Dictionary. Independent work on the discipline "Age psychology What is the pace of mental development definition

IMPACT OF FAMILY FACTORS
TO REDUCING THE PACE OF MENTAL DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN

Underdevelopment of the personality lies at the heart of the behavior and activities of children with a temporary "delay" of mental development. The importance of organic deficiency is usually emphasized here. A number of authors (G.E. Sukhareva, N.M. Shchelovanov, D. Bowlby) additionally consider the “delays” in mental development that arose as a result of insufficiency, lack of pedagogical influences. In some children with severe forms of “pedagogical neglect”, there is a possibility of a socially determined secondary “retardation” of mental development. A decrease in the rate of mental development is a term that reflects a more dynamic concept than "delay", and is used to refer to the mildest, initial forms of mental retardation. The decrease in the rate may be due to the same factors as the "delay" of development. However, other moments acquire independent significance for him, such as psychological stress in the mother before the birth of the child, severe reactive states in children, which, like the mental trauma of the first years, lead to the disintegration of the personality (E. A. Bley, I. Lauzikas). The decrease in the rate of mental development is caused primarily by a decrease in the energy activity of a growing organism (T.P. Simson) and a change in its reactivity. Intense and constant anxiety and fear experienced by a child are considered not indifferent to the development of his cognitive activity (G. Sullivan, E.A. Arkin, A.V. Klimanova).
The inhibitory phase states underlying fear, being persistent, take on a stagnant character and approach parabiotic states (M.E. Maslov). Anomalies in the educational approach to the child * in the family can lead to a delay in his volitional development and the formation of an affective-hypobulic, subjective-surreal attitude in him, which in turn affects the development cognitive area(V.N. Myasishchev). The same results can lead to overprotection and diktat of parents (K. Leonhardt). Thus, a combination of heterogeneous factors leads to a disruption in the pace of a child's mental development. These factors are often in various combinations with each other, with the predominance of one or another type of deficiency and psychogenic influences. The allocation of the role of each of them is of practical interest and allows you to find more accurate diagnostic criteria for the differential diagnosis with mild forms of oligophrenia (D.N. Isaev). The role of the family factor in comparison with the rest is the least studied. This determined the topic of the present study.
From the general contingent of children with borderline conditions, a group of 14 boys of 7-8 years old who have difficulties in teaching them in the first grade was retrospectively considered. Common for this group were: difficulties in the cognitive area with a decrease in the rate of mental development; significant deviations in the educational approach on the part of adult family members; restoration of reduced mental functions in the process of psychotherapy.
The life history of these children is presented as follows. Heredity is not burdened. The intellectual abilities of parents are not reduced. However, authoritarianism as a characteristic personality trait in some of them leads to inertia and rigidity of thinking. Of the adult members of the family, fathers tend to be introverted, dependent, unstable, or, less commonly, authoritarian. At the same time, fathers are not socialized enough.
Mothers are predominantly extroverts, emotionally unstable and anxious, with a need to dominate and guardianship over others. At the same time they are hypersocialized, rigid and authoritarian.
Grandmothers living in the family (usually on the mother's side) were the characterological prototype of their daughters. The usual combination for them was a combination of authoritarianism, some paranoia and anxiety.
All adult family members have social adaptation without gross violations. In general, family members cannot be characterized as psychopaths. It's about about the accentuation of their individual mental aspects.
In most families, grandmothers and mothers dominate, in the minority - fathers. The dominance style is always authoritarian, with a strong influence on another, non-dominant family member.
The socio-psychological structure of the family is formalized and tense. Lack of intimacy and trust in relationships. The latter are always conflicting, but at the level of "decay" due to psychological incompatibility, internal disagreements about dominance, upbringing, etc.
Attitudes towards the appearance of a child in the family are contradictory. One of the parents did not want him at all, the other, on the contrary, wanted him to appear. In most cases, the mother wanted to have a girl instead of a boy (partial rejection of the child). Average age mother at the time of childbirth 30 years. Pregnancy is the first in a row. During pregnancy and in the first two years of a child's life, conflicts within the family are most pronounced. They were reflected in the woman already during her pregnancy and lactation. Uncertainty in your family life increased anxiety and fear in the expectant mother. At the same time there was a strong fear of childbirth. A feeling of somatic discomfort, mild toxicosis are constant manifestations of pregnancy. All this taken together did not allow us to exclude the effects of mild intrauterine fetal hypoxia. Childbirth is premature or late in term (by 2-3 weeks), protracted in its course and painful for a woman. There is no asphyxia during childbirth. Active breast-feeding shortened in time (1-2 months) due to mastitis in the mother and her anxiety. Up to a year, children are quite calm, vigorous, with the appropriate development for age. Nevertheless, their increased reflex excitability and altered psychophysical reactivity attract attention. They often got sick for a long time. The mother did not have close and physical contact with the child due to the lack of due importance to him, the fear of “spoiling” the child, and strife with her husband and mother. Children were rarely held in their arms. The expression of the mother's face is usually preoccupied and restless.
