Robert Kegan's the Evolving Self Problem and Process in Human Development

Unrecognized Genius of Jean Piaget Kegan reflects on the work of Jean Piaget, emphasizing the importance of his work. He first looks at Kegan's most famous study, in which he fills two identically shaped beakers with equal amounts of water. He then asks the child whether or not they are of equal volume, and when the child agrees, he pours the contents into a thinner beaker. The child then has to decide which has more, and usually opts for the taller and thinner beaker.

Kegan is pointing out the relative adaptive balance that is being made by the child. Children have their own perceptions of the physical world, and often have difficulty discerning relative differences in shapes and forms, among other things. Kegan purports that, "For the preoperational child, it is never just one's perceptions that change; rather, the world itself, as a consequence, changes" (29). Kegan then goes on to explore the concrete child or mature, developed child (usually around ten years of age).

He explains that at this stage of development, children are more interested in the limits of the world, and vast exploration of their environment. Kegan writes, "From our more evolved point-of-view we might say it is an exploration along a plane without recognition of the third dimension" (36). The concrete child has the ability to coordinate, and take empirical evidence and use it for equating similarities and differences. The concrete child has the ability to see processes, how they transpired, and how they can be reversed.

Kegan writes, "This new subjectivity can now construe the world propositionally, hypothetically, inferentially, abstractly" (38). These are observations initially made by Piaget that were so revolutionary in the analysis of mental and cognitive development. Kegan points out that Piaget's vision derives from a model of open-systems evolutionary biology. He writes, "Rather than locating the life force in the closed individual or the environmental press, it locates a prior context which continually elaborates the distinction between the individual and the environment in the first place" (43).

In other words, when analyzing cognitive development, we need to focus not solely on the environment or brain, but rather on both as intertwining entities. Piaget's framework was based around equilibration, or the ongoing conversation between the human and the world. This, Kegan notes, is a process of adaptation shaped by the tension between the assimilation of different experiences to inherent conceptions of the world. He says that while this process can be described as completely biological, it cannot be ignored that it is essentially grounded in experience.

Our emotions: loss, recovery, anxiety, depression, and happiness, stem from action rather than biology. Commentary: Piaget's framework is very easy to relate to. While biology is certainly a key factor in our cognitive development, we also cannot ignore the importance of environment. We are raised according to culture, paradigms, and most importantly, the principles of those around us. We are not products of biology, but rather of experience. For example, I define my life by action. Everything that has been pivotal in my life has been some sort of experience.

It is experience that produces my emotions, and most likely was the original developer of emotions. There is kind of an ambiguity in that, biologically speaking, the individual can be separated from experience, but at the same time, it cannot. It really depends on the framework used to define cognitive development. If one chooses that of a biologist, he or she would have to opt against Piaget's vision, but if one chooses that of experience, he or she is conforming to his standards of development analysis.

As previously mentioned, I agree with Piaget's framework. Experience is the catalyst in our cognitive development. I almost think biology could play a very small degree in this. For example, different environments tend to produce different minds, as opposed to biology. Certainly, the chemical reactions of our mind have some influence on our thinking, but experience has to be the predominant source. Chapter 2: The Evolution of Moral Meaning This chapter begins with Kegan's analysis of both the sophistication and immaturity displayed by children presented with a moral story.

The students showed an aptitude for feelings, especially those of good and bad. They recognized when the character in the story was happy, and when he was depressed. They instinctively knew that the former was better. They were able to put themselves in the characters mind in order to judge his feelings. The preoperational child, on the other hand, does not have the ability to place themselves in the position of a character from a story. They cannot distinguish other perceptions while still being themselves.

This is called the first Kohlberg stage, or the social correlate. Kegan defines it as, "the inability to distinguish between the other and my perception of the other, and the inability to get behind y perceptions and see the other as himself having to do with his properties" (51). Kegan goes on to analyze the other Kohlberg stages as they relate to development and moral aptitude. He comes to a crossroad in that at the latter stages of development, which theoretically are both equivalent, produce different actions in children.

Kegan tries to interpret this by inferring that commitment is the deciding factor. As he puts it, "Although concern for friends or loyalty to parents has some temporal dimension -- that is, the concern and loyalty may persist in the absence of the friend or the parent -- the commitment that has its origin in the physical presence of the other, is bound to shared space" (58). In other words, the idea of commitment is the variable when it comes to different moral decisions in the later Kohlberg stages.

He concludes that development is not only a matter of differentiation, but also reintegration. In other words, we reintegrate into a wider system of meaning when distinguishing moral values. These values, according to Kohlberg, "do not make the law or the maintenance of the group ultimate, but rather orient to a process by which the laws are generated, to which they can be appealed for modification on behalf of equally protecting the dignities of and opportunities of all parties" (67).

