Week 2 Blog #1 Identity Crisis

Three key points brought forth in the video Identity Crisis are first, by the age of 5 most kids have developed an idea of who they are, a sense of belonging and that they have a part in the future.  Another key point is that life changes that occur, DO in fact impact and change in children's thought process's and impact their behavior.  Lastly, economic status within the community also has an impact of how a child views his place in society.

The video depicts a study conducted by a University.  I n this study children we given two small scale models homes, (much like doll houses) one home being more elaborate and wealthy looking, while the other maintained a moderate appearance.  The children were asked which home did the wealthy person live in and which home did the poorer person live in.  The children were able to correctly identify social class by this exercise at age 5. 

James was a little boy whose mother was trying to flee from an abusive relationship.  James reacted by mis-behaving in his home environment, but at preschool he acted well behaved, showing the effects of his adverse home environment.  Tyrese, on the other hand was being raised by a single mother who made an effort to reinforce his ethnicity and racial heritage.  Another study conducted by the University showed viewers that no matter what ethnicity the child was, through social stereotypes most all children chose a photo of a Caucasian child as the "good" child or "preferred" playmate.  This was with the exclusion of Tyrese who chose his own ethnicity in the study, reflective upon his mothers positive reinforcement of ethnicity.

One issue that I may have inadvertently picked up on was that through the stories of James and Tyrese, it was mentioned that they both experienced the divorce of their parents.  This drew my attention because it was mentioned that both boys experienced anger and behavioral issues when they had to leave their "home" or customary environment.  This makes me wonder about the deeper importance of having a stable and consistent home environment with relation to a child's identity and development.


Works Cited:

Identity Crisis. Part of the series Child of Our Time 2005.