Child psychology is a medical specialty that deals with the development, behavior as well as mental health of children. It focuses on the period of life between birth and puberty.
What is child psychology?
Child psychology represents a subfield of developmental psychology. Developmental psychology deals with changes throughout the lifespan. In contrast, child psychology focuses on behavior during early stages of life development. These range from early childhood to late childhood to puberty as well as adolescence. The history of child psychology goes back to the naturalist Charles Darwin (1809-1882), the physiologist William Preyer (1841-1897), the German psychologist William Stern (1871-1938) and his wife Clara Stern (1877-1948), who was active in the field of developmental psychology. They all subjected their children to systematic observation by recording their behavior in diaries. The publication of William Preyer’s book “The Soul of the Child” in 1882 is considered the beginning of child psychology. Since then it has developed into an independent field of research. The work “Psychology of Childhood” was published by William Stern in 1914.
Function, effect and goals
Child psychology took some time to develop. Until the 18th century, children older than 7 years were considered adults. There was little interest in younger children. At the time, the mortality rate of babies and young children was so high that an emotional attachment to a child was often considered a bad investment. At the beginning of the 19th century, the infant survival rate increased significantly and the state showed more interest in its citizens, making mothers, in particular, responsible for the care of their children. As psychoanalysis gained prominence in the late 19th century, mothers were also held responsible for the mental health of their children. Among the first psychotherapists to point out possible undesirable developments after birth was Siegmund Freud (1856-1939). His daughter Anna Freud (1895-1982) was considered a pioneer with regard to the psychological therapy of children. From the 1920s onwards, different concepts of child psychology developed. Today, child psychology deals with various problems in childhood. Diagnostics and treatment as well as prevention of mental disorders in children play a role. The fields of application of child psychology include attention disorders, anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, dyslexia as well as learning disorders. Other indications are obsessive-compulsive disorders, disturbed eating behavior, disorders of language development and autism. Also included in the subject area of child psychology are cognitive, social and emotional development, sensory and motor development, language development, physical development and self-perception of the child. Children’s psychological problems are diagnosed by therapists and then treated with appropriate psychotherapeutic methods. Among the treatment methods is play therapy, which makes positive use of the children’s natural play instinct and promotes various character traits as well as learning behavior. In the process, the therapist can also determine for how long treatment is needed. In turn, children have the opportunity to express themselves through play and in this way address things they would not otherwise communicate. Before a child psychologist is allowed to work, he or she must complete a psychology degree of about twelve semesters and advance to a graduate psychologist, which usually takes three to five years. The training provides child psychologists with knowledge and skills for dealing with and working independently with children. The training focuses on the independent diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders in children and adolescents. As a rule, child psychology is used when a child shows clear abnormalities or disturbances in his or her behavior. In addition, depression is not uncommon in children. In contrast to adults, children often speak quite openly about their feelings. This can be an advantage for therapy, but it also brings disadvantages.Thus, children cannot reflect in the same way as adults. Child psychology also has the task of determining whether psychotherapeutic treatment is necessary or whether it is merely a temporary, more intensive phase of development. Furthermore, parents are advised by child psychologists in problem cases.
Risks, side effects and dangers
There are no major risks from child psychology, since mostly only conversations are conducted. Occasionally, undesirable side effects may occur due to administered medication. One of the special features of play therapy is that it does not give the impression of treatment. Thus, many children who undergo psychotherapy not infrequently have the impression of being put under pressure or react intimidated. The special variant of child psychology, on the other hand, allows them to relax. In addition, they can more easily gain trust in the therapist. Likewise, the child’s joy and curiosity are awakened in a playful manner. The classic applications of child psychology include child psychotherapy, which cannot be separated from adolescent psychotherapy in terms of content. The prevention of psychological problems in children also plays an important role. This includes, for example, behavioral training for school classes. Furthermore, support is given to children suffering from physical illnesses. A subarea of child psychology is clinical child neuropsychology, which deals with damage to the brain and its consequences. Basically, child psychology is an important tool for the treatment of mental disorders in children. Thus, it is hard to imagine the fight against various diseases without it.
