Abstract
Since the late 1970s, there has been increasing interest in the child’s developing understanding of his or her self-attributes and emotions. Much of this work has been normative in nature, positing models and presenting evidence in support of such developmental change. Moreover, many have attempted to interpret the findings from a cognitive-developmental perspective, indicating how underlying structural changes are responsible for developmental shifts in self-understanding. The goal of the present chapter is to suggesf how this knowledge may aid our therapeutic efforts with children, allowing us to better understand the child and evaluate his or her potential for personal growth.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Allport, G. W. (1955). Becoming: Basic considerations for a psychology of personality. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Allport, G. W. (1961). Pattern and growth in personality. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
Boggiano, A. K., & Ruble, D. N. (1979). Competence and the over justification effect: A developmental study. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 37, 1462–1468.
Chao, C. & Harter, S. (1988). The role of competence in the creation of imaginary friends. Unpublished manuscript, University of Denver, Denver, CO.
Cooley, C. H. (1902). Human nature and the social order. New York: Scribner.
Damon, W., & Hart, D. (1982). The development of self-understanding from infancy through adolescence. Child Development, 53, 841–864.
Epstein, S. (1973). The self-concept revisited or a theory of a theory. American Psychologist, 28, 405–416.
Erikson, E. (1968). Identity, youth and crisis. New York: Norton.
Fischer, K. W. (1980). A theory of cognitive development: The control and construction of hierarchies of skills. Psychological Review, 87, 477–531.
Freud, A. (1965). Normality and pathology in childhood. New York: International Universities Press.
Freud, S. (1952). A general introduction to psychoanalysis. New York: Washington Square Press.
Garmezy, N. (1983). Stressors of childhood. In N. Garmezy & M. Rutter (Eds.), Stress, coping, and development in children (pp. 43–84). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Garmezy, N., & Rutter, M. (1983). In N. Garmezy & M. Rutter (Eds.) Stress, coping, and development in children. New York: McGraw Hill.
Gergen, K. J. (1968). Personal consistency and the presentation of self. In C. Gordon & K. J. Gergen (Eds.), The self in social interaction (pp. 299–300). New York: Wiley.
Gergen, K. J. (1971). The concept of self. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
Gilligan, C. (1982). In a different voice. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Greenwald, A. G. (1980). The totalitarian ego: Fabrication and revision of personal history. American Psychologist, 7, 603–618.
Harris, P., Oltholf, T., & Terwogt, M. M. (1981). Children’s knowledge of emotion, Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 22, 247–261.
Hart, D., & Damon, W. (1985). Contrasts between understanding self and understanding others. In R. L. Leahy (Ed.), The development of the self (pp. 151–178). Orlando, FL: Academic.
Harter, S. (1977). A cognitive-developmental approach to children’s expression of conflicting feelings and a technique to facilitate such expression in play therapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 45, 417–432.
Harter, S. (1982). The perceived competence scale for children. Child Development, 53, 87–97.
Harter, S. (1983a). Children’s understanding of multiple emotions: A cognitive-developmental approach. In W. F. Overton (Ed.), The relationship between social and cognitive development (pp. 147–194). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Harter, S. (1983b). Developmental perspectives on the self-system. In M. Hetherington (Ed.), Handbook of child psychology; Vol. 4. Socialization, personality, and social development (pp. 275–386). New York: Wiley.
Harter, S. (1985). The self-perception profile for children. Unpublished manuscript, University of Denver.
Harter, S. (1986a). Processes underlying the construction, maintenance, and enhancement of the self-concept in children. In S. Suis & A. Greenwald (Eds.), Psychological perspectives on the self, (Vol. 3, pp. 136–182), Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Harter, S. (1986b). Cognitive-developmental processes in the integration of concepts about emotions and the self. Social Cognition, 4, 119–151.
Harter, S. (1987). The determinants and mediational role of global self-worth in children. In N. Eisenberg (Ed.), Contemporary topics in developmental psychology (pp. 219–242). New York: Wiley.
Harter, S. (In press-a). Causes, correlates and the functional role of global self-worth: A life-span perspective. In J. Kolligian & R. Sternberg (Eds.), Perceptions of competence and incompetence across the life-span. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Harter, S. (In press-b). Developmental processes in the construction of self. In T. D. Yackey & J. E. Johnson (Eds.), Integrative processes and socialization: Early to middle childhood (pp. 45–78). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Harter, S., & Bresnick, S. (1987). The developmental emergence of conflict between opposing attributes of the self during adolescence. Unpublished manuscript, University of Denver, Denver, CO.
Harter, S., & Buddin, B. J. (1987). Children’s understanding of the simultaneity of emotions: A five-stage developmental sequence. Developmental Psychology.
Harter, S., & Haltiwanger, J. (1986). Conservation of the self: Fluctuations in children’s self-perception of smart and dumb. Unpublished manuscript, University of Denver. Denver, CO.
Harter, S. & Mayberry, W. (1988). Differentiation between the ideal and real self and its relationship to the accuracy of self-concept judgments. Unpublished manuscript, University of Denver, Denver, CO.
