Development of the Self Concept

• The self has two different components: the "I self" (subjective self) and the "Me self" (objective self) according to William James' (1890) view of the self. ¹⁷

• The self concept is an individual's awareness of the self, including the subjective self and the objective self. ¹²

Early Development of the Subjective Self

• Agency refers to one's ability to control certain events in the world, which develops through interaction with the physical environment. 【5,6】

• Infants demonstrate an understanding of self vs. others, as evidenced by the rooting reflex and separation anxiety. 【5,7】

• Young children (3-4 years old) show inconsistent knowledge about the location of the self and the visibility of the self, suggesting an emerging understanding of the subjective self. 【7,8】

Early Development of the Objective Self (Self-Image)

• Newborns can imitate facial expressions, suggesting an innate understanding that "others are like me". ¹²

• The mirror self-recognition test (Rouge Test) shows that most children recognize themselves in the mirror between 21-24 months old, which correlates with personal pronoun use and pretend play. 【11,12,13】

• Recognizing the self in video or photo takes longer than in a mirror, as younger children (under 4 years old) have difficulty dissociating the current self from the image. 【13,14,15,16】

• Self-conscious emotions like embarrassment emerge between 18 months to 3 years, and are linked to mirror self-recognition. 【17,18】

Later Development of the Objective Self

• Self-definition becomes more complex over middle childhood and adolescence, shifting from concrete observable characteristics to more abstract and evaluative traits. 【21,22,23,24,25,26,27,29,30】

• Self-definitions are influenced by cultural constructs, with some cultures emphasizing an independent self and others an interdependent self. 【31,32】

Self-Esteem

• Self-esteem is a global evaluation of one's worth, emerging around 8 years old. It is affected by the discrepancy between the real self and the ideal self, as well as feelings of acceptance and support. ⁸