Describe the concepts of childhood and the evolution of this concept over time
Childhood is a very wide concept in itself and for many centuries researchers have tried to break it down by looking deeper into aspects of it, trying to elaborate on the definition of this concept. Allison and James described childhood to be ‘a complex phenomenon’ whilst other researchers refer to childhood as the stage that differentiates children from adults. Childhood should not only be seen as the stage between birth and adulthood, its complexity lies within the state and quality of the childrens life throughout that time.
The term childhood began to gain more recognition by the end of the 16th century and all of the 17th century. The notion of childhood was anatomized into different divisions, these ‘divisions’ are known as the developmental stages that are acquired at certain ages. Age is a very important concept in childhood, especially in the modern western society. As a matter of fact, schools are adjusted by specific ages, and children need to acquire a certain amount of knowledge by a specific age if that
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Throughout the history, we are able to see the way children were portrayed to be and this is mostly seen in the arts. A few types of children that were presented throughout the history are the following: the clergeon, the infant Jesus, and the naked child. The clergeon was believed to be a trained child that has to perform religious orders, ‘’the clergeons were children of various ages who were trained to make the responses in church and who were destined for holy orders’’, the infant Jesus which was ‘linked to the mystery of motherhood and the Marian cult’’. All sculptures and paintings that involved children began improving more by the end of the 12th-century and childlike features were finally
Childhood is a biological and temporal period: In Ailwood, Boyd & Theobald (2016) states childhood is a phase of the dependence of basic needs as well as a period of biological growth. Age also has a factor in the view of childhood as Lassonde (cited in Ailwood, Boyd & Theobald 2016, p. 36) states age as ‘an important framework for assessing the capacities, rights, and obligations of children’. Historically childhood, as considered from birth to five years as children were considered not to have contributed to the ‘adult world’ (Ailwood, Boyd & Theobald
The purpose of this assignment is to describe the changes in childhood over the years, while determining the role of difference in views and perspectives on childhood in creating different expectations of the children.
REFERENCESBook 1 Understanding Childhood,Chapter 1Block 1 Study Guide and Audio-Visual Notes, Unit 1Video 1 Band 3 "Representations of Childhood"
Childhood is a social construction, as it is not natural, and is a result of society identifying and labelling a phase of life. No child experiences exactly the same childhood at exactly the same period of time in their life. In turn childhood should be distinguished from biological life stages. How we treat children, expect them to behave, look and develop all vary depending on the time and place in which the society lies, therefore childhood is a social construction.
One of the main features of childhood studies is the idea that childhood is socially constructed. This means that not all childhoods are the same and that it may differ depending on the time in which it is taking place, as well as the social environment or the place that it is taking place. This can be seen at the Museum of Childhood, and how different times have shown changes in the way children act, play, dress, or ultimately are treated in society. Additionally it draws on key differences in the human societies affecting different childhoods in any given period or place, and can examine how the childhood in that given period is constructed. Furthermore a social constructionist looks at the consequences of any given factor and the impact it has on children.
The concept of childhood, is not a natural state, but it has been socially constructed through society and can only exist in a society that understand the term this has been reinforced through history. Another issue is how much of ‘childhood’ has been socially constructed (created and
Childhood is socially construted, this means it is only a human concept and the only reason that 'childhood ' exists is because society makes it that way. Over time childhood has changed as different norms and values over each century of life have been different and is still changing at present. Also in different places of the world there are different cultures and ethics so therefore their veiw of childhood will also be different. As Wagg (1992) states ‘Childhood is socially constructed. It is, in other words, what members of particular societies, at particular times, and in particular places, say it is. There is no single universal childhood, experienced by all. So, childhood isnt “natural” and should be distinguished from mere
Our childhood plays a significant role in defining the kind of person that we become and the type of life that we live.
Firstly , childhood is a phase of life between infancy and adulthood and can be said as a modern development as it didn’t develop in western society until the 16th and 17th centuries. For example , a historian Phillip Aries explained that in medieval times childhood did not exist as a separate
There is no single set of beliefs about children; childhood is a social and cultural construct. Social constructionism is concerned with ideas about children, not facts about them. Indeed, many social constructionists would deny the existence of any universal facts about children (Woodhead and Montgomery 2003:46). Ideas about children change because they are dependent on their social, cultural and historical context. The ideas held concerning children have consequences, they affect the way children are treated and thought about (James and James 2008:122). Postman (1994) believes that childhood in its’ current conception is ‘disappearing.’ The following text will critically discuss Postman’s (1994) theory, principally it will consider
Using Peekay's experiences in The Power of One, Peekay’s definition of childhood translates as, the ability to generate goals for oneself, while accomplishing them with the assistance of mentors and role models.
Everybody has been a child and can relate more or less to the world of children. Childhood is a part of human life that
Childhood is usually understood as a set of experiences and behaviours, gained in the early stages of the human existence, considered as the preparation for the adult world. However, the history of childhood is a very complex topic and it has become a very influential area of study in recent years. In 1962, the ‘Centuries of Childhood’ by Philippe Ariés introduced the idea that childhood was a new creation developed in recent centuries and as a concept it was believed to be nonexistent before the seventeenth century. This concept means that there was no awareness of the process of childhood. In several studies of the medieval period, Ariés noticed that childhood was not acknowledged or even attempted to be portrayed during this period. For
Once in a while, I would think about how kids nowadays aren’t spending their childhood correctly; I view childhood as a time for fun and games. However, I had never considered the thought that childhood has become endangered. The idea that TV may really be making us into mindless blobs reminds me of all those times I asked students who I really looked up to, “how are you so smart?”, and they would annoyingly reply “I READ”. (As if I’ve never read a book in my life. Sheesh.) Postman proposes a practically perfect proposition that is backed by a number of legitimate points; many of which I can relate to; but there are a few things I don’t understand and can’t identify with.
Childhood as disappearing/not disappearing will be discussed within this essay. There is no universal definition for childhood however in the western culture childhood is a period of dependency, characterised by learning the norms and values of society, innocence and freedom from responsibilities. Sociologists such as Postman and Jenks would argue that childhood is disappearing however Opie and Opie and Palmer would contradict this.