“The Effects of Nature and Nurture in Middle Childhood” Middle Childhood is the name given for the age division from 6 to 11 years of a child’s life. They are also known as the “school years.” During this time a child’s health, education, and emotional well being are all undergoing changes. Though not as drastic as the changes they will soon face in adolescence, they are steady, and the impact that nature and nurture will have on these aspects reach far and wide across the many developments they face in their lives. Heath is of the utmost importance in raising a child, and is the biggest factor of a child’s physical development in middle childhood. When a child is receiving the proper nutrition he or she needs, they grow at the
ADHD is mostly associated with being inherited through families, and can have many negative outcomes on learning in middle childhood, if untreated. The cause of ADHD is abnormal functioning in the brain, particularly in the cerebral cortex. Nurture can also be linked to ADHD in some cases, through teratogens like alcohol, tobacco, and drugs. Being diagnosed and treated with ADHD can be rough on a child, especially while developing socially and emotionally. According Erikson’s theory, the major psychological conflict of middle childhood is industry versus inferiority. Industry refers to becoming a confident young person who has competence at very useful skills, while on the other hand, inferiority refers to a child becoming very pessimistic and overall less confident in their abilities. The major outcomes of this middle childhood conflict can be attributed directly to nurture, for it is the environment of the children that contributes to their very own self concept and self worth. Parenting has everything to do with how a child sees their self. The authoritative style of child rearing has been linked to higher self-esteem in children. This approach is warm in nature and very accepting, while still placing reasonable demands on the child’s end, and holding them to a certain standard. Parents that make too many decisions for their children often instill a sense of inferiority in their