| Who Was Jean Piaget?Jean Piaget was to | | | | people are afraid of getting the help that |
| cognitive development as Albert Einstein was | | | | they need. They are afraid their symptoms may |
| to physics. In fact Einstein was afan of | | | | give the impression that they would be an |
| Piaget's work. Jean Piaget was born in | | | | unfit parent. If they are seen as unfit they |
| Switzerland on Aug. 9, 1896. He published his | | | | could lose their children. Therefore families |
| first scientific paper at the age of 10. By | | | | may not receive the services they need to |
| the age of 22 he already had a doctorate in | | | | raise healthy children. Thus a vicious cycle |
| zoology. He became interested in | | | | begins.Warning SignsThe following is a list |
| psychoanalysis after WWII and attended | | | | of symptoms that could indicate that children |
| lectures given by Carl Jung. He then studied | | | | are not dealing well with a parent's mental |
| in Paris working in Alfred Binet's child | | | | illness. Mind you, these are also signs for |
| psychology lab. It was there that he first | | | | other causes such as trouble in school, peer |
| began to notice that children of the same | | | | pressure, sexual problems, abuse, |
| ages answered true/false questions | | | | relationship problems, substance abuse, a |
| similarly.He returned to Switzerland and | | | | change in circumstances at home and a host of |
| spent many years studying and conversing with | | | | other issues. Still, I felt they were worth |
| children. He realized through his | | | | mentioning. If you notice any of these |
| conversations that when asked a question a | | | | things in your children over a continual |
| child did not necessarily give an incorrect | | | | period for 3-4 weeks, please seek help for |
| answer just because the answer wasn't an | | | | them. Never turn a blind eye and think that |
| adult response. They instead gave logical | | | | the problem will solve itself.*moodiness |
| answers based on the knowledge that they had | | | | |
| within them. He concluded that if adults try | | | | *bad temper or irritability |
| to teach children to quickly that it prevents | | | | |
| them from reinventing it themselves, thus | | | | *crying a lot |
| making it their own.His career spanned nearly | | | | |
| 75 years and he is credited with developing | | | | *sleeping problems |
| several new fields of science including | | | | |
| developmental psychology, cognitive theory | | | | *lying |
| and what later became genetic epistemology. | | | | |
| Without him, some of today's modern methods | | | | *not talking to people or going out with |
| would have never come about. Many of his | | | | friends |
| theories are still the basis for modern child | | | | |
| development including the "Theory of | | | | *eating more or less than usual or skipping |
| Knowledge Construction." This theory is based | | | | meals |
| upon the principle that when a child comes | | | | |
| into contact with a new piece of information, | | | | *giving up hobbies |
| his mind must understand it in a way that | | | | |
| fits his current view of the world. If it | | | | *arguing |
| doesn't fit the mold then the child will | | | | |
| re-construct their knowledge so they can | | | | *feeling lazy, bored or tired |
| assimilate the new information. It is much | | | | |
| like constructing a building - you cannot | | | | *stealing or getting into trouble |
| start with the top, you must build the | | | | |
| foundation first and then develop up from the | | | | *not looking after themselves (hygiene) |
| base.Four Stages of Cognitive Development in | | | | |
| ChildrenLet's take a minute to get a feel for | | | | *low self-esteem |
| Piaget's 4 stages of cognitive development in | | | | |
| children. Remember, he spent most of his life | | | | *acting recklessly |
| studying and interacting with children and I | | | | |
| think his theory makes a lot of sense.Stage | | | | *drinking alcohol or using drugs |
| I: Sensorimotor (Infancy)Infants learn about | | | | |
| the world around them through sensation and | | | | *skipping school |
| movement. The focus at this stage is on motor | | | | |
| and reflex actions. They take a great | | | | *preferring to be aloneHow Children are |
| interest in the faces and voices of | | | | Affected - Risk or Resilience?As seen above |
| caretakers. Parents can aid in their | | | | in Jean Piaget's "Theory of Knowledge |
| development by making faces, talking and | | | | Construction," children are only capable of |
| singing to their little ones.Stage II: | | | | understanding things if they have the |
| Preoperation (Toddler & Early Childhood)This | | | | knowledge from the preceding level of |
| stage's main focus on the child's | | | | development. At each level they can be |
| intellectual development is language and | | | | affected either adversely or positively by |
| using symbols (e.g. words and pictures). The | | | | their interactions with their parents - |
| child will act intuitively at this stage. | | | | regardless if the parent has a mental illness |
| They have active imaginations and vivid | | | | or not. The challenge here is the capability |
| fantasies. It is not uncommon for the child | | | | of mentally ill parents to provide what is |
| to personify objects, thus giving toys and | | | | needed at each stage. (This is where you want |
| dolls human like qualities. Parents should | | | | to go back and re-read the section on the 4 |
| take the time to help them learn language and | | | | stages of cognitive development.) It is up to |
| promote their imaginations ,as well as pay | | | | us as parents to provide them what is needed |
| attention to how they play with objects.Stage | | | | and as a mentally ill parent that becomes |
| III: Concrete Operation(Elementary & Early | | | | quite a challenge.Now, research clearly |
| AdolescenceDuring this stage children start | | | | indicates that parental mental illness |
| to process abstract concepts such as numbers | | | | increases the risk of the child developing |
