DOCUMENT RESUME ED 250 095 PS 014 671 AUTHOR Phillips, Shelley TITLE Self Concept and Self Esteem: Infancy to Adolescence. A Cognitive Developmental Outline with Some Reference to Behaviour and Health Effects. Unit for Child Studies. Selected Papers Number 27. INSTITUTION New South Wales Univ., Kensington (Australia). School of Education. PUB DATE 83 NOTE 23p. PUB TYPE Information Analyses (070) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Abstract Reasoning; *Adolescents; Behavior Problems; *Children; *Cognitive Development; Elementary Education; Elementary School Students; Emotional Problems; Foreign Countries; Health; *Infants; Peer Relationship; Primary Education; *Self Concept; *Self Esteem; Sex Differences IDENTIFIERS Australia (New South Wales); Developmental Patterns ABSTRACT Initially differentiating ideas of self-concept, personality, and self-esteem, this paper discusses the development of the self from infancy through adolescence. The discussion of infancy focuses on learning about bodily self and related disruptions and describes the emergence of the social and independent self. The discussion of toddlers and preschool children deals with having separate thoughts, concepts of "me" and "mine," skill development and temper tantrums, comparisons, games and time, the looking-glass self, interest and security, identification with parents, and behavior and health problems. School-age children are discussed in relationship to teachers, playmates, the concrete self, autonomy, depression and poor self-esteem, and behavior problems and common illnessIs. With regard to adolescence, the document explores the role of abstract thought, self-consciousness, popularity neuroses, overdifferentiation, intellectualization, asceticism, depression, physical appearance, identity, unemployment, symptoms of disruption in self - concept development, hypochondriasis, and anorexia nervosa. (RH) A************A********************************************************* Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be math from the original document. A AVAAkk*************************************************"************** Se'c` -d Papers Number 27 Unit for ChildStudies 118. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION 10,1(AUUINAI III INwrimArIoN ti mt..' .1 11,P1 1/1fliel 0'4,01I/1/11,!hi. WOW/A(1011 11.1111111111 11 KIVO 10,1, 111.1,11`111 nnpnrvP 0 1,1111 .1'1 11117 0,111W,,OdMfd,1r4MWM`011aWli,11011`0i1PM 11111,1 11.1 001 11111,0411111f1f111 LO N*. UI 11uIn I "PERMISSION 10 KPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY Si-ye 1 Vt, \cm kk TO THE' EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)." Copyright,1983 Rte. School of Education The University of New SouthWales 882 2181 SELF CONCEPT AND SELF ESTEEM INFANCY TO ADOLESCENCE A COGNITIVE CEVELORMENTAL OUTLINEWITH SOME REFERENCE TO BEHAVIOUR AND HEALTH EFFECTS Or Shelley Phillips milomellb MN 0727-4134 SELF-CONCEPT AND SELF-ESTEEM INFANCY TO ADOLESCENCE A COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENTALOUTLINE WITH SOME REFERENCE TO BEHAVIOUR AND HEALTHEFFECTS Shelley Phillips Unit pr Child Studies WHAT IS THE SELF-CONCEPT andSELF ESTEEM? Initially, it may be useful to distinguish self-concept andnersonality. Personality is something people appear to be. It is as otherz,see you. Self-concept is as you see yourself. If you were to completea sentence beginning with "I am" severaltimes on paper, or inyour head, you would have said something aboutyour self-concept. For example, you may have said: "I am male or female"; "I am easy goingor bad tempered", and so on. Self-concept involves one's beliefs,attitudes and feelings toward one's abilities and r"sabilities; it includes one's positive andnega- tive character descriptions, ideas,attitudes, values and commitments. Self-esteem involves the degree of selfacceptance of oneself as one is and whether one feels basically competent in the things that matterto one. For example, if you are poor at cooking, or have a larger thanav- erage nose, and it is not important toyou, it is not a self-esteem issue. Usually, self - esteem issues relateto self acceptance and one's perceptions of one's emotional and socialconfidence and self assertion (Ellis, Gehman & Katzenmeyer, 1980). Further, if you see yourselfas something that the world around hasnegative views toward (perhaps, for example, you are unemployedor a member of an ethnic or religious minor- ity), then this may well affectyour selfesteem. Can it be changed? is the question. The self-concept and self-esteemare based on behaviours- for example, the way you react in social situations, or how you play golf, or cook, or study. Thus, if you are apoor student and study effectively and gaina credit, your self-esteem improves. The self-concept also involvesbeing able to