Developmental Trends in Self-Understanding

Abstract

“Self-understanding” refers to one's conception of different aspects of the self. These aspects include, but are not limited to, one's knowledge of the physical, active, social, and psychological qualities of the self. In a recent review article, we proposed that the development of self-understanding proceeds through four levels. The developmental levels represent differing degrees both of the integration of self-characteristics and of the individual's sensitivity to the immediate social context. Furthermore, the modesl suggests that at each level self-understanding has a different focus. Corresponding to levels 1–4, the focus of self-understanding is first on the physical qualities, next on the active qualities, then on the social qualities, and finally on the psychological qualities. In the first study reported in the present paper, a reliable assessment procedure was constructed to evaluate the developmental trends proposed by this model. A group of 82 children and adolescents was then tested with this procedure. The results strongly support the age-related nature or these levels, but provide only weak support for the proposed corresponding change in focus in self-understanding. These results were replicated in a second study, with a sample of 81 children and adolescents.