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The Will vs. the Other: Cultural-Developmental Reflections on the Dialogical Self

The Will vs. the Other: Cultural-Developmental Reflections on the Dialogical Self. Jeffrey Jensen Arnett Clark University. Cultural-Developmental questions. When and how does the dialogical self emerge? How does it change with age and stage ? Socialization/Acculturation.

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The Will vs. the Other: Cultural-Developmental Reflections on the Dialogical Self

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  1. The Will vs. the Other: Cultural-Developmental Reflections on theDialogical Self Jeffrey Jensen Arnett Clark University

  2. Cultural-Developmental questions • When and how does the dialogical self emerge? • How does it change with age and stage? • Socialization/Acculturation. • Not just a dialogue; a battle: The Will vs. the Other. • Two Others: External Other and Internalized Other. • What is the range of cultural variation?

  3. Neonatal period (early weeks) • Is there a self? Some (dim) awareness of self-other distinction (sound, smell, touch). • Communication with others, shared routines, but no internal self-dialogue.

  4. Infancy (1st year) • Attachments to Others. • Greater bodily self-other awareness; mobility, intentional behavior. • Comprehension of language; limited production. • Socialization: The Will vs. the Other: NO! Esp. once mobility begins. • Cultural variations: Carried v. mobile.

  5. Todderhood (years 2-3) • Mastery of language. • Birth of self-recognition: the red-nose test. • Cultural requirements for self-regulation: toilet training, mobility, aggression. • The internalized Other: “A garrison in a conquered city.” (Freud) • Sociomoralemotions: guilt, shame.

  6. Toddlerhood • Evading the Other. • Lene: Miles, stop hitting the tree with that stick, you’re damaging it. • Miles (age 2): How about if I go someplace where you can’t see me? • Lene: No, that still won’t do. • Miles: How about if I go someplace where I can’t see you?

  7. Early childhood (ages 3-6) • Cultural moral socialization advances via physical and psychological control. • Rising expectations for self-regulation. • Cultural variations: self-esteem v. humility. • Shweder: by age 5, morally wrong in India to eat beef; morally right for father’s inheritance to go to son (not daughter); in the U.S., the reverse.

  8. Early childhood • Evading the Other. • Jeff: Who scratched the leather chair?! • Paris (age 4): It wasn’t us, Dad. • Jeff: Well, then, who was it? • Paris: Santa Claus.

  9. Middle childhood (ages 6-10) • “School-age” means rising requirements for self-regulation. • Relatively uncomplicated internal life; the Will subdued by the Other (temporarily); compliant and happy.

  10. Adolescence (ages 11-17) • Puberty  sexual Will. • Cognitive development: self-reflection, identity. • Self differentiation: actual, possible, ideal, feared, false. • The Will vs. the Other: sex, aggression, substance use, crime. • More advanced Theory of Mind  better at evading the Other. What lie will you buy? • Cultural variations: greater restriction or greater freedom?

  11. Emerging adulthood (ages 18-29) • Family ties diminished; new social roles not yet established. • The Will unleashed: Nadir of the Other. • Evading the Other: Deception and self-deception (throughout adulthood). • Peak of risk behavior: substance use, sexual behavior, crime. • Self-esteem rises. • Cultural variations: self-focused vs. family obligations.

  12. Young adulthood (ages 30-45) • The Other returns: Stable adult roles in love and work. • Peak intensity of family and work responsibilities. • Peak of community involvement. • Becoming the Other. • Cultural variations: How much of the Will is subsumed, in love and work? Soul mate marriage and identity-based work vs. arranged marriage and work as duty.

  13. Middle adulthood (ages 46-65) • Peak of expertise, authority. • The Will vs. the Other subsides: stability in love and work, rising well-being. • Cultural variations: Social responsibilities vs. individual goals.

  14. Late adulthood (beyond age 65) • Withdrawal from social roles. • Diminished position as the Other. • The Will fades. • Well-being rises still further: Peace at last. • Cultural variations: How dependent? How autonomous?

  15. Concluding suggestions • More attention to developmental changes in the DS. • More attention to the role of socialization in the development of the DS. • The Will vs. the Other. • Internal conflicts between competing aspects of the Self.

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