Psychology Dictionary of Arguments

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Egocentrism: Egocentrism in psychology is the inability to see things from another person's perspective. It is a normal part of cognitive development in children, but it can persist into adulthood in some people.
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Annotation: The above characterizations of concepts are neither definitions nor exhausting presentations of problems related to them. Instead, they are intended to give a short introduction to the contributions below. – Lexicon of Arguments.

 
Author Concept Summary/Quotes Sources

David Elkind on Egocentrism - Dictionary of Arguments

Upton I 123
Egocentrism/adolescence/Elkind/Upton: [during adolescence there is a] change in cognitive skills is reflected in the growing ability of adolescents to handle increasingly complex scientific and mathematical concepts.
This new way of thinking also underlies the ability of the adolescent to engage in introspection and self-reflection, which, according to some theorists, results in heightened self-consciousness (Elkind. 1978)(1).
>Adolescence
, >Cognitive development, >Stages of development.
Elkind called this phenomenon adolescent egocentrism, suggesting that this governs the way in which adolescents think about social matters. According to this theory, adolescents believe that others are as interested in them as they are in themselves and in their sense of personal uniqueness.
Two aspects of adolescent egocentrism have been described:
- The imaginary audience: this is where adolescents believe themselves to be ‘at centre stage’. Everyone else’s attention is riveted on them.
- The personal fable: this underpins the adolescent sense of personal uniqueness and invincibility. No one else can possibly understand how they really feel; furthermore, although others may be vulnerable to misfortune, they are not.


1. Elkind, D (1978) Understanding the young adolescent. Adolescence, 13(49): 127-34.

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Explanation of symbols: Roman numerals indicate the source, arabic numerals indicate the page number. The corresponding books are indicated on the right hand side. ((s)…): Comment by the sender of the contribution. Translations: Dictionary of Arguments
The note [Concept/Author], [Author1]Vs[Author2] or [Author]Vs[term] resp. "problem:"/"solution:", "old:"/"new:" and "thesis:" is an addition from the Dictionary of Arguments. If a German edition is specified, the page numbers refer to this edition.
Elkind, David
Upton I
Penney Upton
Developmental Psychology 2011


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