Characteristics Of Emotional Development During Childhood And Adolescence

Back to: Childhood and Growing Up – Unit 5

Introduction

The child’s emotional development is one of the most important factors that affect his or her future. It is possible to identify the emotional development of a person in two ways: first, by observing the behavior of the person, and second, by analyzing the thoughts of the person.

Characteristics of Emotional Development During Childhood and Adolescence

Emotion, hence, refers to the stirred or agitated state of being. Emotional development refers to the development of expression, experience, understanding, and controlling of emotions.

The different characteristics of emotional development during childhood and adolescence are as follows:

The first emotions developed during childhood are joy, fear, sadness, and anger.
Children start developing more complex emotions such as shame, guilt, elation, pride, surprise, empathy, and shyness when they develop a sense of self.
During adolescence, emotions are highly unstable and individuals experience a variety of emotions at the same time.
Due to the instability of emotions, at times, individuals may be highly active while at other times, they can be extremely lazy.
Adolescents struggle with fitting in and become conscious of the environment surrounding him or her.
Adolescents start developing their sense of identity and start focusing on how they portray themselves to society.
Emotional development allows individuals to develop self awareness, relationship skills, decision making skills, and social skills.

Conclusion

Emotions are of different types and with each stage of development, human beings develop more complex emotions.