childhood

Question 1

Aries - change in childhood

Answer 1

• modern concept of childhood didnt exist in medieval time - childhood’s a social construct
• children were ‘little adults’
• people had children to keep the family going but now have children because they love eachother and want to have children

Question 2

childhood

criticisms of aries

Answer 2

• suggested there was no concept of childhood in medival times, when it was just a different childhood to modern day
• oversimplifying and overgeneralising, using unreliable data (personal interpretations of paintings)
• used secondary data

Question 3

childhood

Postman

Answer 3

• childhood is dissapearing due to media, especially tv
• children can now access the adult world earlier eg violent material, eroding the innocence of childhood

Question 4

childhood

Jenks

Answer 4

• childhood isnt dissapearing (opposes postman), but changing in response to postmodern society
• Children are different to adults and need special handling
• parents see children as a source of stability, so they invest in them emotionally

Question 5

childhood

Jenks - simple/basic summary

Answer 5

• childhood changing in postmodern society
• unstable relationships between adults means parents invest more time and emotion into their relationships with their children

Question 6

childhood

Palmer - toxic childhood

Answer 6

• life/childhood is getting worse for children in western societies

Question 7

childhood

Palmer - toxic childhood
why is life getting worse for children in western countries according to Palmer?

Answer 7

1. lack of control over what children view in the media
2. family life has become less stable - parents have less time to spend with their children
3. decline in religion = cultural traditions have been swept away