Emotional growth and development

Emotional development occurs as a consequence of maturation and learning. The infant at birth can express only the most rudimentary emotions. At a later stage he learns a wide range of emotions, and he learns when certain emotions are appropriate and when they are not. Almost any important emotional situation has the form of its expression determined by the culture that surrounds it.Emotion first manifests itself in infancy as undifferentiated excitement due to increase or change in stimulation, and may be expressed as delight or distress. Such expression is innate (for example, blind children will respond with the same facial expressions as sighted children). Insufficient variation in environmental stimulation in childhood results in lethargic behaviour and slower reactions as an adult. It may also affect biological resistance to stress (whether physical or psychological) and rate of physical growth. Current theoretical conceptions suggest that all emotions are derived originally from primitive physiological states of the organism. The physiological reaction of individuals to emotions and their degree of emotional maturity may therefore affect physical growth and development.