Sense of Self

1. Sense of Self • Who am I? • self-concept - beliefs about self • How good am I as a person? • self-esteem - child’s judgment of own worthiness • self-efficacy - child’s beliefs about what he/she can accomplish

2. Helps children take charge of things that happen to them Motivates behavior Helps them envision future selves Helps them make choices to reach goals Children focus more on what they do well Children behave in ways that mirror self-perception sometimes engage in self-handicapping Sense of Self

3. Factors Influencing Sense of Self • Past behaviors and achievements • Others’ perceptions • Parents • Siblings • Peers • Own perceptions about achievements and comparisons to others

4. Children construct increasingly multifaceted understandings of who they are Feelings of self-worth increasingly depend on peers’ behaviors and opinions Children gradually internalize criteria others use for evaluation Children gradually integrate many self-perceptions into general abstractions of who they are Sense of worth becomes more stable over time Sense of Self: General Trends

5. Infancy view self as distinct, lovable being ability to imitate others recognizing self in mirror Early childhood autobiographical self (personal history) language reflects self: I, me, mine self = physical characteristics, simple psychological traits, interests overconfidence, high self-esteem Development of Sense of Self

6. Middle childhood describes self in physical and psychological terms aware of strengths and weaknesses self-esteem generally high compares self with peers structures self-esteem into different competencies academic social physical physical appearance Development of Sense of Self

7. Early adolescence can reflect on how they are perceived by others imaginary audience belief in personal fable self-esteem drops (especially girls) begin to use abstract values to describe themselves social comparisons continue Development of Sense of Self

8. Development of Sense of Self

9. Late adolescence develop a more complex understanding of self, with contradictory descriptions identity develops over time identity diffusion foreclosure moratorium identity achievement Development of Sense of Self

10. Development of Sense of Self

11. Both nature and nurture contribute Boys overestimate, girls underestimate abilities Girls have greater difficulty accepting criticism Girls more critical of physical appearance Boys say they are good at athletics problem-solving math and science Girls say they are good at manners social relationships reading and writing Gender Differences