In the first years of life, children experienced a lack of maternal influence. It is caused by their frequent stay in the hospital, early (up to a year) placement in a nursery, education by nannies, relatives, etc. The mother was replaced by a “group of educators” who sought to develop children in an accelerated period. At the same time, the attitude of relatives was extremely contradictory (each brought up in his own way) and overprotective with the fixation of egocentric attitudes in children.
Already at the age of two, the boys show fearfulness, impatience, and emotional instability. At this age, the activity and independence of children were regarded by others as a manifestation of self-will and were repressed by cruel control. Intimidation and threats prevailed in the treatment of the child. At the same time, parents were most afraid of the appearance in children of unwanted, from their point of view, behavioral traits. This protopathic fear stemmed from their character traits and their own sense of insufficiency. Parents were annoyed by trouble in any spheres of their children's lives. This irritation often resulted in physical punishment. Children were completely isolated from communication with their peers, as parents considered themselves "all-giving authority" and were skeptical about other types of extra-family information. All adult members of the family showed a verbal type of children's learning with a corresponding lack of praxis. The dominance of one of the adults in the family was also manifested in education and was accompanied by overprotection and prohibitions. The other, non-dominant family member was completely eliminated from the upbringing. As a result, education was one-sided, incomplete. It should be noted the special role of grandmothers, who reduced the activity of children to a minimum with their annoying instructions, orders and prohibitions. They authoritatively propagated their understanding, their way of life. Their conviction that they were right was not amenable to logical reasoning.
At preschool age, boys experienced a lack of paternal influence due to its blocking by other adult family members, employment, immaturity, or excessive strictness and unavailability of the father. In all cases, boys have little or no attachment to their father. His authority for them is extremely low. The role of the father in the family is peculiarly replaced by the grandmother or mother. It is to them that boys are initially attached, at the same time suffering from their overprotectiveness and restrictive attitude.
Let's move on to the consideration of the dynamics of the clinical picture. Against the background of the already changed reactivity of children, maternal deprivation in the first years of their life aggravated sensitivity, impressionability and led to the appearance of anxiety in them. After a stormy "trotz" period, the age of 3-5 years looked like a relatively calm one. All vivid emotional and motor reactions of children were suppressed by their parents. The general background of the mood is somewhat reduced, sad. Activity, curiosity of children contrast with their unwillingness to remain in the dark, fear of loneliness and refusal of independence due to threats of punishment. At 5-6 years of age, failures in attempts to communicate with peers led to even greater isolation of children from the outside world. The lack of paternal influence as a stabilizing factor was especially significant at this age and reinforced the elements of psychomotor insufficiency. In response to the current situation, the children did not have vivid reactions of protest and pronounced affective reactions. These reactions were involuntarily suppressed due to the assimilation of hypersocialized forms of behavior and the threat of punishment. Suppression of emotional reactions led to mental stress. The need for constant restraint (self-control), which is not characteristic of 5-6-year-old children, turned into headaches, irritability, and sleep disturbance for them. The system of personality adaptation was violated. As a result, by the age of 6, the rate of mental development in boys began to decrease, until this age, on the whole, it corresponded to the age norm. The children's activity was aimed not at learning new things, but at avoiding unpleasant, traumatic experiences. The motivation for their behavior was more in the plane of protective attitudes than in the cognitive-constructive area. Nevertheless, before school and in the first months of study, the children learned what was offered to them. educational material, but with great tension. At the same time, the parents demanded and threatened more than they explained it. Parents' hypercontrol over school achievements and inadequate stimulation of children's abilities contributed to the emergence of nervous breakdown. Usually the reason that led to it was insignificant (transfer to another desk, deuce). Despite this, a vivid affective reaction of fear with a sense of guilt arose. Fear received inadequately big sizes in the minds of children and was accompanied by a feeling of constraint. This affect, as well as the subsequent rudiments of school fear, is due to a preliminary psychic sensitization to failure due to parental threats; excessive attachment