Theories on childhood.

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  • Created by: jesskeayy
  • Created on: 16-03-17 22:53
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  • Childhood Theories
    • Marxism
      • In modern societies are prepared for work through testing in schools and compressing personalities in preparation for work.
      • Childhood is exploited by capitalists, as children are actively encouraged to act as adult consumers i.e. pester power.
        • POSTMAN- DISAPPEARANCE OF CHILDHOOD. Children and adults have similar rights and can access the adult world. They also imitate adult behaviours in dress and crime.
      • Life is worse for working class children, through education, socialisation and their working life.
    • Functionalism
      • Young children are harmed by being given too many powers, weakening parental authority.
      • Argue that a long period of dependency is necessary in modern industrial society, due to the length of mandatory education.
      • Childhood has improved in the last 100 years in western societies
        • PILCHER- western notion of childhood. Children/adults have separate statuses.
    • New Right
      • Children lack adult intelligence and moral senses.
        • BENEDICT- Childhood is a social construction. Children in non-industrial societies take responsibility from a young age and aren't as obedient to adult authority.
      • Children are harmed if they are pushed into adulthood too soon.
      • Children are not protected enough at a young age and are over-protected in adolescence.
        • FIRESTONE- Children are oppressed by the amount of control adults have over them
      • Irresponsible dependency lasts to long and prolongs childhood, creating the 'BRAT'.
    • Interactionism
      • Childhood is a relatively new concept.
        • ARIES- Notion of childhood has come about in the last 150 years.
      • Children are subject to harmful amounts of surveillance, which harms their individual development.
        • PALMER- TOXIC CHILDHOOD. Working parents have less time for children. They are vulnerable to damage from technology and fast foods- leading to obesity, self-harm, drug abuse and early parenthood.
    • Feminism
      • Gender differences persist in spite of societal changes. i.e. girls are controlled by parents within the home and do more housework than boys.

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