Self-consciousness and “conscientiousness” in development

Abstract

Self-consciousness is discussed here as a unique feature of our species. As a student of early childhood, my goal is to provide some developmental light on the origins and consequences of such feature that arguably shapes human experience. At the core of my argument, there is the idea that self-consciousness is inseparable from the human propensity to take an ethical stance toward others, but also toward the self in terms of reputation and the construction of a moral identity. I therefore consider the ontogenetic emergence of self-consciousness and its relation to the emergence of an ethical stance in children.