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