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