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Self and Awareness

The document discusses self-awareness and self-concept development in middle childhood years. It notes that during this period, children begin to grasp other perspectives, empathize, and engage in reciprocal interactions. This enables them to understand their own emotions and perceive others' intentions. The document also outlines influences on self-concept like cognitive development, social feedback, parental support, peers, and culture. It discusses self-esteem and influences like gender stereotypes, socioeconomic status, and parenting practices.

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janvi22sharma2000
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39 views

Self and Awareness

The document discusses self-awareness and self-concept development in middle childhood years. It notes that during this period, children begin to grasp other perspectives, empathize, and engage in reciprocal interactions. This enables them to understand their own emotions and perceive others' intentions. The document also outlines influences on self-concept like cognitive development, social feedback, parental support, peers, and culture. It discusses self-esteem and influences like gender stereotypes, socioeconomic status, and parenting practices.

Uploaded by

janvi22sharma2000
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Self and Awareness

A.Self Concept and Self Esteem

B. Significance in Middle Childhood years


Self Awareness Basic physical distinction from
surrounding
● Beginnings: Infants demonstrate basic
physical distinction from surrounding leading
to the development of self awareness.
● Toddlerhood or Early childhood: Toddlers
develops conscious awareness of physical Conscious awareness of physical
features recognizing themselves in mirrors and features and self referential language
using self referential language.
● Middle childhood: Children begin to grasp
other’s perspectives, empathize and engage in
reciprocal interactions. Self awareness is
central to emotional and social development, Perspectives, empathy and reciprocal
enabling children to understand their own interactions
emotions and perceive others intentions.
Erik Erikson - Industry vs. Inferiority

Key Behaviors:
● Engaging in activities (schoolwork, Key Conflict: Development of competence vs.
sports, social) feelings of inadequacy
● Comparing oneself to peers Successful Resolution:
● Seeking mastery and achievement
● Sense of pride and accomplishment
Positive Outcome: ● Healthy personality
● Confidence in one's abilities ● Confidence for future challenges
● Sense of belonging and contribution Unsuccessful Resolution:
Negative Outcome: ● Feelings of inferiority and inadequacy
● Feelings of failure and inadequacy ● Difficulty facing future challenges
● Social withdrawal and isolation
Self Concept
● Begin developing appreciation for their inner world and
thinking about themselves.
● Due to early childhood understanding on self knowledge
and evaluation of self characteristics expands.

● Self concept begin to construct (the set of attributes, abilities, attitudes and values that an
individual believes defines who the person is).
● By the age of 8-11 years: Organizing of observations to build behavioural characteristics
and internal dispositions
● In later stages of middle childhood they slowly learn to emphasize on their competencies
often leading to social comparisons.
● School age children are able to combine typical experiences into stable psychological
dispositions into blended negative and positive characteristics.
Herbert Mead’s Ideas on “SELF”
Two Distinctions of self:

● "Me": Socialized self (past/learned behaviors, attitudes, societal


expectations)
● "I": Reactive self (present/future, response to "Me")

"Me" Functions:

● Reflects learned behaviors, attitudes, and expectations.


● Represents the "organized set of attitudes of others" one
assumes.
● Serves as a social compass, limiting rule-breaking behavior.

"I" Functions:

● Responds to the "Me", shaping individual identity.


● Allows for creativity, innovation, and pushing boundaries.
● Represents the "novel reply" to social expectations

Example:

● Hand in fire: Pain (from "I") prompts action, but appropriate


response (pulling away) guided by "Me" (societal norms).
Sigmund Freud - Psychoanalytic Theory
Personality Structure:

● Id: Unconscious, instinctual drives seeking immediate pleasure (e.g., food, aggression).
● Ego: Rational part mediating between id & superego, seeking realistic gratification.
● Superego: Internalized societal norms & values acting as conscience, shaping morals.

