Final answer:
Reducing possessiveness in young children involves creating environments that foster security and independence, allowing choices, and reducing over-control. Encouraging autonomy and competence, along with the authoritative parenting style, supports a positive self-concept.
Step-by-step explanation:
Reducing possessiveness in young children involves fostering a sense of security, nurturing independence, and providing opportunities for them to make choices. During the preschool stage, for example, children are learning to assert control and initiate activities. Creating developmentally appropriate environments where children can safely explore and play helps address the task of initiative versus guilt as defined by Erikson's stages of psychosocial development. Over-controlling parents may impede this process, leading to feelings of guilt and stifling a child's budding self-confidence.
As toddlers work on the task of autonomy versus shame and doubt, allowing them to make age-appropriate decisions, like choosing their clothes, promotes a sense of independence vital for their self-esteem. In contrast, not allowing these expressions of autonomy can seed doubt in their abilities and erode their confidence.
For school-aged children in elementary school, the focus shifts to industry versus inferiority. Encouraging children by recognizing their achievements, providing support when they struggle, and fostering a healthy competition can lead to a strong sense of competence. If children consistently feel inferior because they can't measure up to peers or expectations, it might lead to a poor self-concept.
Diana Baumrind's parenting styles—authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, and uninvolved—emphasize that the authoritative style is most effective for nurturing a healthy self-concept in children. This approach combines reasonable demands with warmth and affection, respecting the child’s perspective and promoting high self-esteem and social skills.