In the Role Adaptive-Role Uniform dimension, as in the
other two, the child is thought to begin life with particular strengths and weaknesses, which he retains unchanged unless external counter pressures arise to oppose them. Here again, adjustment depends on the direction and strength of tendencies in the child, and of environmental forces which are exerted upon him. If he is accepted, he goes through adolescence toward maturity without major changes in his original predispositions. If guilt and anxiety are induced because of them, he turns his energies toward compensation and modification.
The theory maintains that, even at birth, babies differ profoundly in the kind of impression which they make on others. Infants manifest differences in personal appeal which can hardly be attributed, at that early age, to acquired knowledge or motivation on the part of the child. Physical appearance, in itself, is not a sufficient explanation for these differences. Certain infants create a more favorable impression than others, and are apt to receive more attention and better care as a result. The theory regards these babies as endowed with primitive Role Adaptive They are believed to be socially and interpersonally more appealing from the start, and, even in the nursery, they induce positive responses from surrounding. adults.
The theory holds that the favorable responses which the Role Adaptive baby evokes has an important effect on the general course of his early development. His natural inclinations lead him into continuous and extensive social interaction. As he begins to take a more active part in these involvements, he becomes frustrated when he is forced to limit his social interaction. His anger is aroused when his social overtures are not met with active response, and he becomes fearful in situations in which he experiences social rejection.
In terms of being accepted, the primitive "A" baby has definite advantages in the course of the earlier developmental phases. Because of the good impression which he makes, he usually receives a lot of attention and praise, and tends to evoke strong feelings of pride in his parents. As a result of his tendency to satisfy parental needs and to be generally pleasing, relatively little early pressure is exerted to force him to change. Throughout the period of early development, then, the Role Adaptive child meets with little interpersonal rejection, and tends to be somewhat spoiled.
The strong interpersonal appeal of the primitive "A" child may be so that his actual limitations are overlooked. As a result, the counterpressures which generally arise to force the child toward compensation may be considerably delayed. If he is rigid, for example, environmental pressures directed against his insulation and self-centeredness may be long postponed because of his pleasing qualities. If he is flexible, his uncontrolled responsiveness may be better tolerated for a long period of time, because he is too pleasing to bring on consistent censure.
The Externalizer or Internalizer component, too, may remain unchecked for a long time in the "A" child. If he is an Externalizer, he is less likely to be pushed early toward internalized passivity and self sufficiency, because he invites interaction. The Role Adaptive Internalizer, too, may escape early pressures toward compensation, because he appears to be more interpersonally involved than he actually
is. The Role Adaptive child may also be able to get through
ù the early school years without many demands from his teachers, because his social intelligence is so high that his inherent limitations in intellectual and mechanical-procedural abilities may be virtually unnoticed.
Primitive Role Adaptive thus entails some risk of prolonging immaturity by delaying the development of compensatory activities. Role Adaptive also influences the extent to which the child will undertake self-initiated efforts at change. The Externalizer for example, may be so content with the interpersonal satisfactions which stem from his Role Adaptive that he directs little effort toward developing the other components of his personality. On the other hand, an Internalizer may find Role Adaptive annoying, if not actually disturbing. To protect his self-sufficiency, he is likely to develop the other dimensions of his personality in order to help him avoid the responsibilities and demands of social acceptance, which are irksome to him.
The Rigid-Flexible dimension, too, is important in determining the expression and influence of the child's Role Adaptive. A primitive "ERA," for example, is constantly receiving attention, and actively responding to it. He therefore acquires social skills rapidly, and begins to participate in social activities early. The primitive "IRA" is equally adept at learning social skills, but because of his "R" rote learning ability, may be able to conceal an intense ideational preoccupation behind his surface "A" skills. An "EFA" child is responsive to a wide range of environmental stimuli, but is less effective in acquiring specific social skills than is the "ERA" child. On the other hand, an "EFA" is the more likely to become socially involved with many different individuals.
The above examples illustrate the theoretical hypothesis that Role Adaptive and Role Uniform influence, rather than determine, the course of personality development. A major factor in early psychological experience is the quality and scope of social interactions. Nevertheless, an equally important consideration is the personality structure of the child himself. The effect of the social variable, then, is highly dependent on the whole context in which it occurs.
While the Role Adaptive child may escape environmental counterpressures for some time, he is unlikely to avoid them entirely. In some cases, his Role Adaptive may exact a penalty quite early. His parents may initially respond with pleasure to the attention and praise which he receives. Their early satisfaction, however, may thereafter be replaced by a certain jealousy and concern, because the child's affection and attention are being diverted away from them. In consequence, they may begin to apply pressure quite early, in an effort to restrict the child's tendency toward extensive social interaction.
Further environmental factors arise, in time, to counteract the easy social success of the young "A" child. Under scrutiny, the undeveloped state of his skills in the other personality dimensions becomes increasingly apparent, and is accompanied by mounting pressures that he overcome his limitations. As he grows older, the demand that he live up to the promising social-interpersonal image which he unintentionally creates becomes more intense. Eventually, then, the Role Adaptive child is usually pressured toward compensation.
Environmental forces combine to direct him toward becoming more disciplined, less socially responsive, and better able to control his tendency toward extensive social interaction. In brief, his development is forced away from its natural developmental path, and, in at least some respects, is pushed in the "U" direction.