Development Of Self Flashcards
Chart development of self recognition & self definition In young children Explain children's understanding of the psychological self (21 cards)
Definition of self
“the contribution of physical and psychological attributes that are unique to each individual” (Shaffer & Kipp, 2013)
The “Who am I” Question
Personal characteristics Roles Religious and moral views Political ideology Physical characteristics
Conceptions of the ‘Self’
made up of one’s thought and attitudes about oneself
An individual’s conceptions about self can include thoughts about one’s own physical being, social roles and relationships, and spiritual or internal characteristics
Conceptions of ‘Identity’
Used interchangeably with ‘Self’
The idea of selfhood based on the uniqueness and individuality which makes a person distinct from others
Self-concept
knowledge of who you are
Self-competence
what you can do
Self-worth
feeling you are valued as individual
Self-esteem
how you feel about yourself (evaluation)
‘I’ or self-as-knower =
awareness
‘me’ or self-as-known =
Characteristics
Charles Cooley (1902) – “Looking-Glass Self” Comprises 3 elements:
How we imagine others to appear
The judgements we imagine others make about us
Self-image based on evaluations of others
George Herbert Mead (Sociologist) – “Stages of Self”
3 stages:
Preparatory stage
Play stage
Game stage
After first few months, infant can differentiate ‘physical self’ from external objects they can control
true
or
false
Michael Lewis (1990) Two major features of identity:
Existential self
- Self-other differentiation
- Self-permanence
- Self-consciousness
Categorical self
-Categories child uses to define self: gender,
age, size, roles, etc.
Lewis (1990) – 2 main steps
- Sense of separateness
2. Sense of self awareness
Lewis & Brook-Gunn (1979)
Distinguished two kinds of cues:
Contingency cues – image moves immediately in tandem with own
Feature cues – sees in mirror stable facial or bodily features which are familiar
The Rouge Test
6-12 months – the child simply sees a sociable playmate in the mirror
12 months – most children demonstrates wariness & avoidance behaviours
14-20 months – self-admiring and embarrassment begin
18 months – half of children recognise the refection in the mirror as their own
20-24 months – self-recognition climbs significantly
New social and emotional competencies:
More outgoing and socially skilled
Imitate playmates activities
Cooperation/ share intentions to achieve shared goals
More complex emotions emerge, e.g. embarrassment
Stipek, Gralinski & Kopp (1990) –
Infants who display self-recognition:
Become more sensitive to ways in which people differ
Use social and evaluative categories in their self-concepts
Adults contribute to the child’s self-concept by ….
providing descriptive information and evaluation
The developing sense of self
Children’s sense of self emerges in the early years of life and continues to develop into adulthood, becoming more complex as the individual’s emotional and cognitive development deepens