of boys to their mother and fear of parting with her; psychosomatic intolerance and overexertion of possibilities. Parents considered the affective state of their son to be pretense, self-indulgence, unwillingness to attend school and strengthened their already tight control. Along with its intensification, emotional-volitional disorders increased in the form of emotional fatigue, depression, emptiness, passivity up to a state of apathy and a peculiar state of “loss of desires” (at the age of 5-6 years, a state of “fear of desires”). Patients often thoughtfully looked at one point, as if withdrawing into themselves. Only a loud call (phase states) could bring them out of this state. Decreased interest in all activities. Preference was given to activities that do not require tension, comprehension, search. Leveled such mental characteristics as curiosity, curiosity, sense of humor, flexibility of behavior in an unfamiliar situation. The idea of ​​one's "I" became indefinite, amorphous. Self-esteem was extremely low with a sense of inability, worthlessness up to the development of rudimentary ideas of self-abasement. The clinical picture of the same type at the beginning in all 14 patients at the height of the reactive state underwent a number of changes. Common was a significant decrease in the feeling of fear and affective tension due to the development of: 1) infantilism syndrome (in 8 patients), in which there was a regression of the personality at the level of 2-3 years of age. Children became more active, lively, inquisitive. But their activity was entirely concentrated in the gaming area. Games mostly reproduced the animal world or consisted of building simple structures and destroying them. Images of people in the drawings were replaced by images of animals. The disintegration of the overall composition of the drawing is noticeable. It became simpler, fragmented and at the same time more diverse in color. Foolishness prevailed in the games without much heat of laughter and fun. Stupidity completely replaced the state of fear. The anxiety of the mother and the decrease in exactingness towards children fixed their state of infantilism; 2) severe psychomotor disorders (in 4 patients): tics, stuttering, enuresis and encopresis. These disorders at the physiological level represented the response of the adaptive (homeostatic) systems of the body; 3) mixed syndrome of infantilism and psychomotor disorders (in 2 patients).
Despite various variants of clinical dynamics, the reactive state of affect and fear ultimately led to the pathocharacterological development of the hysteroid circle (fear of school was replaced by reluctance to attend school). Egocentrism, neglecting one's duties, capriciousness were aimed at changing the attitude of the parents. The growing difficulties at school were used by the children as a peculiar way of dominating the family, in view of the fact that their condition was already causing anxiety and concessions from their parents. For all 14 patients, grade 1 presented the greatest difficulties: 6 of them were left for the second year, 8 were able to stay at school only after a course of therapy and targeted medical and pedagogical work with their parents.
We see a combination of many factors leading to a decrease in the rate of mental development of children. The family factor plays a significant role, especially inadequate, tightly controlled upbringing, which does not take into account the real possibility of children and exceeds their own potential for development. In preschool age, maternal deprivation leads to the appearance of anxiety in them; in older preschool age, paternal deprivation increases psychomotor instability.
Fundamental in the clinical picture is anxiety, which takes the form of open fear. It is caused by somatic weakness, the attitude of parents, which is perceived as a threat to the formation of the experience of "I", and the suppression of reciprocal emotional responses. In older preschool age, the clinical condition can be characterized as a neurosis of fear. The critical period is the beginning of schooling. A reactive state arises as a response to learning difficulties, to a change in life stereotype, separation from the mother, to whom the child is one-sidedly attached. A reactive state against the background of a previous altered reactivity and minimal brain failure gives rise to a developmental neurosis with the final outcome in the pathocharacterological development of a hysterical circle.
The decrease in the intellectual abilities of children is socially determined and is temporary, but only if the attitude towards children on the part of their family changes and a complex of general strengthening therapy is carried out. In view of this, the differential diagnosis with oligophrenia is not difficult. In the considered cases, the inadequate social situation of personality development leads to a primary violation of the affective-volitional sphere and, secondarily, to a partial violation of the cognitive sphere.
Despite the relatively slow recovery of impaired functions (1-2 years), most children (11) were able to continue their education at school, 3 children studied at home according to an individual program. In the latter cases, the most unfavorable degree of pathocharacterological development was noted due to the attitude of the parents, which is rigid to the doctor's correction.
On the whole, the clinical data do not allow it to be verified as a neurosis-like condition. We are talking about a neurotic form of personality response under adverse conditions of its development against the background of minimal brain failure.
From the foregoing follows the need to apply a system of preventive medical and pedagogical measures to families in which the child is in pathological conditions of personal development.

