The School Age Child At Work And Play

Robert  Fettgather has taught at San Jose State University, National University and Mission College in Santa Clara.  He has addressed State and National Conferences on a variety of topics. The Institute for Personality and Ability Testing has certified Robert Fettgather as a Stress Management Trainer, and Medical Hypnosis Seminars of the Los Gatos Institute has certified him in Clinical Hypnotherapy. Robert Fettgather has completed Hospice Training with Hospice of the Valley.

Freud believed that the challenge of the middle childhood years was to form emotional bonds with peers and to move beyond those that were developed with parents in earlier years. Margaret Mahler referred to this journey as separation and individuation. 

During this period, which Freud called latency, psychosexual development appears to be dormant and sublimated to the skill acquisition and goal achievement of the period. Much of the modern-day research on peer rejection and other aspects of middle childhood including gender self-segregation finds its roots in Freud’s psychoanalytic approach.

Erikson claimed that children in middle childhood acquire a sense of industry (competence) by achieving goals determined by their culture. He accepted Freud’s view of the central role of peer relationships, but went beyond that perspective with his developmental crisis industry vs inferiority. Most of you have heard of the "inferiority complex" a term coined by analyst Alfred Adler. He believed that deep feelings of inferiority could lead to inner turmoil and  aggression.  From an Eriksonian viewpoint, feelings of inadequacy stem from failures during the school years, and such feelings can extend into adulthood.

Most 6- to 12-year-olds gradually develop a view of their own competence/inferiority as they succeed or fail at academic tasks such as reading and arithmetic.  

But the experience of industry is not limited to the classroom as children achieve levels of industry/inferiority on the playground, in the neighborhood, at home, or a place of worship. In fact middle childhood is a period of tremendous skill acquisition. Remember that you learned a wide variety of skills across numerous domains: academic, social, physical, arts, moral/spiritual. Supportive environments with good leaders (teachers, parents, coaches etc.) foster industry and competence. The opposite is also true, laying the ground for inferiority. Another factor may be related to excessive screen time among youth who might be better off in real activities geared toward skill acquisition. 

Reflection point: Think back to your own elementary school experiences. Do you think you gained a sense of industry or inferiority from them? How did they affect your subsequent development?