Commentary: thought the end of this chapter, where he deals with how we orient ourselves, was the most interesting. Kegan brings up the idea that, while we differentiate ourselves according to our country, environment, culture, family, ect, we also integrate ourselves to the greater meaning of "society." Our affection to our relative groups is not ultimate, but rather fairly fragile. It does not control our lives like many previous intellectuals have inferred.

Instead, we have a general sense of integration to all of society, and all so-called "groups." He tells the story about the Israeli doctor, and his approach to treating Arab soldiers. He has a partiality to treat the Israeli wounded, but at the same time, he feels as if it is his duty to help the wounded Arab. Whether this is inherent, or learned, I do not know. But what is interesting is that he is identifying an affection shared by all humans, for all humans.

This, Kegan infers, might be a step of evolution that all human beings go through. It could be deeply-embedded, inherent beliefs in all humans that there are a certain set of moral rules. It is possible that these are not learned. I believe this to be the case. I think that cognitive development might refine our outlooks on morals, but the basis for them is instilled in us from birth. We can tell right and wrong from an early age.

We know to identify happiness as goodness, and depression as bad. Chapter 3: The Constitution of the Self. In this chapter, Kegan sorts out the ideas of "self" and "others." He points out that the inability to differentiate between the two can be traced back to early cognitive development. Kegan describes it as, "Recurring issues of differentiation and integration throughout life come to b understood as the consequences, reflections, or offspring of this earliest period.

The recognition of this crucial era prior even to the oedipal years has led in effect to a restatement of Freud's dictum: now it is the infant who is father to the man" (75). He counters this argument later in the chapter, though, by saying that early infancy is not qualitatively different from any other moment in the lifespan. The fundamental aspect is not the stage of life, but rather the activity of meaning-constitutive evolution.

He says that infancy initiates themes that are traced through one's lifespan, but it is by no means a determiner of one's cognitive self. Newborns, Kegan asserts, live in an objectless world where everything is taken to be an extension of one's self. The infant's "binding energy" is moved from him or her, to another object. As Kegan puts it, "The infant's natural narcissism, or self-absorption, gradually comes to an end as he withdraws an attachment to himself in favor of a new 'object choice' outside himself (78).

When an infant differentiates him or herself from the world, the cognitive reaction becomes independent. Kegan points out that the neo-Piagetian view emphasizes the first eighteen months of life as the first instance of basic evolutionary activity. The child realizes that it is his or her own movements that create action. He or she realizes that there is a separate world, and that the world changes based on individual movements or actions.

Kegan continues by pointing out that, "the process of differentiation, creating the possibility of integration, brings into being the lifelong theme of finding and losing, which before now could not have existed" (81). Kegan defines the next stage as the impulsive balance stage. During this time, the child learns to employ reflexes as opposed to being them. The child learns to coordinate the "perceptions" and "impulses." Furthermore, the child is able to recognize separate objects according to his or her perceptions, as opposed to objective ones.

This goes back to the example of the child's interpretation of the two beakers filled with water. During this stage, the child can perceive a difference between the two, yet cannot equate the equivalence of them. The second stage Kegan defines as the imperial balance, which he distinguishes himself or herself from others. He or she is aware of the private world they exist in, and the independent thought they are capable of. The child can now control with great accuracy his or her impulses.

Things are no longer random, but happen for reasons, usually because of causality. This stage also marks the beginning of a conscious, and feelings of guilt. This stage can be closely associated with the previous chapter's exploration of the development of feelings of morality. No longer are the child's actions free of consequence. The third stage is that of interpersonal balance, which the introduction to personal conflict is. It involves the resolution of ideas, and rationalization of actions.

This stage incorporates for the first time the idea of balancing and rational thought in decision making. The fourth stage is that of institutional balance, which another stage of strengthening independence is. Finally, stage 5, or the interindividual balance stage, emphasizes the increased capacity to hear, speak, and alter behavior accordingly. Kegan points out the most important consequence of this stage is the finalization of "self." Commentary: The stages seem to make sense, but this chapter makes me wonder what kind of empirical evidence led to their differentiations.

How are we to know that the stages occur precisely at this order, and furthermore, how are we to decipher the child's interpretation of self? Kegan points out that these stages are somewhat intertwined, and can overlap. He says that every developmental stage is an evolutionary truce, or balance, but that at the same time, they can be transcended. The child may move back and forth between these stages in order to achieve some sort of balance.

This repetition may serve as a further construction of the "self," or it may just serve as a reinforcement of previously learned ideas. Chapter 4: The Growth and Loss of the Incorporative Self Kegan points out that a person's evolution is so crucial to understanding him or her because the way the person settles issues can relate back to his or her definition of "self" and "other." As previously mentioned, this construction can be partly due to biology, but also to experience.

