Regulation And Empathy In Childhood And Beyond

 

Robert Fettgather, Ph.D. is a counselor, educator, writer and activist residing in Grass Valley, California.  In addition, Robert Fettgather holds a doctorate in psychology and master degrees in both psychology and education. Wth respect to teaching experience, Robert Fettgather has taught at San Jose State University, National University, and Mission College in Santa Clara.  

Social-cognitive theorists emphasize that advances in social and personality development are associated with cognitive development. They focus on three areas of interest: person perception, understanding of intentions, and understanding of different kinds of rules. Children classify others based upon their most recent interactions with the person and the other person's observable characteristics. As noted, classification of others, while normal, can lead to stereotyping and bias in later years. Education is critical!

As young children gain more understanding of the social environment, their temperaments ripen into true personalities. Two aspects of self-concept, the categorical self and the emotional self, continue to develop between ages 2 and 6. Children make major strides in self-control or emotional regulation, as well as in in their understanding of their own social roles. Preschoolers who display high levels of emotional regulation are more popular with their peers than those who are less able to regulate their emotional behavior. 

Another aspect of the emotional self involves empathy, the ability to identify with another person’s emotional state. Their is an inverse relationship of empathy to aggression- Higher empathy/lower aggression; lower empathy/higher aggression. The most thorough analysis of the development of empathy and sympathy has been offered by Martin Hoffman.

Reflection Point: how does emotional regulation and empathy play into your own life?

Although the child’s attachment to the parents remains strong, many attachment behaviors become less visible. Young preschoolers may show more refusals and defiance of parents than they did as infants, but as they gain language and cognitive skills, they generally comply fairly readily. Nevertheless, parents are often challenged by their preschool children and so I offer a few tips: Give choices within limits; avoid power struggles; and use presuppositions (are you going to sit in this chair or that chair?).

We all have opinions on parenting styles and techniques. So, let's compare different parenting styles and  what research shows about the effects of those styles on children.  Diana Baumrind focused on several aspects of parenting, each of which has been independently shown to be related to various outcomes. She emphasized crucial parenting behaviors:  Warmth or Nurturance;  Clarity and Consistency of Rules; Maturity Demands; and Communication. Baumrind further stated that combinations of these behaviors produced three parenting types: authoritarian, permissive. and authoritative

 

When History Lies: Part One

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.  At Santa Clara University, Graduate Department of Education and Counseling Psychology, Robert Fettgather's studies included Health Education and Behavioral Medicine. He has completed Hospice Training with Hospice of the Valley. Robert Fettgather has also  received Santa Clara University's Certificate of Recognition for Published Work. 

James W. Loewen's book, Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong, exposes the distortions, omissions, and biases prevalent in American history education. Loewen meticulously deconstructs several historical myths perpetuated by textbooks and teaching, revealing a more complex and often troubling truth. Here we will explore a couple of examples-see what you think.

One of the most pervasive myths in American history education is the glorification of Christopher Columbus. Textbooks often present Columbus as a heroic explorer who discovered America and opened the way for Western civilization. However, Loewen reveals a more disturbing reality: Columbus was responsible for initiating the transatlantic slave trade and perpetrating acts of extreme violence against Indigenous peoples. Upon arriving in the Caribbean, Columbus and his men enslaved the native Taíno people, subjected them to brutal treatment, and exploited them for labor and resources. The resulting depopulation and suffering of Indigenous populations are starkly omitted or downplayed in many history textbooks.

The story of the first Thanksgiving is another example of historical distortion. Textbooks typically depict a harmonious feast between Pilgrims and Native Americans, symbolizing friendship and mutual respect.

While there was a harvest celebration in 1621 involving the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag people, this event was not a prelude to lasting peace and cooperation. Subsequent interactions between European settlers and Native Americans were marked by conflict, dispossession, and violence. The Pilgrims' survival was aided significantly by the Wampanoag, yet this assistance was met with betrayal and aggression in later years.The romanticized narrative of Thanksgiving obscures the subsequent decades of struggle, displacement, and suffering experienced by Native American communities due to European colonization.

Recognizing the complexities and ethical dimensions of historical narratives encourages critical thinking and a commitment to truth. After all, written history is sometimes a fact finding mission and sometimes a mission of falsification and propaganda.