Children’s Self-Concept
• Stability And Shifts, Family And Peers
• Ole Michael Spaten,
• Aalborg University, Denmark
16-06-2007 - NISCAR
Overview
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Background
Research question
Theory and central concepts
Methods
Results
Conclusion
Background
• ”…has been an increasingly important
area of study for psychology".
• (e.g. Rogers, 1961; Coopersmith, 1967;
Gergen, 1968; Calhoun, 1977; Burns,
1979; Hansford et al., 1982; Løvlie, 1982;
Harter, 1983; Markus et al., 1987; Muijs,
1997; Marsh et al., 1998; Elbaum et al.,
2001; Hinkey et al., 2002; Leary, 2004).
• Few studies has investigated childrens
development and construction of them self
in a longitudinal design and younger
children (Hattie & Marsh, 1996; Marsh,
2004)
• Performance and healthy development is
correlated with positive self-conception
(Braam, 2004; Spaten, 2001; Kazdin,
1990)
Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1976, 1980, 1986, 1990, 1994)
• Increased demand for competence on
reflection (Beck, 1992; Gergen, 1994,
1991; Giddens, 1990; Ziehe, 1999)
• Requirement of an “enhanced sociological
self-reflection on the parts of the
individuals” Dencik, 2001
Research questions
• Are young children able to meet the
demands for enhanced self-reflection?
• How do children develop and construct
their personal identity and life narratives?
• Are children’s self-concept connected to
gender, ethnicity and socioeconomic
status?
Central concepts and theory
• Self-concept, self-worth and self
• Luria, Vygotsky
• William James, G.H. Mead, J. Bruner
Self-concept:
”…the persons experience of him self in
relation to others” (Spaten, 2001)
“Self-esteem is the individual's
satisfaction with the self-concept”
(Calhoun & Morse, 1977).
Concept of one self as a physical, social,
psychological (and moral) being.
• The self-as-I (the knower),
constructs the self-as-me (the
known)
• Self, itself is a relation between
self and other, relating to one-self
"In its widest possible sense, however,
a man's Me is the sum total of all that
he CAN call his, not only his body and
his psychic powers, but his clothes and
his house, his wife and children, his
ancestors and friends, his reputation
and works, his lands and horses, and
yacht and bank-account”
(William James, 1892).
material Me (& bodily Me),
social Me
spiritual Me (psychological Me)
• Becoming self-conscious is only possible
according to Mead in a social context:
"…this development has taken place only
in a social group, for selves exist only in
relation to others selves…" (Mead, 1925).
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Teori og centrale begreber
• Luria siger:
• ”…[De søger] grundlaget for bevidstheden
og selvbevidstheden i den menneskelige
sjæls dybder eller i hjernestrukturens
elementer, idet de helt ser bort fra det ydre
miljø, som den menneskelige hjerne
genspejler…”
•
Luria, A. R. (1977). Om erkendelsesprocessernes historiske udvikling: En
eksperimentalpsykologisk undersøgelse. Kbh.: Munksgaard
"The social dimension of
consciousness is primary in time and
in fact. The individual dimension of
consciousness is derivative and
secondary" (Vygotsky 1979, s. 30).
“…there is no such thing as an intuitively
obvious and essential self to know, one
that just sits there to be portrayed in
words. Rather, we constantly construct
and reconstruct a self to meet the needs
of the situation we encounter…” (Bruner,
2002, p. 210).
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Methods
• Multi Methods Research (Hanson, 2005)
A combination of qualitative and
quantitative researchmethods
• Duquesne school approach to
phenomenological psychology (Giorgi,
2003)
• Mixed Methods Research Design
• A multitude of methods kan differentiate
and support each other (Camic, Rhodes, &
Yardley, 2003, p. 10; Rank, 1992, p. 297ff.;
Coolican, 2004)
• Selection of participants for the
qualitative part of the investigation
High performance
Low performance
1 class from Nørrebro (A)
1 class from Nørrebro (B)
1 class from Vesterbro (C)
1 class from Vesterbro (D)
Boy and girl
Boy and girl
Boy and girl
Boy and girl
Boy and girl
Boy and girl
Boy and girl
Boy and girl
1 class from Søborg (E)
1 class from Søborg (F)
1 class from Vanløse (G)
1 class from Vanløse (H)
Boy and girl
Boy and girl
Boy and girl
Boy and girl
Boy and girl
Boy and girl
Boy and girl
Boy and girl
Results
Self-concept - Scholastic Competence
Scholastic Competence
broken down on Gender
Blue: Girl.
