| What is perspective taking? | Perspective taking, the ability to understand other people's thoughts , feelings, and actions, is the heart of social development (Hughes et al., 2010; Parke & Clarke-Stewart, 2011). |
| Initially, children believe that everyone thinks and feels like they do, but over time they acquire a theory of mind. What is the theory of mind? | Theory of mind is the ability to attribute mental states such as intentions and emotions to oneself or other persons (Leipold, Vetter, Dittrich, Lehmann-Waffenschmidt, & Kliegel, 2013, p. 236).
Or, put more simply, it is the understanding that other's have distinctive perceptions, feelings, desires, and beliefs APART from our own (Parke & Clark-Stewart, 2011). This is the beginning of perspective taking. |
| How does perspective taking develop? | As with all aspects of development, perspective taking develops slowly over time (Thompson et al., 2011; Burack et al., 2006). Before age 8, children typically don't understand events from others' perspectives, and it is often missing even in older children.
As they mature and acquire social experiences however, it improves. |
| What are the benefits of those who are skilled in perspective taking? | People skilled in perspective taking can handle difficult social situations, are able to display empathy and compassion, and are better liked by their peers.
Those less skilled tend to interpret others' intentions as hostiles, which can lead to conflict, and they don't feel guilty or remorseful when they hurt other people's feelings (Spinrad & Eisenberg, 2009; Thompson & Newton, 2010). |
| What is social problem solving? | Social problem solving is the ability to resolve conflicts in ways that are beneficial to all involved. As we would expect, social problem solving is liked to emotional intelligence (Erzozkan, 2013), and students who are good at it have MORE FRIENDS, fight less, and work more efficiently in groups that those who are less skilled (Honig, 2009; Patrick, Anderman, & Ryan, 2012). |
| Social problem solving typically occurs in 4 sequential steps (Eisenberg, Fabes, & Spinrad, 2009). What are they? | 1. Observe and interpret social cues ("Amirul seems upset, probably because he isn't getting his first choice.")
2. Identify social goals ("If we are going to finish this project, everyone must contribute.")
3. Generate strategies ("Can we find different topics that will satisfy everyone?")
4. Implement and evaluate the strategies ("This will work if everyone agrees to shift their topic slightly.") |
| How does social problem solving develop within people? | Like perspective taking, social problem solving develops GRADUALLY and with PRACTICE (Park & Clark-Stewart, 2011; Jones, Brown, & Aber, 2011; Johnson & Johnson, 2006).
Young children, for example, are not adept at reading social cues, and they tend to create simplistic solutions that satisfy themselves but not others. Older children realise that persuasion and compromise can benefit everyone, and they're better at adapting when initial efforts aren't successful. |
