Discussion: Developmental Psychology & the 'World's Worst Mom' Case

This discussion board post delves into the complexities of developmental psychology, prompted by a controversial editorial concerning childhood autonomy and the 'World's Worst Mom' case. The assignment requires students to engage with the topic of how much freedom children should be granted, drawing on the provided editorial and the concept of 'free-range kids'. The post encourages students to consider Erikson's stages of psychosocial development, particularly the stages of trust vs. mistrust and autonomy vs. shame and doubt, to analyze the case and formulate their opinions, supported by research. Students are asked to reflect on their own experiences and perspectives on appropriate parenting styles, contributing to a comprehensive understanding of the subject matter.

Running Head: DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY
Developmental Psychology
Name of the Student
Name of the university
Author note

2DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY
The aim of the paper is consider, different dimensions of developmental psychology
especially concerning the age of childhood. The paper seeks to engage in the understanding
of the same considering the case of Lenore Skenay, after she had brought about an editorial
signifying the autonomy that she had granted to her son. Such action on her part invited a lot
of criticism from the society. The paper therefore engages with the case keeping in concern,
Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development.
The case study involves different narrative of individuals, specially the parents of the
American society who have been blamed for not being able to harness proper care by keeping
them away of supervision for a considerable period. According to her the American society
was afraid of the ‘stranger danger’, however the reality was that the danger was mostly from
the parents themselves who are more prone to perpetrate violence’s towards their children.
She was not the only one who was blamed by the society for being insensitive to the safety of
their children and the law enforcement contributed towards creating such stigma
(washingtonpost.com, 2015).
However, she quotes the words of Ernie Allen to reflect upon the fact that the
students, who are self-sufficient, are the ones who are safest as they are imbibed with self-
confidence. This reflects the stages of psychosocial development as proposed by Erikson in
his work. In his framework, he had established eight stages of psychosocial development. The
stages in this context involves his first two stages. The first stage of Erikson is termed as the
‘Trust vs. Mistrust’. This stage occurs at the infancy. It suggests that the value of hope is
crucial in developing the sense of trust among the individuals. The role of the parents is
considered to be of primary importance in this stage. With proper caring, children develop a
proper sense of trust and the lack of it initiates a sense of mistrust among the students. This
stages assist the children in developing an understanding of whom to trust and whom to not.
This stage can also be linked with the Child attachment with their parents (McLeod, 2013).

3DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY
The next stage in concern is that of ‘Trust vs. Mistrust’. This stage is crucial in the
case concerned. As per the stage, the sense of trust instills a sense of autonomy within the
children, thereby allowing them to nurture a sense of confidence. This stage is crucial as it
develops the children for their future endeavor. This stage generally involves the stage of
early childhood, when the children starts to develop a sense of independence. Allowing them
autonomy enhances their confidence and the lack of autonomy puts them doubt and sense of
self. Such understanding of the children develops an understanding of their individual
capability (Syed & McLean, 2017).
What Lenore and other mothers had done was to instill in their children by allowing
them a sense of autonomy. They granted their children with certain amount of responsibilities
and allowed them to develop a sense of trust in their own capabilities, As such the case
resonates the quote ‘the safest kids are the ones with self-confidence’.

4DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY
References
McLeod, S. (2013). Erik Erikson.
Syed, M., & McLean, K. C. (2017). Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development.
washingtonpost.com. (2015). I let my 9-year-old ride the subway alone. I got labeled the
‘world’s worst mom.’. Retrieved 7 February 2020, from
https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/01/16/i-let-my-9-year-old-
ride-the-subway-alone-i-got-labeled-the-worlds-worst-mom/