Reviews contributions of symbolic interactionists Baldwin, Cooley, and Mead, for whom the self was primarily a social construction, crafted through linguistic exchanges with significant others. Discusses four potential liabilities of developing a self so dependent upon social processes: incorporating unfavorable opinions, failing to internalize…

Drawing upon extensive theoretical knowledge and decades of empirical research, this book traces changes in the structure and content of self-representations from early childhood through late adolescence. Chapter 1 includes a discussion of the self as subject (I-self) and object (Me-self) and describes the historical roots of contemporary issues…