The Development of a Sense of Belonging of a Child - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages The social world of the young child expands as he grows. His/her success in adjusting to outside social contacts is influenced largely by the type of experiences s/he has had at home. Therefore, a child’s feeling of ‘fitting in’ begins within the confines of a home setting.
‘Fitting in’ means the sense of adapting and adjustment with others with ease and in a natural manner. The child’s perspective of fitting in a setting illustrates the feeling of having a common ground with others while forming new relationships outside home setting. S/he shares the opinions, interests, and aims with others of his/her own age group yet building a unique independent personality which determines his/her behavior in general. Another implication of ‘fitting in’ lies in social acceptability. Acceptance or rejection by others and of a situation is soon apparent to children. And this ‘acceptance’ or ‘rejection’ into a group affects the growing concept of self and his/her understanding of the environment. Yet another meaning of a ‘fit in’ can be inferred as not being ‘different’ or ‘deviant’ from others. A feeling of belongingness towards the group or setting or situation s/he is in.
Like any concept, the concept of ‘fit in’ has both – the upside and the downside. On one hand, while the circumstances of the child are favorable and nourishing, this feeling of ‘fit in’ fosters in them the foundations of positive self-concept, positive self- image, high self- esteem and sense of belonging. Conversely, when the child is labeled erroneously or otherwise s/he may find himself in a dilemmatic condition in regard to his own views of his image, concept of self and self-esteem.
Thus it can be said that feeling of ‘fit in’ is a necessary evil for children. ...Download file to see next pagesRead More