Piaget's interpretation of adolescent self‐centration as egocentrism resulting from formal operations is inconsistent because it means that the end‐point of human development (formal operations) is characterized by inadequate development (egocentrism). Piaget's interpretation is also inconsistent to the empirical evidence, which has failed to support a notion of a general, universal stage of formal operations. An alternative interpretation of adolescence as developing towards a cognitive stage characterized by the taking of the perspective of the other to self can be proposed.