CHFD215 | Lesson 7- Development of Self-Awareness and Self-Concept
CHFD215 | Lesson 7- Development of Self-Awareness and Self-Concept
Social Understanding, Peers, Media, and Schooling
This week addresses the development of social cognition, or how children come to understand their multifaceted social world. We will also learn about the importance of peer relations, television, computers, and schooling in child development.
Topics to be covered include:
Stages in Social Understanding.
Impact of Peer Relations, Media, and Schooling in Child Development
Development of Self-Awareness and Self-Concept
How do children come to understand their multidimensional social world? How do they think about and interpret their experiences with others? These questions address the concept of social cognition, thinking about characteristics of the self and other people. The first step in this development is self-awareness.
You may wonder when babies begin to recognize the concept of self. The development of self-awareness occurs in stages, with the first stage commencing at birth.
As language takes more of a role in the toddler’s interactions, self-awareness increases, as the toddler is now able to express the self in a more defined manner. Between 18 and 30 months, children begin to classify themselves and others on the basis of perceptually distinct attributes and behaviors, such as age, gender, size, and temperament. This is known as the categorical self. The remembered self encompasses a bigger picture as children rely on autobiographical memories to view themselves as continuously existing individuals. This type of awareness grows out of conversations and interactions with adults who can elaborate on past experiences. Finally, the concept of the enduring self is developed as preschoolers begin to discuss future events and begin to view themselves as persisting over time.
SELF-AWARENESS
