Egocentrism is simply a heightened degree of self-consciousness and self-awareness. David Elkind’s work was mostly focused on adolescent psychology. Therefore, his version of egocentrism was mainly in adolescents. According to Elkind, adolescents have the inability to perceive the difference between what they think of themselves and what people think of them. His theory traces its roots from Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, which presents an argument that due to the changes adolescents undergo, they can conceptualize their thoughts and conceive those of other people. This is a buildup of what Elkind provides in that he brings in the aspect of self-consciousness whereby adolescents tend to be pre-occupied mostly by their perceptions especially on behaviors and appearance (Ahmad). In this case, teenagers tend to believe that other people are as attentive to their behavior and how they appear. Therefore, this has contributed to a mental construction of a personal fable and imaginary audience.
According to Piaget, cognitive development occurs in four stages, which are sensorimotor, pre-occupational, concrete operational and formal operational. In this case, the formal operational stage is of keen interest. This is a stage that starts from 11-15 years. At this stage, individuals can manipulate ideas without depending on concrete examples. In this stage, abstract thinking is applied where individuals use deductive thinking and logical reasoning. Piaget tested this theory of formal thought through the ‘third eye experiment’ (Cherry). He asked kids to think where they would want to have a third eye in case they had one. The younger kids believed it to be in the middle of the forehead. Older children had various creative ideas that involved having the eye at the palm so as to see around corners or at the back of the hand; this shows that this stage where adolescents mostly are categorized, and they have more creative and logical reasoning compared to younger kids.
Elikind’s theory is an important one since it enables us to understand how adolescents act and most importantly how to handle them (Ahmad). It is an important factor to me since it brings into picture why a teenager would take a keen interest in what people think of them, and what they think of themselves. Piaget’s theory also enables us to understand how adolescents think and to show a difference between a child and an adolescent. It is important since it shows how they come up with solutions in real world circumstances without relying on actual items (Cherry). It is also vital in enabling a student to understand an educational concept by knowing the stage they are in.
Elkind’s theory can apply to personal life since it has enabled me to figure out why as an adolescent I would have never left the house without passing by the mirror or why a pimple on a Monday morning would be a good enough reason not to go to school. This is a clear indication of egocentrism. Piaget’s theory can be applied in a class situation in that a teacher should know the stage the students are in since some will understand a concept through theoretical explanation while others might need a concrete example. Knowledge of this theory would guide a teacher on the approach to take while teaching a concept in class.
Over the years, the culture of Hawaii has been watered down. It is facing cultural loss with time. Research was conducted whereby children of Hawaii origin were required to select between black and Hawaiian dolls. A significant percentage chose white dolls (Liu, David &Alameda). This is a clear indication that they do not associate with their culture. The loss of culture has an effect to children’s self-perception, which escalated to the adolescent stage. Aspects of the place of residence, school, parental support and family income are large contributors to how adolescents perceive themselves. The rates of self-perception are higher in adolescents in Hawaii than any other pace, and it may lead to anxiety in some cases. In this case, girls are more affected than boys (Andrade et al. 26-36).
According to Hawaiian culture, most children would sit around and help their parents at home. They would learn objects that relate to their history and culture. When they become adolescents, they do not need the concrete objects to learn, and they would be accorded greater responsibilities. At this stage, the roles for boys and girls significantly differ. For example, boys would cultivate and fish while girls would cook and make clothes (Winters and Swartz). This is a reflection of Piaget’s theory in that, at this age, they now have problem-solving abilities, and they have a better thinking capacity to handle larger responsibilities.
Works Cited
Ahmad, Deeba. "Copy Of David Elkind's Theory Of Adolescent Egocentrism." prezi.com. N.p., 2013. Web. 5 Aug. 2016.
Andrade, Naleen N. et al. "The National Center On Indigenous Hawaiian Behavioral Health Study Of Prevalence Of Psychiatric Disorders In Native Hawaiian Adolescents". Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 45.1 (2006): 26-36. Web. 5 Aug. 2016.
Cherry, Kendra. "What Is The Formal Operational Stage Of Cognitive Development?". Verywell. N.p., 2016. Web. 5 Aug. 2016.
Liu, David MKI, and Christian K Alameda. “Social Determinants of Health for Native Hawaiian Children and Adolescents.” Hawaii Medical Journal 70.11 Suppl 2 (2011): 9–14. Print.
Winters, Elaine and Mark Swartz. "Hawaiians - History, European Settlement In The Hawaiian
Islands." Everyculture.com. N.p., 2009. Web. 5 Aug. 2016.