| and relationships. Before a child could only | | | | emotional or behavior problems. (I'm leaving |
| manipulate things physically. Now they begin | | | | out genetics here since it is a different |
| to be able to manipulate them mentally as | | | | issue.) Children with the most serious |
| well. To do this they need concrete examples | | | | emotional disturbances, served by systems of |
| or they will not | | | | care across the U.S., report high rates of |
| | | | parental mental illness, psychiatric |
| understand the concept. A child's | | | | hospitalizations and substance abuse |
| development should focus on giving concrete | | | | (Comprehensive Community Mental Health |
| examples of ideas.Stage IV: Formal Operation | | | | Services for Children and their Families |
| (Adolescence & Early Adulthood)This is the | | | | Program, Annual Report to Congress, 1998). |
| stage where children begin to reason | | | | This report shows nothing of the relationship |
| logically and analytically without needing | | | | between the age of a child and their exposure |
| concrete examples as before. Children are now | | | | to parental mental illness. Some feel that if |
| capable of hypothetical and deductive | | | | children are exposed repeatedly at a young |
| reasoning. Encouraging young people to | | | | age their risk is higher. However, some |
| consider multiple possibilities will help | | | | studies have failed to find conclusive |
| their development at this stage.All of these | | | | results regarding age or developmental stages |
| stages represent areas of opportunity or risk | | | | in regards to their level of risk (Oyserman |
| of failure when it comes to helping your | | | | et al.; Weissman, 1989).Stressors outside of |
| child get through the world. This task is | | | | the family detrimentally affect children of |
| tough enough for two parents who are normal | | | | parents with a mental illness. Stressful |
| by societies standards. Throw in a parent who | | | | issues that increase the likelihood of |
| suffers from a mental illness and you face a | | | | emotional or behavioral problems are minority |
| much greater challenge. This is the reason I | | | | status, low levels of education, stigma, |
| started with the 4 stages of development - so | | | | single parenthood, social isolation and |
| that parents could see areas that they could | | | | poverty (Biedel & Turner, 1997; Hammen et |
| reach out to their children in an appropriate | | | | al., 1987; Harnish et al., 1995; Sameroff & |
| way and affect them in a positive manner.Some | | | | Seifer, 1983). These types of issues are |
| General Statistics~*~Almost 1/3 of American | | | | difficult at best for a child to cope with |
| women and 1/5 of American men provide | | | | but when you add in a mentally ill parent the |
| evidence of psychiatric disorder in the past | | | | problem is simply compounded massively.The |
| 12 months. Of these women, 65% are mothers; | | | | gender of the child also appears to play a |
| 52% are fathers.~*~Women and men with mental | | | | roll in how they react to a parent's illness, |
| illness are at least as likely, if not more | | | | although there is conflicting evidence in how |
| likely, than those without psychiatric | | | | exactly. Some studies show that girls are |
| disorder to become parents.~*~The majority of | | | | more adversely affected and some feel that it |
| adults falling into psychiatric diagnostic | | | | is boys who have a worse time coping. Studies |
| categories (affective disorders,anxiety | | | | have shown, however, that girls are more |
| disorders, PTSD, psychotic disorders, etc.) | | | | prone to develop depression and boys are more |
| are parents.~*~1 in 4 American families are | | | | likely to exhibit conduct problems (Cummings |
| affected by parental mental illness.Why | | | | & Davies, 1994).It is well documented that |
| Parents Don't Seek HelpOne of the biggest | | | | children with greater intelligence, better |
| reasons that adults don't seek assistance for | | | | social skills and stronger cognitive |
| their mental problems is due to the stigma | | | | processes have been shown to be more |
| that is still attached to having a mental | | | | resilient to their parental mental illness |
| illness. Unfortunately many people still do | | | | (Beardslee & Podorefsky, 1988; Radke-Yarrow & |
| not view mental illnesses as a medical | | | | Sherman, 1990.) Cognitive skills such as a |
| problem but as a personal flaw or weakness in | | | | positive and coherent self-concept, a |
| the person. You still hear the mentally ill | | | | positive attribution style, effective coping |
| referred to as "crazy," "loony," "nuts," | | | | and problem solving abilities have been |
| "psycho," or even worse terms.One of the | | | | associated with positive outcomes among |
| other reasons for not seeking treatment is | | | | children in general and specifically among |
| that mental illness is the primary reason for | | | | children with depressed mothers (Beardslee & |
| custodial challenge. Some studies have | | | | Podorefsky, 1988; Downey & Walker, 1989; |
| reported as many as 70-80% of parents with a | | | | Radke-Yarrow et al., 1995)Terry J. Coyier is |
| mental illness have lost custody of their | | | | a 37-year-old college student studying for an |
| children due to their illness (Burton, 1990). | | | | Associates of Applied Sciences degree. She |
| There remains a strong misconception that | | | | is also a freelance writer who writes about |
| mentally ill parents are violent and are | | | | bipolar disorder and other mental illnesses. |
| therefore at an increased risk for abusing | | | | Terry was diagnosed with bipolar ten years |
| their children. While this may be true for | | | | ago. She lives with her son in the Dallas |
| alcohol and drug abusers, it is not true for | | | | Ft. Worth Metroplex. Terry is an author on |
| parents with psychiatric disorders getting | | | | which is a site for Writers and her personal |
| treatment.Still, for these reasons many | | | | portfolio can be viewed here. |