Green: Boy
Data from Longitudinal project
Time 1: Start (of study)
Time 2 One year later
Time 3 One year later
Time 4 One year later etc.
Results
Self-concept – Physical Appearence
Physical Appearance broken
down on Gender
Blue: Girl.
Green: Boy
Data from Longitudinal project
Time 1: 3rd Grade
Time 2 4th Grade
Time 3 5th Grade
Time 4 6th Grade etc.
Results
Self-concept – Physical Appearence
Physical Appearance broken
down on Gender
Blue: Girl.
Green: Boy
Data from Longitudinal project
Time 1: 1st Grade
Time 2 2nd Grade
Time 3 3rd Grade
Time 4 5th Grade
Time 5 7th Grade
Results
Self-concept - Scholastic Competence
Social class and districts in
Greater Copenhagen Areas
Blue: Middleclass, a neighbour
Brown: Workingclass d neighb.
Green: Workingclass a neighb.
Data from Longitudinal project
Time 1: Start (of study)
Time 2 Middle (3 years later)
Time 3 End (3 years later)
Results
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Interviewing 32 children
Who are the four children?
Chilae
Emin
Morten
Annette
(”Rich”) quotations of interviews with the
four children
interview.ppt
Background variables
Age: House Mothers
Work
11 y
Fathers
Work
Reading: Pct.
second / Right
word
Teach:
Conduct
Ravens
Progres.
Matrices
C
Flat
Kitchen
Assistant
16
92
VU
28
E
Flat
Student
Busdriver
9
95
U
19
M
Villa
Kindergart. Engineer
Supervisor
4
98
S
31
A
Row
Consultant Teacher
6
98
VS
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Age differences – self-concept
Period
Self-concept
Examples
(Trad. phasemodel)
Childhood Observable, concrete
(2-6 år)
characteristics
Specific interests, activity
I got blue eyes M
I am a boy Em
I play soccer
Late
childhood
(7-11)
Generel interests
Social comparison
Interpersonal qualities
I love animals A
I look smarter M2
I don’t tease… 2
Adolesc.
(12-19)
Concepts, hidden, abstract I am a lively person…
psychological qualities
R1 … an angel…
Age.ppt
Western culture vss East/asian culture
• Independent self-system
Father
Mother
M17
• Interdependent self-system
Father
C2
Mother
Brother
Brother
Friend
Friend
Collegea
Collegea
Friend
Friend
Self focused * Assertive
Group orientation * Modest
Markus & Kitayama,
1998; Wang, 2004
Developmental dimensions in
children’s self-concept
Younger children ....-> Older children
Material ……………-> Formal M15
Absolute ……...……-> Multidimensional Cit225R
Conclusion
• Children constructs identity, becomes selfconscious, self-reflecting, comp. through
social interaction with family and peers
• Children’s construction of personal identity
follow – despite patterns – NOT stages
• Gender, Culture, Class interacts
• Instrumental validity and reliability
• Longitudinal research wanted
Discussion
• Do we see
children
construct their
identity – as
Mead suggest –
through social
interaction?
14
CitatD9
• Do children
construct identity
without stable
core self, without
continuity – as
Bruner suggest?
15 26R
Self-concept differentiates in time
according to development:
• Social (peer and family relations)
– Later diff. into “Same gender” and
– “Opposite gender”
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Material (possessions)
Performance
Physical (body)
Conduct (behaviour)
– Psychological (values, ideas etc.)
– Love
– Parents
Self-construction: Prime concepts
Grounded in results from research:
• Social construction
• Psychological me
• Material me
• Continuity
• Agency
• Uniqueness
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Related to theoretical work by: James, Mead, Luria, Vygotsky, Bruner
P6
M
U6
S6 K6 A6
S3
C3
S2
C2
S1
C1
Self-construction: Prime concepts
Grounded in results
from research:
• Social construction
• Psychological me
• Social me
• Continuity
• Agency
• Uniqueness
P6
U6
M S K6 A6
6
S4
S3
C3
S2
C2
S
C1