Development of the Self-Concept in Middle Childhood

[Name of the Institute]

Table of Contents

Introduction3

History and Development of Self-Concept3

1960s4

1970s5

Theories of psychological Development and Understanding of the Self6

Stages of Psychosocial Development by Eric Erikson7

Theoretical Implications9

Stages of Cognitive Development by Jean Piaget9

Approaches to Develop Self-Concept among Children13

For Children13

For Teenager14

The Development of Self Confidence15

Beliefs15

The Past15

Fathers (Parents)16

Addressing the Issue16

Sociological Aspects18

Psychological Aspects19

Social Psychology19

Self-Schemas20

Possible Selves21

Cognitive Psychology23

Conclusion24

Development of the Self-Concept in Middle Childhood

Introduction

Self-concept, understood as a multifaceted cognitive structure supporting the way in which one perceives oneself, is an integral feature to constructing one's identity. Although providing a sharp conceptual definition is difficult due to its interdisciplinary usage, the term self-concept typically refers to a conscious appraisal or perception of one's self either under a global, unified identity or within various content areas such as vocational, social, physical, moral, and spiritual being. It has been popularized in such disciplines as life-course sociology, cognitive psychology, personality psychology, and various clinical applications for treatment. This entry discusses the development of self-concept and is situated vis-à-vis the more broadly defined subjects of self and identity. As originally defined in personality psychology, self-concept is a cognitive framework for personal perception and organization of one's life experiences that is consciously accessible to the individual and founded on mental representation of self. Compared with the wide-ranging notions of identity and self, self-concept more narrowly looks at the social management of the self, narrative patterns of self-presentation, and the selective attention of individuals to fit experiences into an established self-concept. This paper will discuss the development of this concept in middle childhood from the influence of social, psychological and environmental aspects.

History and Development of Self-Concept

William James in the early 20th century discussed the idea of self and identity, based on all a person owns, the person's vocation, and the person's relationships as the sum total of how an individual evaluates his or her existence. However, this early theoretical description of self-concept was given little consideration throughout much of the 1930s to the 1960s as mechanistic models of behaviorism dominated psychological research. Although psychoanalysis influenced personality psychology through theorists such as Carl Jung, research into the construction and functioning of self-concept did not gain traction until the 1960s and 1970s.

1960s

Little research on self-concept and identity existed prior to the mid-1960s because the dominant theories in both psychology and sociology found little use for the study of individuals' conceptions of themselves. Psychology was dominated by behaviorism which considered most behavior as learned responses and had little use for the study of underlying conceptions of self. At the same time most sociological work was based in structural functionalism which viewed human behavior as primarily controlled by the structure of society. Therefore, only since competing paradigms have arisen in these fields has the study of self-concept and identity become a research focus. The importance of self-concept was associated, in the 1960s, with the therapeutic practices of Carl Rogers's client-centered or nondirective psychotherapy. Rogers suggested that a central aspect of a client's therapy was self-concept, or the view consciously carried by the ...