What is childhood? We can all relate to this subject as we have all been children at some point in our lives, but how is childhood defined and what factors impact on a person’s childhood?
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child states that a ‘child’ means ‘every human being below the age of eighteen years unless, under the law applicable to the child, majority is attained earlier’
Childhood studies focuses on the child and what impacts on children’s lives. When studying childhood there are many factors to observe such as the law, social care, anthropology, education, health, Psychology, medicine and gender.
Another important area …show more content…
Although the subjects are heavily interlinked there are many key differences between childhood studies and child psychology. One key difference between the two is how they are researched and what methods of research are implicated. Childhood studies has an emphasis on what impacts a child’s life and how outside factors could play a part on a child as it progresses into adulthood.
Childhood studies focuses on a list of outside factors throughout a child’s upbringing and how they characterise that child.
Child Psychology has a much more practical look at the child and its development. The study looks on a child as a subject and how those outside factors accrued during childhood can develop. Child psychology also looks at not only how these developments were formed but how they can be assessed and treated.
Child Psychology follows on from the more theoretical side of childhood studies and builds on experimenting with them. Such is with a behavioural approach which is a practical method that tries to promote good behaviour with a certain response and dismiss negative behaviour with another.