Early Childhood Development
Most of us have heard a story about someone who had a split personality. We might even have seen movies on them. A person with a split personality has several separate "people" living in their body. Often when one personality is dominant, the other personalities are unaware or unconscious. This story writing isn't far off the mark when it comes to early childhood development.
We have to develop many parts to ourselves. It might not happen in as drastic a manner as in the movies, but it is just as dramatic. These "people" we form inside during early childhood development help us find our way in the world. They assist us, so we can survive, and even thrive.
But Who Are These "People"?
1. Unprotected child
At the time we are born, we are defenseless and totally dependent upon someone else for everything - for all our food and care. In this, the earliest part of early childhood development, we are brand new to this world and don't have any idea what to do to fend for ourselves.That person is the unprotected child.
2. Guide
When we are born, we possess instincts. Probably the strongest of those instincts is the instinct to survive. In early childhood development, the Guide observes how what we do affects our environment, and tells us to behave accordingly. For instance, when we are learning to walk, we might run into the street. If our mother tells us in a stern voice not to go into the street, our guide will look for mother before running into the street again, because we don't like upsetting our mother. If she comes outside and finds us back in the street and punishes us, a person in us will realize that going into the street causes negative things to happen. That person is the guide.
3. Charmer
Soon, we will discover that if we do certain things, people smile. If we smile at them, they smile back. We like to help with things. Sometimes we help with housework, for instance, washing dishes, looking up at the adult next to us in order to see the pleasant look on their face. In early childhood development, a person has already picked up on the fact that how we treat our world is how our world will treat us. That is the charmer.
There are also personalities which are tossed aside. We discover in early childhood that these personalities don't work. Some examples of "tossed-aside personalities" are:
4. Self-Seeker
As part of child growth, we may own a favorite toy. When someone else, perhaps a brother or sister wants to play with that toy, we emphatically say "No!" Seeing our father shake his head in disapproval, we realize that our self-seeker personality will have to be tossed aside.
5. Barbarian
The barbarian enjoys burping, even in early childhood. The barbarian goes to the bathroom in his clothes. As we grow older, we recognize disappointment on our parents' faces. So we toss this personality aside.
Of course, these "people" are not all there are. Also, some experts now say that the processes of early childhood development may begin even earlier than we believe, with learning, and dealing with personalities beginning even before birth.