Mental retardation (MPD) is a slowdown in the rate of development of the psyche, which is more often found when entering school and is expressed in a lack of a general stock of knowledge, limited ideas, immaturity of thinking, a predominance of gaming interests and an inability to engage in intellectual activity.

The reasons

The causes of mental retardation can be:

• Violations of the constitutional development of the child, due to which he begins to lag behind his peers in his physical and mental development - the so-called harmonic infantilism.
• Various somatic diseases (physically weakened children).
• Lesions of the central nervous system(children with minimal brain dysfunction). Such children have a significant decrease in working capacity, memory and attention, there are problems with the assimilation of reading, writing, counting and speech skills, emotional and personality disorders develop.

What's happening?

At birth, it is impossible to detect mental retardation in children. Most often they have no defects in physical appearance. Yes, and parents always highly appreciate the abilities of their child, sometimes not noticing the important thing - developmental delays. Parents' first worries about their children's development usually occur when the child has entered the Kindergarten, to school, and when educators, teachers note that he does not learn the educational material. But even then, some parents believe that with pedagogical work you can wait, that with age the child will independently learn to speak correctly, play, and communicate with peers.

In some cases, a delay in the development of the emotional sphere (various types of infantilism) will come to the fore, and violations in the intellectual sphere will not be expressed sharply. The emotions of such children, as it were, are at an earlier stage of development and correspond to the psyche of a younger child: with brightness and liveliness of reaction, the predominance of emotions in behavior, play interests, suggestibility and insufficient independence. These children are tireless in the game, in which they show a lot of creativity and invention, and at the same time they quickly get fed up with intellectual activity. Therefore, in the first grade of school, they often have difficulties associated both with the inability to obey the rules of discipline, and with the fact that they prefer to play in the classroom.

In other cases, on the contrary, a slowdown in the development of the intellectual sphere will prevail. In this case, the child is prone to timidity, timidity, fears. This prevents the formation of activity, initiative, independence. And these children are dominated by gaming interests. They hardly get used to the school and the children's team, but they behave more correctly in the classroom. Therefore, they attack the doctor not in connection with violations of discipline, but because of the difficulties of learning. Often these children are very hard going through their school failures.

It must be clearly understood that children with a temporary delay in development are in no way mentally retarded children, since they perceive the offered help well, consciously perform the tasks assigned to them and correctly operate with the concepts that they have. With timely correction, most of them move well and gradually level out.

