Postman’s thesis on the ‘disappearance’ of childhood.

There is no single set of beliefs about children; childhood is a social and cultural construct. Social constructionism is concerned with ideas about children, not facts about them. Indeed, many social constructionists would deny the existence of any universal facts about children (Woodhead and Montgomery 2003:46). Ideas about children change because they are dependent on their social, cultural and historical context. The ideas held concerning children have consequences, they affect the way children are treated and thought about (James and James 2008:122). Postman (1994) believes that childhood in its’ current conception is ‘disappearing.’ The following text will critically discuss Postman’s (1994) theory, principally it will consider†¦show more content†¦Postman (1994) recognises that childhood as we know it is an idea not a fact, he states, â€Å"When I speak about the disappearance of childhood, I am speaking about the disappearance of an idea.† (Postman 1994:52) During the years 1850-1950 childhood began to take shape as the model we recognise as childhood currently. Children were removed from factories and put into schools, children’s clothing, furniture, literature and games were developed; law also changed to recognise childhood. The stereotypical family also developed during this period (Postman 1994:67). Childhood became a birthright, due to theories such as, Piaget’s (1896-1980) theory of cognitive development childhood came to defined as a biological state as well as psychological (Postman 1994:67). Postman (1994:74/75) argues that childhood became obsolete at the same time that it was perceived as a permanent fixture, 1950. He choose this time as it coincides with the rise of television; as he believes it is through television that the divide between adulthood and childhood can be seen most clearly. Postman (1994:75) argues, it is television as we know it that is causing childhood to ‘disappear’. He believes there are several reasons to support this notion, most importantly, is the idea of accessibility to adult information. Prior to television only fully literate adults had access to this information. People watch