distinguish betweentwo types of experience- those which have self-reference and those which do not. For example, you can distinguish your movements from those of others. In some cases, where people cannot do this, the self-conceptis not properly formed and a psychopathological conditionexists (Laing, 1975). Self also involves a sense of continuity. You may have changedyour behaviours in the last ten years, butyou are still you. Some do not have this sense of continuity and such a case is wellexemplified in the study of Sybil (Schreiber, 1973). Most people can say or sense something abouttheir self-concept in the terms I have outlined but was it always so? It is believed that theans- wer is largely "no", and that the self-concept is learnedthroughout in- fancy, childhood, and adulthood, INNN It is believed that at birth infantshave no concept of bodilyseparate- ness, it is suggested that the infanthas to learn about bodily separ- ateness, and where his/her bodyends and that of the caretakerbegins. where- This learning involves physiologicaland neurological development in- by the infant learns to grasp, andtouch separate others, and also volves the departure and return ofcaretakers which gives theexperience baby experiences a sense of separateness. Most important is whether the of bodily comfort through cuddlingduring feeding and at othertimes, for babies at first develop a senseof self through their bodiesand that they are able to senses. InFants also need to learn and experience initiate good responses in others, forexample, through reciprocal smiling (Phillips, 1982b). an Early ComfortableBodily Sense of Self Now, although the early work ofBowlby (1953) has been criticised, some of it can be usefully revampedin a cognitive developmentalfashior. want to Bowlby's study demonstrated thatfood is not enough for babies to thrive, but rather than stresspurely maternal attachment thecognitive developmentalis.ts suggest that in order tothrive, a baby needs a com- fall into a de- fortable bodily sense. If they do not have it they may pression, or fail to thrive, evendie, or cry miserably andperpetually. diagnoses fail, Crying can be for a number of reasons,but when all other , of a the hypothesis that therehas been a disruption in thedevelopmc good, comfortable sense of bodyis worth testing. Some types of incess- such ant colic, sleep disturbance, orhead banging, may possibly have might one deal with suchproblems origir. The practical question is "How on the basis ofexperienceAn child development?" Let us take a case study of ahead banging infant: The parents were very welleducated professionals. They were exceptionally proud of their verybright and engaging eighteen- month-old infant whom we willcall Debbie. Debbie had recently begun climbing out of her cotand banging her head onthe floor. The local doctor's advice wasthat such behaviour was not un- because common at this ageand'that the parents should not worry and Debbie would grow out of it. The parents were not satisfied sought further advice on childdevelopment. Investigation re- vealed two important andobvious factors. The parents were boastfully parading Debbie asthe wonder child. They were also both very inhibited and did not expressaffection to each other shortcoming in or Debbie. Fortunately, they had seen it as a themselves and with encouragementbegan to cuddle Debbie a little, albeit somewhat shyly atfirst. Gradually they extended of par- this, although they neverbecame the most affectionate burning need to parade Debbie ents. They also curbed their after attending someself-esteem classes. The head banging but many cases like stopped. This may have been coincidence, this have been observed. behavioural problems may bealleviated thus,in infancy, some medical or by intorminq those concernedof the nature ofself-concept development. Some will want to Offen, as in the above case,information is sufficient. seek further - or perhaps find a place soy,.' as the Unit for ChildStudies for more help with relevant reading material and, perhaps,some coping or interactional skills. There is no right or wrong about this, for differentskills suit different parents. The problem is that inthese days of smaller families,many par- ents feel that they have not had a chance to gain experienceby observing others, and that they needa little non-directional and non-judgemental help in a place such as the Unit for Child Studies. Another good place for such help could, perhaps, be the offices of the medicalpractitioner who is typically consulted first in such cases. There are cases wherea medical practitioner or paediatrician who has been interestedand able to gain good training in child development has offered,childdevelopment sessions as part of his/herpractice as a preventativemeasure. The Emergence of the Socialand