The hallmark of human development and socialization is the development of the self. According to Charles Horton Cooley, the development of the 'self' starts by identifying the “I” or “me” of an individual and that is the perception of a person about themselves whether consciously or subconsciously as well as how they think others see them (Newman & Newman, 2015). People get to realize the self through their interaction with their social and 'non- social' environments. Personal identity is also achievable only through the realization of a person’s distinctive personality, but this is said to be a tedious life process.
According to Cooley, people develop their sense of self with the help of others (Dweck, 2000). It is not possible for anyone to develop opinions about themselves unless they have interacted with others in their social spaces. That can be equated to the act of looking at oneself in the mirror to know the physical attributes one possesses; these are the same attributes that others see. The same applies to Cooley’s theory which states that one forms the concept of themselves depending on how they relate to other people.
George Herbert Mead, on his part, developed the notion of “I” and “me” and set them aside as different. The “I” stands to represent the response an individual gives to others and it turns out to be the creative aspect of a person (Newman & Newman, 2015). He went ahead and said that the “me” is the social self that emanates from the self but one that is influenced by others in a given social space and it depends on the attitudes of others (Dweck, 2000). For example, the “I” dictates the thoughts that will lead someone to do something without being solicited. The “me”, on the other hand, is dependent on other people’s attitudes.
Lawrence Kohlberg, on his part, was more interested in presenting views that bordered on how people learned what is right and wrong. The development of the self, according to him, happens in three stages; the “preconventional”, conventional and “postconventional” stages. Young children experience life with the aid of their senses, but when they reach their teens they become aware of other’s feelings and that helps them determine what is right or wrong. But at the “postconventional” stage, people develop abstract thoughts about what is right and wrong (Dweck, 2000). A child will know whether stealing is right or wrong depending on how society reacts to this behavior. A teenager will react to the behavior through what other people feel about it while adults will develop abstract ideas on the effects of stealing.
Erickson believed that the development of 'self' takes place in stages and that social experiences influence this development. The central tenet of this theory centers on the development of the ego which is the conscious self. Piaget, on the other hand, believed that childhood experiences play a major role in the development of the self. He postulated that knowledge is acquired gradually and that it is a biological and environmental experience. These two agree on the notion that the development of the self, takes place at different stages. In life, knowledge is acquired gradually and through exposure one gets to gain and know more.
Another sociologist Carol Gilligan postulates that gender plays a very critical role in the development of the self. According to her, boys embrace justice more and put a lot of emphasis on rules and laws while girls develop care and responsibility by embracing reasons why people behave the way they do. Her tenets are central to the traditional gender roles played by either sex because boys and girls are cultured to play distinct roles in society. It is not surprising that motherly instincts take over their lives even at a very tender age while boys become the patronizing.
References
Dweck, C. S. (2000). Self Theories: Their Role in Motivation, Personality, and Development. New York: Taylor & Francis.
Newman, B. M. & Newman, P. R. (2015). Theories of Human Development. New York: Taylor & Francis
