Understanding Self-Awareness in Children

Elisha and Amanda's Reflection

Eight-month-old Elisha’s crib is located near a large mirror on her dresser, yet Elisha barely ever stops to look at herself in the mirror. On the other hand, her 18-month-old sister, Amanda, stops regularly to gaze at herself as she crawls around on the floor near the full-length bathroom mirror.

What is the likely reason that Amanda looks at the mirror but Elisha does not?

Answer: Amanda has developed self-awareness, or knowledge of herself.

Explanation: Self-awareness: In psychology, the term "self-awareness" is described as a phenomenon through which an individual tries to be getting aware of various aspects of the "self" such as feelings, traits, and behaviors. However, psychologists classified it as a "psychological state" whereby a person himself or herself becomes the "focus of attention". Types:
1. Conceptual self-awareness - thinking about oneself.
2. Embodied self-awareness - examine the types of one's inner states.

In the question above, Amanda looks at the mirror but Elisha does not because Amanda has developed self-awareness.

What is the reason that Amanda looks at the mirror but Elisha does not?

Answer: Amanda has developed self-awareness of herself.

Explanation: The ability to tune into your actions, feelings, and thoughts is called self-awareness. If someone is self-aware it means that they can recognize how other people see them. Public self-awareness and private self-awareness are two types of self-awareness. The theory of self-awareness was developed by parapsychologist Robert Wicklund and Shelly Duval, they proposed that when we focus our attention ourselves we compare our current behavior to our values and internal standards and we become self-conscious with the evaluation. The child is looking at the mirror because it is yet to develop self-awareness.

What are the types of self-awareness mentioned in the explanation?

The types of self-awareness mentioned in the explanation are conceptual self-awareness and embodied self-awareness.

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