Grazia Attili

Social competence in developmental perspective

Section I Social Competence in Developmental Perspective: Conceptual Issues.- to Section I.- 1. Significance of Peer Relationship Problems in Childhood.- 2. The Role of Competence in the Study of Children and Adolescents Under Stress.- 3. The Nature of Social Action: Social Competence Versus Social Conformism.- 4. Individual, Differential, and Aggregate Stability of Social Competence.- What to Do while the Kids are Growing Up: Changing Instrumentation in Longitudinal Research (Conversation Summary).- 5. Socially Competent Communication and Relationship Development.- 6. Measuring Peer Status in Boys and Girls: A Problem of Apples and Oranges?.- Section II The Emergence of Social Competence in Early Childhood.- to Section II.- Friendships in Very Young Children: Definition and Functions (Conversation Summary).- 7. Communicating by Imitation: A Developmental and Comparative Approach to Transitory Social Competence.- 8. Co-adaptation within the Early Peer Group: A Psychobiological Study of Social Competence.- 9. Development of Communicative Competencies in Early Childhood: A Model and Results.- Section III Ongoing Social Development In Middle Childhood And Adolescence.- to Section III.- Examining the Impact of Social Behavior on Peer Status (Conversation Summary).- 10. Self-Perpetuating Processes in Childrens Peer Relationships.- 11. Types of Aggressive Relationships, Peer Rejection, and Developmental Conse quences.- 12. The Role of Rough-and-Tumble Play in the Development of Social Competence: Theoretical Perspectives and Empirical Evidence.- Section IV Setting Factors in Childrens Social Development: The Influences of Families and Schools.- to Section IV.- 13. Young Childrens Social Competence and Their Use of Space in Day-Care Centers.- 14. Childrens Social Competence and Social Supports: Precursors of Early School Adjustment?.- 15. Social Competence Versus Emotional Security: The Link between Home Relationships and Behavior Problems in Preschool.- 16. Maternal Beliefs and Childrens Competence.- Section V Translating Theory into Practice: Social Competence Promotion Programs.- to Section V Challenges Inherent in Translating Theory and Basic Research into Effective Social Competence Promotion Programs.- 17. Between Developmental Wisdom and Childrens Social-Skills Training.- 18. Enhancing Peer Relations in School Systems.- 19. Promoting Social Competence in Early Adolescence: Developmental Considerations.- 20. Appendix: Research Abstracts.

A cross-cultural-study on the attitude towards personal odors

Human axillary odor was used in testing the ability of male and female subjects to distinguish between gender and individuals. The subjects also gave a qualitative evaluation of the odors. The tests were carried out in Japan, Italy, and Germany. Of all three cultures, 80% of the participants could significantly distinguish among the odor of individuals; 50% could identify the person correctly to whom the recognized odor belonged. Discrimination between male and female odor was significantly shown by 20% of Italian, 30% of German, and 60% of Japanese subjects. The qualitative evaluation of male and female odor was the same in the three cultures: male odor was classified more unpleasant and less pleasant than female odor. Men classified their own odor more unpleasant than women did with their own. A cultural difference was found concerning partners odor: though men classified it alike (predominantly pleasant), women differed. Japanese and Italian women classified their partners odor predominantly unpleasant, German women predominantly pleasant. In general the Japanese subjects classified the odors less often pleasant than the Italian and German subjects did.

A Comparison of Middle Class English-Canadian and Italian Mothers’ Beliefs about Children’s Peer-directed Aggression and Social Withdrawal

Middle class mothers of 7-year-olds in Canada and Italy were presented hypothetical scenarios depicting children being aggressive or socially withdrawn. The mothers were asked to indicate how they thought the behaviour was caused, how they would feel if their child displayed it, and what socialisation strategies they would use in reacting to it. Most mothers in both countries indicated that they would resort to moderate to high levels of power assertion in response to children’s aggressive behaviour and responses of low to moderate power in cases of children’s social withdrawal. The Canadian mothers indicated that they would experience generally stronger emotional responses with regard to both types of problematic social behaviour in children. Italian mothers indicated that they would use lower levels of power in response to social withdrawal of girls than boys. These results are considered in the light of known differences in value placed on individual initiative between the two countries, and national differences in gender role expectations.

Successful and Disconfirmed Children in the Peer Group: Indices of Social Competence within an Evolutionary Perspective

An evolutionary approach to the study of social competence is proposed, one that focuses on its biological functions and long-term consequences and might serve to unify the diverse meanings attached t

Peer Acceptance and Friendship Patterns among Italian Schoolchildren within a Cross-cultural Perspective:

Sociometric choice nominations, as well as peer nominations for friendship, aggression, isolation, and prosocial behaviour, were administered to middle class Italian primary school youngsters. Socially rejected children were found to be more aggressive, more withdrawn, and less prosocial than members of the other social status categories, and to have fewer friends. The proportions of subjects in the neglected and controversial categories were very low, although the proportions of rejected and popular children were similar to those found in North American studies. These findings are discussed within the framework of cross-cultural differences in children’s peer relations.

