WJEC GCSE Health and Social Care, and Childcare

Learning to cope with our emotions and the feelings that others express towards us is one of the challenges of early childhood. Controlling anger, jealousy and frustration, and dealing with disapproval and criticism, can be difficult and may lead to tears, temper tantrums and challenging behaviour at times. A child’s parents or caregivers, siblings , teachers and friends all help them to develop emotional control by offering love, acceptance and respect. A child who feels encouraged and supported and who has good role models will develop self-control, self-confidence and a sense of independence more easily than a child who is criticised, discouraged and over-protected during early childhood. Adolescence Adolescence can be an emotionally difficult but eventful life stage. The hormonal changes of puberty can cause mood swings and intense emotions that may at times be difficult for the adolescent, as well as their family and friends, to cope with. Developing a clear personal identity, making supportive friendships and experiencing emotional support from peers and family members are all important concerns in this phase. Challenging behaviour Behaviour that is seen as socially unacceptable and which challenges the coping ability of others (parents, teachers, care workers). Sibling A brother or sister. Self-confidence A feeling of trust that a person has in their abilities, qualities and judgement. Sexuality The ability to experience and express sexual feelings. Key terms Controlling anger and frustration is an important part of emotional development in childhood. Adolescents often experiment with intimate personal relationships with members of the opposite or same sex. This kind of relationship provides an individual with opportunities to explore their sexuality and the positive and negative emotions that result from close relationships. Adulthood and later adulthood Adults are expected to be more emotionally stable, self-aware and mature than adolescents. This doesn’t mean that adulthood is emotionally uneventful or that people don’t experience emotional challenges or opportunities to develop. In fact, it is difficult to generalise about emotional development in early adulthood because people have such a broad range of experiences. Achieving a stable and fulfilling personal relationship, perhaps also having children, is a life goal for many young adults. However, others choose to live their life without a partner and may not wish to have children either. Supportive friends are important for adolescent emotional development. Did you know? In this phase of emotional development, individuals tend to gain greater understanding of their own emotions as well as the thoughts, feelings and motives of others. 25 5 Understanding emotional development