Prof. Greg Francis 7/27/081Understand self and othersIIE 366: DevelopmentalPsychologyGreg FrancisLecture 27Chapter 11: Understanding Selfand OthersModule 11.1 Who Am I? Self-ConceptModule 11.2 Self-EsteemModule 11.3 Understanding OthersChildren and Their Development, 4/e by Robert Kail11.1 Who Am I? Self-ConceptOrigins of Self-RecognitionThe Evolving Self-ConceptThe Search for Identity11.1 Origins of Self-Recognition By 15 months, infants begin to show self-recognition in mirror task Before this babies like to look at themselves in the mirror, but they do notappear to recognize themselves, they just find the image interesting Easy test: put a red mark on the child’s nose. If they recognizethemselves, they reach to their physical nose to touch the mark At 18-24 months, children look more at photosof self than others and refer to self by name or personal pronoun Awareness of self extends to an understanding of ownership toys Self-concept comes from self-awareness An internal view of their properties and traits11.1 The Evolving Self-Concept Preschoolers mention concrete characteristics such as physicalcharacteristics, preferences, possessions, and competencies Focus on features that are observable and concrete At 6-8 years, children begin to mention emotions, social groups,and comparisons to others Emotion and social groups exists earlier, but children do not seem toconsider to be part of their identity Adolescents mention attitudes, personality traits, religious/politicalbeliefs, variation with context, and an orientation to the future Often describe in terms of what they will be when they reach adulthoodDevelopmental Changes in Self-Concept11.1: The Evolving Self-ConceptProf. Greg Francis 7/27/08211.1 The Search for Identity Adolescents usehypothetical reasoningto experiment with differentselves Careers Romantic relationships11.1 The Search for Identity Adolescence characterized by self-absorption (adolescence egocentrism): believethat they are the focus of other’s thinking imaginary audience: feel that they are being watchedby others (and thus over react to mistakes) personal fable: believe that their experiences andbeliefs are unique illusion of invulnerability: believe that misfortune onlyhappens to others (sex and pregnancy, recklessdriving) Effects tend to disappear as adolescents forman identify11.1 The Search for Identity Stages of identity (not necessarily in this order): Diffusion: doing little to form an identity; confusion Foreclosure: identify is determined largely by adults Moratorium: examining different alternatives Achievement: deliberately chosen a specific identify Different parts of identify can develop atdifferent times Religion, politics, career11.1 The Search for Identity Most teens don’t experience conflict and turmoil In contrast to the portrayals in movies and novelsAttitudes and Behaviors ofAdolescents11.1: The Search for Identity Most teens Admire and love theirparents Rely upon their parentsfor advice Embrace many of theirparents’ values Feel loved by theirparents This doesn’t mean thatthey tell their parents!11.2 Self-EsteemMeasuring Self-EsteemDevelopmental Change in Self-EsteemSources of Self-EsteemLow Self-Esteem: Cause or Consequence?Prof. Greg Francis 7/27/08311.2 Measuring Self-Esteem One common measure: Self-Perception Profile forChildren Measures overall self-esteem as well as self-esteem in5 specific areas (all about how the child feels abouttheir abilities):> scholastic competence> athletic competence> social acceptance> behavioral conduct> physical appearanceSample Items and Profiles from SPPC11.2: Measuring Self-Esteem11.2 Developmental Change inSelf-Esteem Self-esteem is highest in preschoolers Cannot really measure self-esteem for younger children Drops during the elementary school years due to socialcomparisons Discover they are not the fastest runner or the best speller Self-esteem sometimes drops during the move tomiddle school or junior high Pattern of change in self-esteem varies for differentdomainsChanges in Self-Esteem11.2: Developmental Change in Self-Esteem11.2 Sources of Self-Esteem Children have higher self-esteem when parents: are nurturing and involved establish rules concerning discipline Comparisons with others (particularly peers) Self-esteem is high when others view positively and lowwhen others view negatively Gifted children in gifted classes may have lower self-esteem than those in regular classes11.2 Low Self-Esteem: Cause orConsequence Children with low self-esteem are more likely to have problems with peers have psychological disorders be involved in bullying and aggressive behavior do poorly in school Sometimes it’s difficult to establish cause and effectrelations regarding low self-esteem Low self-esteem cause peers to avoid them? Or self-esteem is low because peers think negatively aboutthem? Can produce a vicious cycleProf. Greg Francis 7/27/08411.3 Understanding OthersDescribing OthersUnderstanding What Others ThinkPrejudice11.3 Describing Others Descriptions of others follow similar course asdescriptions of self Descriptions that include appearance and possessionsbecome less common Between 8 and 14 years, descriptions of personalitytraits increase11.3 Understanding What OthersThink Preschoolers are egocentric Cannot see the world from another’s perspective (three mountain problem) According to Selman, perspective taking increases with age and dependson cognitive development Undifferentiated (3-6 years): often confuse self and others Social-informational (4-9 years): understand that people have differentinformation and so different perspectives Self-reflective (7-12 years): can view themselves as others do Third-person (10-15 years): can step outside the immediate situation andconsider how they and another person are viewed by a third person Societal (14-adult): realize that a third-person’s perspective is influenced bypersonal, social, and cultural contexts Children with good perspective-taking skills get along better with theirpeers11.3 Understanding What OthersThink Measure a stage of perspective taking with dilemmas: Holly is an 8 year old girl who likes to climb trees. She is the best treeclimber in the neighborhood. One day while climbing down from a tall