Through an original analysis of letters written by 8 students at 4 grade levels (grades 7 through 13), this paper shows the relationship between individual affective and cognitive development and social awareness. Specifically, their relationships are shown by analyzing the writer, the text, and the instructor. Results indicate that seventh grade students were clearly trying to understand who they were and what labels to give people. Ninth graders were organizing ideas and classifying people. Eleventh graders had the requisite experience to find individual examples as models, so they could rank these examples into good, better, best types of behavior. Students in grade 13 began to see the fluidity in relationships. Not only are the stages of affective growth revealed by writing, but the written text in turn is influenced by the affective growth of the writer. While the grade level development varies for particular students, its sequential pattern seems to be invariable. Students tend to enjoy social interaction and group learning, and the computer makes group revision, editing, and multiple copying easier than ever before. Emphasis on the use of small group discussions creates multiple perspectives as a basis for students' own interpretations and arguments. The importance of a sense of audience on the purpose, content and style of a writer's work is also emphasized. (MG)