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Summary: The Importance Of Childhood

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Part B: Comparison
The study of childhood being an important and character-shaping portion of one’s life that is set completely apart from the other phases of life is a relatively new interest within western societies (Plastow, 2014). The theorist Philippe Aries argued that in the middle ages there was no such thing as childhood, and that children were treated as adults both legally and in employment (Cunningham, 2014). The many varying sociological, technological and economic changes in the last two centuries has enacted a shift in the definition and experiences of what is it to be a child (Arthur et al, 2015). In this modern era, it is paramount to understand the reasons why we need to view and comprehend the composition and significance of childhood. Becoming aware of how we view children is parallel to the way one …show more content…

One fault to the constructs of the agentic child is that both the child and adult have power (Woodrow, 1999; as cited in Sorin & Galloway, 2006). The final two texts depict two children who are crowned king, yet have each portrays different constructs of childhood. King Oye as an agentic child is shown respect and his kingdom has confidence in him to rule as an adult would. In contrast, King Joffery is represented as the evil child. Twisted and using his power to fulfill his own personal desires and demands (Sorin & Galloway, 2006). This childhood illustration according to Scott (1998) is also known as conduct disorder; one of the most common psychiatric childhood disorder. This disorder in children displays itself from temper tantrums and lying in younger children to animal and human cruelty and bullying of others as they get older (Scott, 1998). The construct of a child as ‘evil’ is a display of this disorder, often manifested in children who are not well adjusted and of low self-esteem (Scott,

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