Self-awareness in development 1 2 3 4 5

Self-awareness in development. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. A model of self-awareness. Level 0 : confusion Level 1: Differences Level 2: Situation Level 3: Identification Level 4: Permanence Level 5: Self-consciousness for ‘meta’ selfawareness.

Self-awareness characteristics. a) Most fundamental issue in psychology b) Multiple, dynamic process c) Experience of ourselves d) Develops like onions, layers after layers, in gradual consolidation As we act, perceive, and think in the world.

Self-awareness model (identified by Philippe Rochat, USA, 2003, based on recent empirical evidence) 5 levels of self-awareness chronologically unfold from birth to 4 -5 years old - O Confusion 1 Differentiation 2 Situation 3 Identification 4 Permanence 5 Self-consciousness

A case of mirror reflection 1) What do children see when they see themselves in a mirror? 2) Do they see that it is themselves or they perceive someone else facing them? 3) When do mirrors and their reflection begin to be considered for what they are, namely a solid polished surface that reflects back?

Absence of self-awareness. Level 0: Confusion Individual is oblivious of any mirror reflection, thus oblivious of the mirror itself. Examples: birds flying into mirrors; dogs, cats, monkeys confronting a creature other than themselves

Self-awareness. Level 1: Differentiation. (The birth of ‘differentiated self’) There is a sense that what is perceived in the mirror is different from what’s perceived in the surrounding environment. Perfect contingency between seen and felt movements.

EMPIRICAL FINDINGS OF SELF-WORLD DIFFERENTIATION Infants (after birth) are capable of demonstrating a sense of their own body as a differentiated entity: an entity among other entity in the environment.

Research: When touching the cheek of newborns, they tend to orient their head toward the touch stimulation (rooting reflex). Systematic, comparison shows that neonates do root significantly more to external compared to self-stimulation. Conclusion: From birth, infants differentiate between self-vs. non-self touch, between stimulation originating from either their own body or an external source.

Self-Awareness. Level 2: Situation (the birth of ‘situated self’) O The individual is aware that what is seen on the mirror is unique to the self. O Also, aware that what is seen is ‘out there’, on a surface that is spatially situated in relation to the body.

Empirical findings of ‘situated self’ By the end of the second month, infants show clear signs that in addition to selfworld differentiation, they also have a sense of how their own body is situated in relation to other entities in the environment.

Research: Infants show a perfect ability to imitate facial expressions such as tongue protrusion or sound production, systematic eye-hand coordination. They engage in active exploration until they map the target action. Conclusion: these observations clearly indicate that infants have a sense of self not only as ‘differentiated’ but also as situated in relation to what the environment affords for action.

SELF-AWARENESS. LEVEL 3: IDENTIFICATION. (THE BIRTH OF ‘ME’ - ‘IDENTIFIED SELF’) By the 2 nd year, the individual manifests recognition, the fact that what is in the mirror is ‘Me’, not another individual staring and shadowing the self.

Research: By 18 months, children start to mark contrasts between themselves and other people in their verbal production. They express semantic roles that can be taken either by themselves or by others. Conclusion: young children demonstrate their perceptual ability to distinguish between the familiar sight of themselves and the novelty of the experimenter appearing on the TV.

SELF-AWARENESS. LEVEL 4: PERMANENCE. (THE BIRTH OF ‘PERMANENT SELF’) By 3 -4 years old the self is identified beyond the here and now of mirror experience. It can be identified in pictures and movies taken in the past, where the self might be significantly younger, at a different location and dressed in different clothes.

Research (Conclusion): Observations demonstrate that children slowly bypass the Me-But-Not-Me dilemma when viewing live or pre-recorded videos of themselves. Jennifer: “ It is Jennifer… It is a teacher…. But why is she wearing my shirt? ”

SELF-AWARENESS. LEVEL 5: SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS. (THE BIRTH OF ‘SELF-CONSCIOUS SELF’) By 4 -5 years the self is now recognized not only from a first person perspective, but also from a third person’s. Individuals are not only aware of what they are but how they are in the mind of others.

Research (Conclusion): Children show some ability to simulate events and roles, to take and elaborate on the perspective of others. Individually imagine what others might perceive or judge about the self. They begin to have others in mind.

SUMMARY: Self-knowledge is not possible without self- consciousness or ‘meta’ self-awareness. The fact is that we are never aware outside of a social context, whether real or virtual. Infants and children show that they develop to become ‘co-aware’ of the world, including themselves.