Diagnostics

To understand the nature and depth of a particular disorder is possible only with a comprehensive examination of the child by a psychotherapist, defectologist, psychologist, speech therapist. At the same time, it is necessary to take into account the nature of errors in mathematics, writing, to investigate the state of individual functions of motor skills, the pace of activity.

Treatment

Practical experience shows that almost all children with an uncomplicated form of temporary developmental delay can become successful students in a general education school. At the same time, it is very important that the teacher and parents know that difficulties at the initial stage of a child's education are almost never the result of negligence or laziness, but have objective reasons that can be successfully overcome.

Parents, in turn, need to understand that their child will learn more slowly than other children. But in order to achieve the best results, you need to seek qualified help from specialists (a teacher-defectologist and, if necessary, a psychotherapist), start thoughtful and purposeful education and training as early as possible, create everything the necessary conditions in the family, which correspond to the condition of the child.

After its birth, the human child is an unconscious, helpless and speechless being, completely dependent on adults for survival. The mental manifestations and physical reactions of the newborn are simple, adaptation to the world is just beginning as a result of the long socialization of the child and the deployment of his mental development, the formation of a mature, autonomous and authentic personality takes place.

. mental development- the process of accumulation of quantitative and qualitative progressive changes in the psyche, which determine the formation of personality

Thus, mental development is a process, since it has a dynamic character - starting even before the birth of a child, unfolds and continues, according to most scientists, the whole life of a person. In the course of mental development, there is an accumulation of quantitative and qualitative transformations of the psyche that ensure the formation and functioning of the personality.

Features of human mental development

Although the pace and results of the ontogenetic formation of a personality are slightly different, variable, the process of an individual's mental development itself is characterized by a number of typical features. We will reveal the content of the most headless of these features:

1) contradictions as the basis of mental development. At the heart of mental development, like any other, are contradictions, which are internal (between the components of the psyche of the individual himself) and external(between the individual and society). There is a stable relationship between these types of contradictions, the external ones are primary, arising from the contacts of the individual with society, but it is these contradictions that are transformed into internal ones, activating a person to action and predetermining the progress of the psyche;

2) continuity of mental development. Starting before the birth of a child and rapidly unfolding after birth, mental development continues every day without breaks, "holidays" or rest. At night, the brain continues to process information received during the day?? The only exception is the phenomenon of mental retardation caused by severe physical or mental trauma to the brain, but it is rare and refers to deviations to death;

3) discreteness - the distribution of human ontogenesis into separate age periods with the specifics of mental development in each. This distribution is conditional, since, although the boundaries of age periods are clearly defined by scientists, the psyche passes from one period to another gradually;

4) irreversibility. Those progressive changes that have formed as a result of mental development no longer disappear, but remain the property of the individual and affect further mental functioning. Regressive t tendencies can only be seen as separate forms of human defensive behavior that have been studied. ZFradom;

5) the relationship of the mental with other areas of development - physical, social, physiological. So, at a non-baby age, the child’s psyche develops on the basis of physical achievements - for example, when a baby learns to sit on his own, his circle of perception of reality expands significantly, and the child’s hands are also used to explore objects. In adolescents, the process of puberty leads to a change in the image of the "I", the awareness of oneself as an adult begins - this is a confirmation of the connection between physiological and mental development. The interdependence of mental and social development is easy to trace on the example of the entry of a 6-year-old child to school - the new social status of a schoolchild causes significant changes in the psyche. So, when scientists want to emphasize the relationship of these directions of development of the individual, then with a reptile about his growth, maturation and socialization socialization;

6) unevenness. In a certain age period, some components of the psyche develop

. This quality is needed to avoid overloading the psyche.