Development in Middle Childhood:

● Psychosexual Stages: Early desires at each stage shape personality traits.


○ Latency Stage : A calm period between resolving early desires (phallic stage) and the
emergence of adult sexuality (genital stage). During this stage, children focus on
developing social skills, learning, and exploring their identities without strong sexual
urges.
Developmental Milestones
(Emergence of self and Development of self concept)

6-10 years ● Appreciates second order false beliefs and role of pre-existing
beliefs in interpreting a new ambiguous situation attainments
reflecting capacity to engage in recursive thoughts.
● Emphasizes personality traits and both positive and negative
attributes in self concept.
● Makes social comparisons among multiple individuals.
11 years and older ● Combines traits making up self concept into an organized
system.
Influences on Self Concept
1. Cognitive Development:

● Schema Integration: Better integration of experiences into stable mental models (schemas) allows for
consistent interpretations of the world and oneself.
● Formal Operational Thought: Development of logical and abstract reasoning contributes to forming a
complex and internally consistent self-concept. This allows children to analyze and understand their
strengths, weaknesses, and motivations.

2. Social Feedback:

● Perspective-Taking: Interactions with others and observing their reactions lead to understanding different
perspectives and how one's behavior affects others. This helps children adjust their self-perception and
social interactions.
● Social Comparison: Children start comparing themselves to peers, leading to both positive and negative
impacts on self-concept. Positive comparisons can boost confidence, while negative ones can breed
insecurity.
Influences on Self Concept
3. Parental Support:

● Communication Modeling: Parents who openly communicate their feelings and perspectives
provide models for children to understand and express their own emotions and beliefs, shaping their
self-concept.
● Shared Experiences: Engaging in shared activities and experiences with parents builds positive
memories and fosters a sense of security and belonging, contributing to a healthy self-concept.

4. School Peers and Community:

● Friendship Groups: Positive peer relationships provide opportunities for self-disclosure,


acceptance, and validation, strengthening self-esteem and self-concept.
● Social Roles and Expectations: School and community contexts offer various roles and
expectations that influence children's self-perceptions. Positive experiences in these roles can bolster
self-confidence, while negative ones can impact self-concept.
Influences on Self Concept
5. Cultural Variations:

● Individualism vs. Collectivism: Cultures emphasizing individualism encourage independent self-


perception, while collectivistic cultures prioritize self-concept within the group.
● Social Norms and Values: Different cultures have diverse expectations and values that influence
how children perceive themselves and their social roles.
Self Esteem
● Judgments and feelings about our own worth, impacting emotions, behavior, and long-term
well-being.
● Starts early (~2 years old) with basic self-evaluations (e.g., smiling at success, frowning at
failure).
● Becomes more complex with age, developing separate self-judgments (academic, social,
physical, etc.).
● By school age, self-evaluations combine into a general "psychological image" with varying
importance attached to each aspect.
● Often carries the most weight in overall self-esteem, especially during childhood and
adolescence.
● New dimensions emerge (close friends, romantic appeal, job competence) and reliance on
different sources of validation (parents, teachers, peers) increases as we proceed to
adolescence.
Self Esteem
Influences on Self Esteem
● Culture: Differences in self-comparison norms and social harmony values impact self-
esteem levels.
● Gender Stereotypes: Girls tend to have lower self-esteem in physical appearance and
athletic domains, while boys have an advantage in math, science, and physical self-esteem.
● Socioeconomic Status: Attending schools with similar SES groups is linked to stronger
self-esteem.
● Parenting Practices:
○ Warmth and Acceptance: Promote positive self-regard.
○ Reasonable Expectations: Provide guidance and standards for self-evaluation.
○ Controlling or Disapproving: Can harm self-esteem and lead to reliance on external validation.
○ Overly Indulgent: Foster unrealistic self-importance and vulnerability to setbacks.
○ Focus on Effort and Achievement: Promotes a healthy, secure self-image through real
accomplishment.

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