Categories of aggression and their motivational heterogeneity

Abstract The understanding of aggressive behavior can be considerably facilitated by recognizing that this behavior is of several types. However, the subcategories used sometimes overlap and are not satisfactory in all instances. It is suggested that further progress will not come from a search for motivationally homogeneous categories of aggressive acts, but that we must seek instead to understand the relations between the subcategories of aggression in terms of underlying propensities. Some areas where such an approach might be useful are discussed.

Abuso, trascuratezza e il controllo degli eventi: il paradosso dell’attaccamento

Dalle ricerche condotte finora emergono risultati non uniformi sui Modelli Mentali dell’Attaccamento (IWM) e sul locus of control dei bambini maltrattati. Nel nostro studio abbiamo preso in considerazione queste due variabili in 60 ragazzi abusati e trascurati e in 100 controlli, e analizzato le associazioni tra locus of control e attaccamento. Per la misura degli IWM abbiamo utilizzato la versione modificata da Attili (2001b) del SAT di Klagsbrun e Bowlby (1976) e per il locus of control la scala di Nowicki- Strickland (1973). IWM disorganizzati ed evitanti emergono nell’abuso e il 40% di IWM sicuri nella trascuratezza. Nel maltrattamento il locus of control e sempre esterno, anche nei bambini trascurati sicuri. I dati confermano che caregiver abusanti producono IWM insicuri e locus of control esterni. Nella trascuratezza, tuttavia, in cui i bambini non abbiano esperito pericoli provenienti dai loro genitori, e possibile riscontrare attaccamenti sicuri anche se accompagnati da locus esterni.

Trascuratezza emotiva, attaccamento e ansia da separazione nei disturbi alimentari : uno studio su pazienti adolescenti e sui loro genitori

E stata confrontata, in un gruppo di pazienti con disturbi alimentari (N = 101, eta media = 15.3 anni), la trascuratezza emotiva da parte del padre e della madre esperita da coloro che avevano modelli mentali dell’attaccamento (IWM) con alta ansia da separazione versus quella esperita da coloro con IWM a bassa ansia. E stata, inoltre, investigata l’associazione tra IWM ad alta ansia e sintomi psicopatologici. Gli stili parentali sono stati, poi, ricondotti agli IWM ad alta/bassa ansia dei genitori. Ai pazienti e ai loro genitori e stato somministrato il SAT per la misura degli IWM dell’attaccamento, ai pazienti il PBI per la misura del legame con i genitori e l’SCL-90 per lo spettro psicopatologico. I risultati evidenziano nei pazienti con IWM ad alta ansia maggior Costrizione Affettiva e Controllo non Affettivo da parte della madre e legami Deboli-assenti con il padre, e piu sintomi psicopatologici. Inoltre, stili distorti di accudimento si associano a IWM ad alta ansia dei genitori stessi.

Le dinamiche dell'attaccamento all'interno della famiglia: fattori di rischio e fattori protettivi

La resilienza rappresenta la capacita di cui alcuni individui sono particolarmente dotati e che permette loro di superare adeguatamente circostanze avverse ed eventi catastrofici. La resilienza e composta da una serie di fattori protettivi molti dei quali hanno direttamente o indirettamente a che fare con la struttura familiare e con le sue relazioni. Gli autori che hanno studiato lo sviluppo della resilienza attribuiscono particolare importanza alla cosiddetta close and caring relationship, una relazione particolarmente solida e affidabile che consente di affrontare senza subirne effetti devastanti le maggiori difficolta che si presentano nell’arco del ciclo vitale. Il concetto di resilienza e le sue implicazioni consentono di identificare un nuovo e promettente stadio della psicoterapia della famiglia che puo essere definita psicoterapia sistemica basata sulle risorse.

Il ruolo del padre e l’evoluzione della paternità

In questo lavoro si analizza come si configura il ruolo del padre ai giorni nostri utilizzando come framework la teoria dell’attaccamento. Viene mostrato, inoltre, come malgrado negli ultimi anni gli uomini siano diventati piu consapevoli dell’importanza della loro figura nello sviluppo psicologico dei figli, di fatto e riscontrabile ancora una fuga dalla paternita. I motivi di questo scarso investimento parentale vengono rintracciati nella storia della nostra evoluzione biologica.