developing rapidly, while others - slowly, and in the next age period they alternate (those functions that developed slowly accelerate, and those that developed rapidly slow down). So, according to the development of the cognitive sphere of the child, the following dynamics can be traced: during the non-mouse period, sensations and perceptions intensively develop, memory is activated, and thinking and imagination are only emerging in the next - early age, powerful memory and thinking develop, in preschool in the first place in terms of development imagination comes out;

7) the transition from lower mental structures to higher ones. New structures of mental activity arise through the differentiation of existing structures, that is, integral forms, the allocation of individual functions and their new integration, i.e. unification into a new whole. In other words, this process does not proceed from the elements to the whole, but from the structurally lower to the higher whole. Each new mental structure arises on the basis of the previous one, and not in a clean place (the first structure has its basis unconditionally reflex systemic work of the brain). It does not just appear, but is formed from what the individual already has, and he assimilates from the social environment. The proof that genetically earlier structures do not disappear with the emergence of later ones is the possibility of them returning to them;

8) the "spiral" nature of the development of the psyche. Recognition of the progressive orientation of the ontogenesis of the human psyche as transitions from less to more

. Possessing a system of generalized, abstract operations in solving a problem, a person can, if necessary, resort to specific actions and even to visual-effective ways of thinking.

. A heightened desire for independence, which manifests itself at the end of an early age in disobedience, stubbornness, obstinacy, conflicts with adults, is repeated in seven-year-old children and in adolescence, but with new content and forms.

. GS. Kostyuk its perfect forms does not mean that it goes in a straight line. As some researchers note, there would be a return to the passed stages, a repetition on a new basis of the previously experienced loan relations of the individual with the social environment, i.e., figuratively speaking, mental development does not go in a straight line, but "in a spiral";

9) the relationship of quantitative and qualitative changes in the psyche. The mental development of a person is a process in which the quantitative accumulation of mental functions cause qualitative transformations, ensuring the formation of qualitative mental neoplasms. At the same time, the mental processes and properties of the child are mainly qualitative differences in the psyche of adults;

10) regularity and continuity of mental development. The regularity of the formation of personality is manifested through the systematic, orderly nature of mental changes that are persistent in time and independent of variable factors (such as mood, appearance of a person). The continuity of mental development takes place as the relationship of previous and future, future mental changes in the overall dynamics of these formations of the personality, the layering of neoplasms of the psyche on its previous progressive manifestations.

Thus, mental development is not a sequence of separate, inconsistent changes, but is of a holistic, systemic nature, as a result of which changes in one area of ​​the psyche cause changes in other mental manifestations.

. Childhood speaks of a person as morning speaks of the coming day

. J. Milton

Indicators of mental development

To determine the adequacy of the content and pace of an individual's mental development, psychologists rely on indicators - signs that confirm the formation of progressive changes in the psyche. These indicators appear in various spheres of mental activity - intellectual, affective-volitional, motivational and communicative.

. Figure 16 indicators of human mental development

The concept of age and individual characteristics of mental development, their relationship

To diagnose the adequacy of the mental development of an individual, scientists rely on the concept of age and individual characteristics of a person’s mental development

All individuals in our society go through the same stages of mental development, but they go through them differently. There are typological and individual differences in the process of development itself and its re. result. They are manifested in the functional characteristics of the nervous system, in mental, emotional, moral, volitional qualities, in the needs, interests, abilities and character traits of children and young people in the process of development, a unique individual identity of personality is formed.

Age-related features of mental development - typical signs of the development of the psyche in a certain age period, acting as standards for determining the pace of mental development of an individual

Individual features of mental development - specific for a particular individual, the pace and features of the development of his psyche

Individual features of mental development, according to age, are divided into adequate (those that correspond to age) and inadequate (inappropriate to age). The latter, in turn, can be characterized by accelerated rates of development of the components of the child's psyche, advance and reflect the lag, slow rates of development of certain manifestations of the individual's psyche.

A particular individual can simultaneously have all of the above types, for example, against the background of the outstripping rates of the child's intellectual development, there may be a lag in the formation of her communicative competence.