Experience is result of the succession of "holding environments," which can also be contributed to the stages explored in chapter 3. Kegan notes that holding environments "are the psychological environments which hold us (with which we are fused) and which let go of us (from which we differentiate)" (116). This "holding on," or attachment, is one of the basis behind the idea of experience.

A second function of the culture of embedded ness is the idea of "letting go." At some point the child has developed a full range of emotions and idea of one's self, and needs to be released from the care of others to discover the world for themselves. The act of refraining from allowing the child independence can halter his or her cognitive development. A third function recognized by Kegan is that of remaining in place.

This idea stresses the, "reconciliation, the recovery, the recognition of that which before was confused with the self" (129). Following the child's new independence, this function serves as one of discovery. Commentary: It is interesting how Kegan can relate some major personality disorders with the way in which a child is either over-nurtured, or not nurtured enough. It goes to show that while the infancy is not the only source for cognitive development, it is the primary one.

How we are treated as infants is paramount in the development of our personalities. Disorders occurring from this stage can become extremely problematic later in life, and can often be very hard to correct. It goes to show that there is a certain formula to raising children from their infancy. There is a certain degree of emotion and "holding on," that needs to be given, but one should also be careful about giving too much.

It is important to balance these themes in order to develop a healthy mind in the child. Chapter 5: The Growth and Loss of the Impulsive Self. In this chapter, Kegan explores the transformation in which a person emerges from their embedded ness of impulses and perceptions, and from special adult-child relationships. This evolution, Kegan asserts, is organized by the idea of "loss." The loss of special involvement with objects and others mark the discoveries made in this stage.

Kegan writes, "How the small child navigates this first growth and loss of a full-blown yearning for inclusion must certainly have consequences for its future orientation to this side of life's motion" (143). Again, this idea relates back to the degree of nurture shown to the child. More nurture would equate to more loss, while less nurture would equate to less loss. Either way, this stage of development will have to occur at some point, regardless of all extraneous factors.

The differentiation between this and the previous stage, marked predominantly by loss, can be a very emotional time for the child. The child is dealing with dramatic change in his or her perceptions, and his or her surrounding environment. Kegan writes, "As the young child begins the differentiation from her old impulse bound self, she fairly cries out for the support of a culture which will bridge the self-she-has-been and the self-she-is-becoming" (146).

This is also a stage of great confusion because the child has not yet learned to completely control impulses, yet he or she is being inserted into a world that requires it. The child has to learn to rationalize his or her impulses and passions. It is, in many ways, a stage of self-sufficiency. Kegan says it is the classic expression of self. Summary: Kegan depicts this stage in the beginning of school.

Children around the age of 5, 6, and 7 experience school for the first, and often this is the catalyst for this stage to begin. Children are separated from their parents, and placed in an environment unfamiliar to them. They have to rationalize their impulses and fears at school, but this is part of the "growing" experience. The most symbolic part of this stage is the child's ability to show off his or her development outside of the house.

The child shows the parents his or growth, and this adds to the child's self, dignity and integrity. I remember my first years of school as being ones of great development. I learned how to socialize outside of the exclusive community that was my home. I learned how to balance ideas, and come to rational conclusions. Most importantly, I learned how to deal with the "loss" of the attention and "compassion" showed to me by my parents during the daytime. Chapter 6: The Growth and Loss of the Imperial Self.

Kegan points out that school has more functions than serving as a function for loss. It also, to some extent, defines a child's role. Kegan asserts, "In differentiating from his impulse confusion within the family, the child grows out of an undifferentiated adhesion to these older people with whom he lives, and into the role of 'child' in relation to 'parents'" (162). The child recognizes a world outside of his or her home, and the purposes it serves.

The child also recognizes the role of the two individuals most influential in his or her life up until this point. They are not the complete environment, but rather just a part of it. School offers things that expand on the child's learning that cannot be done in the home. The child is exposed to social interaction with peers, and the practicing of games with them. Kegan points out that, "These countless rituals, games, and understandings are also about the exercise, even the celebration of role" (166).

The school environment allows the child to expand his or her knowledge and image of self. More than anything, though, it serves as a major developer of self-sufficiency. During this stage, loss is no longer considered something that is bad, but rather something that is liberating. The separation from the exclusive family unit provides children with unlimited boundaries to explore the world around them. Anxiety from the separation from their family is replaced with a newfound curiosity.

Becoming comfortable within the new environment is not always immediate, but it occurs at some point. Commentary: Moving from the imperial to the impersonal self, in my opinion, is the most important stage of development. While this may not be as important in cognitive development as other stages such as infancy,.