hierarchies, and restrictive play, while girls' friendships tend to rely on intimacy and cooperation within one or two close friendships.

Step by step solution

01

Describe Boys' friendships in middle childhood

Male friendships in middle childhood are typically characterized by three main traits: being group-oriented, status hierarchies, and restrictive play. Boys tend to have larger circles of friends and interact in groups. These groups often have a certain status hierarchy, where some kids are considered as 'leaders' or more popular than others. Boys' play in middle childhood is often more restrictive and rule-bound, focusing on activities like sports, video games, and other competitive pursuits.
02

Describe Girls' friendships in middle childhood

In contrast to boys, girls' friendships in middle childhood usually revolve around one or two close relationships rather than larger groups. These friendships are characterized by equal status, where no one girl is considered better or more influential than the other. Girls also place a higher value on cooperation and tend to engage in more cooperative play, such as arts and crafts, role-playing games, or other non-competitive activities.
03

Conclusion Overview

In conclusion, gender shapes friendships considerably in middle childhood. While boys' friendships tend to be group-oriented and involve status hierarchies and restrictive play, girls' friendships on the other hand are often based on one or two close relationships, a system of equal status and more cooperative play.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Summarize how today's diverse family and care arrangements affect children in middle childhood. Children in families in which both parents work outside the home generally fare well. Self-care children who fend for themselves after school may develop independence and a sense of competence and contribution. Immediately after a divorce, the effects on children in the middle childhood years can be serious, depending on the financial condition of the family and the hostility level between spouses before the divorce. The consequences of living in a single- parent family depend on the financial condition of the family and, if there had been two parents, the level of hostility that existed between them. Blended families present challenges to the child but can also offer opportunities for increased social interaction. Children in group care tend to have been victims of neglect and abuse. Many can be helped and placed with their own or other families, but about 25 percent of them will spend their childhood years in group care.

Describe the major developmental challenge of middle childhood. According to Erikson, children in the middle childhood years are in the industry-versus-inferiority stage, focusing on achieving competence and responding to a wide range of personal challenges.

Summarize ways in which children's views of themselves change during middle childhood. Children in the middle childhood years begin to view themselves in terms of psychological characteristics and to differentiate their self-concepts into separate areas. They use social comparison to evaluate their behavior, abilities, expertise, and opinions.

Describe how friendships between the races change during the school years. Cross-race friendships diminish in frequency as children age. Equal-status interactions among members of different racial groups can lead to improved understanding, mutual respect and acceptance, and a decreased tendency to stereotype.

Explain why self-esteem is important during middle childhood. Children in these years are developing self-esteem; those with chronically low self-esteem can become trapped in a cycle of failure in which low self-esteem feeds on itself by producing low expectations and poor performance.
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