. Figure 17. Types of individual characteristics of mental development

The development of the child's psyche is a complex, long, continuous process that occurs due to the influence of various factors. These are social and biological factors. In this article, we will consider in detail the features of the mental development of children at different age stages and talk about what parents should pay attention to.

How is the nervous system formed?

When a baby is born, the mass of his brain is about 1/8 of his body weight. By the first year of life, the brain will double in size, and by the age of three it will already be three times larger than at birth and will be 1/13 of body weight. From this it should be understood that after birth, the brain not only does not stop growing, but it continues to actively form. So, convolutions, small and large, grooves are formed. The cerebellum, weak from birth, is actively developing. The immaturity of the brain of the newborn, however, does not affect the system unconditioned reflexes. Congenital skills not only help the baby to eat, contact with the outside world, but also allow them to form more complex forms of activity in the future. So, from a very early age, the baby will show an undifferentiated nature of reactions. However, the development of the nervous system in the first year of his life will be the fastest and most energetic.. Further, the pace of development will be slower, but will acquire a different character and will no longer be aimed at the formation and development of the reflex system, but at the development of mental skills.

Stages of the formation of the psyche

In medicine, there are several stages in the formation of the child's psyche. Let's talk about them in more detail:

1. motor stage. It is characterized by the acquisition of new motor system skills. Suitable for the first year of a baby's life.
2. sensory stage. It is a continuation of the motor and is typical for the age of up to 3 years. During this period, the movement of the child becomes more conscious, confident and purposeful. In addition, sensory motor skills become a kind of base for the formation of other, more complex, mental functions.
3. affective stage. It lasts until the child's adolescence, almost 12 years. During this period, the child's activity will acquire more individual character and strive for the constancy of individuality.
4. idea stage. Typical for children 12-15 years old. During this period, abstract thinking appears, concepts and conclusions become more complicated, judgments become deeper. In the mind, children begin to make preliminary plans for actions.

In certain periods of a child's life, mental disorders are possible. They are due to the excessively rapid formation of not only mental, but also physical qualities, which can result in a strain on the activity of other life-supporting systems. Changes in the hormonal background are also the cause of violations. These are crises of 3 years and 12-14 years. Of course, the age limits of these stages are conditional and can only serve as an approximate guideline. But parents should be aware of possible disorders and during this period pay special attention to their children.

Development of communication skills in preschool children

A timely formed and full-fledged communication skill is one of the visible signs of a correct...

Periods of mental development

The stages of development of the psyche listed above are divided into periods of its development, which are characteristic of a particular age. Parents of newborns need to be aware of these periods and build on this knowledge in the future in raising children. If you do not injure the child, interfere with the development of his psyche, then you will help him grow into a confident and balanced person. Remember that any fears, complexes, nervous and psychological disorders come from childhood. Even the most inconspicuous and “unimportant” events in your opinion can form fear at the subconscious level or lay the foundation for one of the features of his character. We advise you to study in detail the information about the periods of development of the psyche in children and rely on it.
So, the periods of development of the psyche:

• The period of infancy. In the first weeks and months of life, the child is absolutely helpless and any of his needs can only be met with the help of adults. The baby can hardly interact with the outside world, he sees and hears poorly for the first time after birth. During this period, parents are required to help the baby learn the skills of “communication” with his environment as quickly as possible. To do this, it is important in the first year of life to engage in the development of fine and gross motor skills, to help shape the perception of colors, to study the forms of texture, the volume of objects to the touch. Properly selected toys and regular sensorimotor exercises will stimulate the further development of the senses. The baby cannot yet distinguish himself, like the rest, from the outside world. Nor can he experience any states other than natural ones, such as hunger or pain. He is unable to understand the causes, consequences, content of any emotions and actions. Therefore, parents of babies in the first year of life should not require their child to follow any rules in games. It makes no sense to explain to a baby who has just learned to crawl that you can’t take some objects or do some actions. The kid does not yet see the meaning of words, he only has access to the concepts of indications and names.
• The period of early childhood. A certain independence begins to form during this period, which lasts from 1 to 3 years. The kid is already actively learning to walk, then run and jump, actively explores objects and begins to learn to speak meaningfully. But the range of possibilities of the baby is still very limited, and close relatives serve as a model of behavior. In order for the baby to start doing something on his own, he must first see how others do it. Together with mom and dad, he will be happy to study a variety of subjects and play different games. At the same time, without the involvement of adults, he will not engage in games himself. During early childhood, a small person makes important psychic discoveries. Thus, the purpose of objects is comprehended, the child begins to understand that things and actions have a meaning. And in order to comprehend this meaning, you need to learn how to manipulate objects correctly. But the most important aspect of the development of the psyche during this period is the process of the child's awareness of his "I". Gradually, he will begin to separate his own actions from the actions of adults, he will be able to "see" himself. Self-esteem, self-awareness will begin to form. And from here there will be a need for independence and failure to follow the instructions of adults. By the end of the period, a crisis of 3 years may appear, which we talked about above in the material.
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  Early childhood period. During this period, the child enters after overcoming the crisis of 3 years. The kid already knows how to act autonomously, independently, he has a certain self-esteem. He moves well and already has a fairly developed speech, which allows the child at certain moments to feel “on a par” with adults. However, the kid intuitively understands that most of the actions of adults are not based on skills, but have a semantic meaning. That is, an adult does something not because he knows how to do it, but because he has some reason for it. Hence, the formation of the motivational-consumer sphere becomes the main task of this period. How can adults help in this matter? The answer is simple! If possible, play role-playing games with the baby every day. Remember that in early preschool age, the best way for a child to learn information is through play. This is how you can model the "adult world" and transfer some life situations and then do it the other way around. By the way, the use of substitutes for real objects in games actively helps the development of abstract thinking and imagination. This feature of the development of the child's psyche is very important to take note of for those parents who like to buy all modern toys. Remember, for the development of the sign-symbolic function and imagination, it is better to give the baby, for example, a wooden block for playing "mobile phone" than a real phone.
• The period of senior preschool age. In the period of preparation for school, the baby acquires new features of the psyche. He is already more independent from adults, independent, learning to take responsibility for his actions. At this time, there is a great need to communicate with other children of the same age. Children learn to understand certain principles and patterns in scientific experiments, they can form logical conclusions. In order to qualitatively prepare the child for school, parents need to teach him " good habits and the ability to perceive information by ear. Habits include elementary rules of self-care, polite attitude towards others. At the same time, it is important not just to teach a child, for example, to help the elderly, but to explain the motivation and reason for such help. The perception of information by ear will help the development of memory and abstract thinking, which is very important for success in school.
• Junior school age. Between the ages of 7 and 11, almost every child experiences dramatic changes in their lives. School discipline, the need to build relationships in a new team, less individual attention from teachers have a strong mental impact. It is during this period that parents should be as attentive as possible to the mood, feelings of the child, should give constant emotional support. During this period, the child looks differently at his own activities. He can already evaluate his own changes, “who he was” and “who he became”, the ability to plan begins to form.
• Adolescence. At the age of 11-14, a critical age, according to most child psychologists, begins. At the same time, the child wants to “part” with childhood, that is, to feel more mature, but at the same time, does not want to receive more responsibility. The child is ready for "adult" actions, but childhood is still attractive with its "impunity". Unconscious, irresponsible acts in defiance of parents, constant violations of boundaries and prohibitions are typical for adolescents of this period. Depending on the behavior model that the parents choose, the child may begin to understand his place in this world, engage in self-awareness, or constantly fight against the system of prohibitions and defend his “I”. The emergence of new authorities among strangers should not scare off parents. It is in the family that a child can be helped to build the right system of motivations for him.

We advise parents to be very attentive to the mental state of children at any age, but also not to forget about themselves. Remember that the main mood in the house comes from adults, children only reflect the emotions they received.