Behavioral personality theories emphasize that personality is no more than a collection of learned behavoiral patterns. But how is it that a two year old exhibits 'learned behavior' such as saying Please,excuse me, or thank you as if they were second nature? Such traits (if I recall correctly) are in conflict with basic behavioral instincts found in young children. The urge to grab and declare dominace or presence, the need to control ones environment. These are traits found within offsprings of almost every species yet subject S depicted traits that were just the opposite.
At two years of age, subject S shows a great deal of empathy as well as the ability to control her emotions but whats really shocking is that her emotions dont influence her behavior.
Ex. Subject S sees several children building towers with toy blocks. As one childs tower becomes extremely high subject S looks over at her father. Its obvious she wants to knock it down but she takes a second look at the tower and compliments the other child for his hard work.
This act would disprove Freuds theory of ID and its relation to Ego and the Super Ego (see Sigmund Freud's Struture of Personality) According to Freud the chain goes....
Id----->Ego---->Super ego (where Id operates off pleasure and forms desire, Ego is guided by reality and the Super ego acts as an internal parent or conscience and judges actions commited by the Ego)
How does all of this relate to subject S? Compare the national expectations to that of subject S giving the same scenario.
ID, EGO and SUPER EGO
Subject S: Urge to knock over blocks--------->Decides not to knock over blocks----->Realized that although knocking over blocks would be fun there is no long lasting emotional reward.
Statistical database*: Urge to knock over blocks------>decides to knock over blocks---->Realized that this act was a mistake but trys to justify it through the momentary feeling of enjoyment.
I believe that there are many people scattered throughout the various age groups who share a similar disposition as Subject S. The science then becomes, the search for factors that determine and exercise this model of behavior.
I think its safe to say that in a case where our subject is just a little girl who's only external outlook is her parents, their OWN behavior says alot.
A child's first teacher is their parents and home is the first class room where life skills are founded,tested and instilled. To the parents of Subject S I want to congratulate you on a job well done. I hope you and your daughter continue to redefine scientific theory (but not too much because then they'll make me take all those classes again)
*statistical database studies of 04 conducted by the National Child Development Study (NCDS)
