social

• A family is a social group of people, often related genetically, by marriage or living together as a group.
• A nuclear family is a family group consisting of parents and their children, typically living in one home residence.
• A single parent family is a person who has a child or children but does not have a spouse to assist in the upbringing or support of the child. 
• An extended family is a family that extends beyond parents and their children to include aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins or other relatives, all living nearby or in the same household.
• A reconstituted family is when two families join together after one or both partners have divorced their previous partners and have their own children.
• Some families are unable to conform to social norms, which prevents the family performing its expected functions. A dysfunctional family is a family that is not providing support and benefits.
• Increase in parental divorce and separation has been associated with particular consequences for children’s growth and development, negative outcomes and children often experience emotional problems that may affect their self-esteem and confidence.
• Constant exposure to high levels of family conflict, especially in dysfunctional families, could lead to a child becoming aggressive and displaying bullying behaviour towards other children in the family.
• authoritative parenting- Not strict, children respect authority and

  boundaries, conform easily to social norms
• Authoritarian parenting- high expectations, demand respect, rebellious behaviour, could be obedient to authority figures
• Permissive parenting- don’t make many demands, passive, don’t set strict rules, don’t follow boundaries, lack of self-control
• uninvolved parenting- Parents concerned with their own social life, rather than the child, lack responsiveness, act out to get a response, lack of emotional intelligence/availability.
• Bullying is described as repetitive behaviour intended to hurt an individual emotionally and/or physically and can undermine self-esteem- lead to stress, depression and anxiety.
• Some religious groups believe that certain medical procedures should not be allowed and reject medical intervention. For example, Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that blood transfusions must not be accepted.
• Certain religions/groups believe in the healing power of prayer/herbal remedies and therefore do not seek formal medical attention.
• Some Muslim women may seek only female medical assistance due to certain guidelines in their religion.
• The most common dietary differences encountered are vegetarianism and halal diets. Part of faith-based dietary practice include the foods itself, the way it’s prepared and served and not being allowed specific items of food.
• Muslims do not eat pork or non-halal meats, and also do not consume alcohol which would improve overall health and reduce the risk of damage to the liver.
• Hindu and Sikh vegetarian diets require that both equipment and diets do not come into contact with any meat.
• It is important that a balanced diet is followed to reduce the effects on health and development.
• When considering social development across the lifespan, it is important to be aware of the great difference between generations and the cultural variations in which individuals will experience social relationships during the course of their lives.
• Social development provides the opportunities and skills that enable people to develop relationships, however not all individuals will experience social relationships in the same way.
• solo play: when infants play independently in infancy- common because they have limited social, cognitive and physical skills.

  Solo play provides infants with many learning opportunities, in particular the chance to explore the environment at their own pace and can help to focus their attention, become self-reliant, and learn by making mistakes.
• parallel play: between the ages of two and three infants move to playing alongside other children. There will be little interaction as each infant will be engrossed in their own independent activity, however, they do show an interest in what other children are doing and still like to be in the presence of adults and other children.
• co-operative play: By the age of three, a child has become more co-operative in their play, helped by their language development for example, playing together with other children, or taking turns and sharing toys.
• By the age of seven, most children have established a number of important friendships and others may have one ‘best friend’. Play is essential for communication and beginning to appreciate the feelings of other children.
• Friends can help an individual cope with a traumatic life event or support an individual, help people avoid loneliness, provide a sense of belonging, self-worth and self-confidence- this can lead to a reduction of depression and boost happiness.
• As children get older the relationships they develop are more complex and require new skills, we mature and start to think beyond our own needs and are able to see the world form other people’s view point (empathy).
• Peer groups play an important part in social development and begin to have a greater influence on values, views and opinions. Peer pressure can be challenging for teenagers, for example encouraging risky behaviour such as drinking alcohol however, they can also encourage positive behaviours such as completing homework.
• Informal relationships promote a positive self-concept that prepares adolescents and adults for developing intimate relationships that show mutual respect.
• Formal relationships do not involve emotional attachments but are important to social development because they demand different skills, confidence and self-esteem. Children who have positive relationships with family and other are likely to be successful in developing effective formal relationships.