industry versus inferiority: The fourth of Erikson’s eight psychosocial crises, during which children attempt to master many skills, developing a sense of themselves as either accomplished or a failure, competent or incompetent.

family function: The way a family works to meet the needs of its members. Children need families to provide basic material necessities, to encourage learning, to help them develop self-respect, to nurture friendships, and to foster harmony and stability.

polygamous family: A family consisting of one man, more than one wife, and their children.

aggressive-rejected: A child who is not liked by peers and is antagonistic. Other children do not want to be friends with such a child because of his or her provocative, confrontational behavior.

conventional moral reasoning: Kohlberg’s second level of moral reasoning, emphasizing social rules and laws.

extended family: A family of three or more generations living in one household.

family structure: The legal and genetic relationships among relatives living in the same home. Possible structures include nuclear family, extended family, stepfamily, single-parent family, and many others.

nuclear family: A family that consists of a father, a mother, and their biological children under age 18.

bully-victim: Someone who attacks others and who is attacked as well. (Also called provocative victims because they do things that elicit bullying.)

withdrawn-rejected: A child who avoids social interaction with peers. Other children do not want to be friends with such a child because of his or her timid, isolative, and anxious behavior.

social comparison: The tendency to assess one’s abilities, achievements, social status, and other attributes by measuring them against those of other people, especially one’s peers.

preconventional moral reasoning: Kohlberg’s first level of moral reasoning, emphasizing personal rewards and punishments.

single-parent family: A family that consists of only one parent and his or her children.

bullying: Repeated, systematic efforts to inflict harm on other people through physical, verbal, or social attack on a weaker person.

parentification: When a child acts more like a parent than a child. This may occur if the actual parents do not act as caregivers, making a child feel responsible for the family.

resilience: The capacity to adapt well to significant adversity and to overcome serious stress.

postconventional moral reasoning: Kohlberg’s third level of moral reasoning, emphasizing moral principles.