Harter, S., & Norton, L. (1986). Correlates and dynamics of children’s tendency to over-rate, under-rate, or accurately rate their scholastic competence. Unpublished manuscript, University of Denver, Denver, CO.
Harter, S., & Pike, R. (1984). The pictorial scale of perceived competence and social acceptance for young children. Child Development, 55, 1969–1982.
Harter, S., & Robinson, N. (1987). Patterns of responsibility for scholastic successes and failures: From beneffectance to self-blame. Unpublished manuscript, University of Denver, Denver, CO.
Harter, S., Wright, K., & Bresnick, S. (1987). The developmental emergence of the concepts of pride and shame. Unpublished manuscript, University of Denver, Denver, CO.
Horney, L. (1950). Neurosis and human growth. New York: Norton.
James, W. (1892). Psychology: The briefer course. New York: Hold, Rinehart & Winston.
Johnson, D. L. (1983). The development of children’s theory of emotional control. Unpublished master’s thesis, University of Denver.
Jung, C. G. (1928). Two essays on analytical psychology. New York: Dodd, Mead.
Kagan, J. (1983). Stress and coping in early development. In N. Garmezy & M. Rutter (Eds.), New York: McGraw-Hill, pp. 191–216.
Kelly, G. A. (1955). The psychology of personal constructs. New York: Norton.
Leahy, R. L., & Shirk, S. R. (1985). Social cognition and the development of the self. In R. L. Leahy (Ed.), The development of the self (pp. 123–155). Orlando, FL: Academic Press.
Lecky, P. (1945). Self-consistency: A theory of personality. New York: Island Press.
Loevinger, J. (1966). The meaning and measurement of ego development. American Psychologist, 21, 195–206.
Loevinger, J., & Wessler, R. (1970). Measuring ego development (Vol. 1). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Maccoby, E. E., & Martin, J. A. (1983). Socialization in the context of the family: Parent-child interaction. In E. M. Herington (Ed.), Handbook of child psychology: Vol. 4. Socialization, personality, and social development (pp. 1–102). New York: Wiley.
Maslow, A. H. (1961). Peak-experiences as acute identity-experiences. American Journal of Psychoanalysis, 21, 254–260.
Masters, J. E. (1971). Social comparison by young children. Young Children, 27, 37–60.
Mayberry, W. (1986). Accuracy of self-perception among the physically handicapped: The real versus the ideal self. Unpublished manuscript, University of Denver, Denver, CO.
Mead, G. H. (1934). Mind, self, and society. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Mischel, W. (1969). Continuity and change in personality. American Psychologist, 24, 1012–1018.
Mischel, W. (1973). Toward a cognitive social learning reconceptualization of personality. Psychological Review, 80, 252–283.
Monsour, A. (1985). The structure and dynamics of the adolescent self-concept. Doctoral dissertation, University of Denver.
Montemayor, R., & Eisen, M. (1977). The development of self-conceptions from childhood to adolescence. Developmental Psychology, 13, 314–319.
Nicholls, J. G. (1978). The development of the concepts of effort and ability, perception of academic attainment, and the understanding that difficult tasks require more ability. Child Development, 49, 800–814.
Piaget, J. (1932). The moral judgment of the child. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World.
Rogers, C. R. (1950). The significance of the self-regarding attitudes and perceptions. In M. L. Reymert (Ed.), Feelings and emotions: The Moosehears symposium (pp. 3–47). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Rosenberg, M. (1979). Conceiving the self. New York: Basic.
Rosenberg, M. (1986). Self-concept from middle childhood through adolescence. In J. Suls & A. G. Greenwald (Eds.), Psychological perspective on the self. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Ruble, D. N., Boggiano, A. K., Feldman, N. S., & Loebl, J. H. (1980). Developmental analysis of the role of social comparison in self-evaluation. Developmental Psychology, 16, 105–115.
Ruble, D. N., Parsons, J. E., & Ross, J. (1976). Self-evaluative responses of children in an achievement setting. Child Development, 47, 990–997.
Ruble, D., & Rholes, W. (1981). The development of children’s perceptions and attributions about their social world. In J. Harvey, W. Ickes, & R. Kidd (Eds.), New directions in attribution research (Vol. 3, pp. 3–36). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Rutter, M. (1985). Resilience in the face of adversity: Protective factors and resistance to psychiatric disorder. British Journal of Psychiatry, 147, 598–611.
Selman, R. (1980). The growth of interpersonal understanding. New York: Academic.
Suls, J., & Sanders, G. (1982). Self-evaluation via social comparison: A developmental analysis. In I. Wheeler (Ed.), Review of personality and social psychology (Vol. 3, pp. 171 – 197). Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
Vallacher, R. R. (1980). An introduction to self theory. In D. M. Wegner & R. R. Vallacher (Eds.), The self in social psychology (pp. 3–30). New York: Oxford University Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1988 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Harter, S. (1988). Developmental and Dynamic Changes in the Nature of the Self-Concept. In: Shirk, S.R. (eds) Cognitive Development and Child Psychotherapy. Perspectives in Developmental Psychology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-3635-6_5
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-3635-6_5
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4899-3637-0
Online ISBN: 978-1-4899-3635-6
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive