This could be referred to in terms of Stern's Sense of Subjective Self. As Stern notes, the child or infant becomes aware that the 'gap' that develops in the realization of its subjectivity can be overcome through various intersubjective experiences. My strength in this regard lies in my understanding of the value of intersubjectivity in enhancing my own sense of self.
Another strength that I have that can be related to Stern's theory is the verbal self. As Stern notes, the capacity that the child develops for representation and language usage also tends to enhance intersubjective aspects of development. In other words, intersubjectivity is improved through the development of symbolic language. This is a strength that I feel can be further enhanced and improved in later life. A sensitivity to language and symbolic representation also allows us to develop better relationship skills.
In conclusion, it is noteworthy that an imminent psychologist and theorist like Felix Guattari has this to say about Stern's theory. "[Daniel Stern] has notably explored the pre-verbal subjective formations of infants. He shows that these are not at all a matter of "stages" in the Freudian sense, but levels of subjectivation which maintain themselves in parallel throughout...
(Felix Guattari, Chaosophy: An Ethico-Aesthetic Paradigm, p.6) This stresses the view that these stages of self that Stern suggests are aspects that are ongoing and which can be applied to later life. In my case the aspect of the emergent self has shown that there are weaknesses in my personal development that could be improved by regulating and controlling my responses to diverse stimuli. At the same time my strengths lie in verbal communication and intersubjective relationships -- which is another area that could be improved by ongoing attention to cues and other aspects of communication in my daily life.
Bibliography
Daniel_Stern_(psychologist) Retrieved September 19, 2009, from http://www.reference.com/browse/wiki/Daniel_Stern_%28psychologist%29
Guattari F. (1995) Chaosmosis: An Ethico-Aesthetic Paradigm, trans. Paul Bains and Julian Pefanis. Bloomington: Indiana University Press
Stern, Daniel. (1985) the interpersonal world of the infant. N.Y.: Basic Books.
Zuriff, E. (1992). Theoretical Inference and the New Psychoanalytic Theories of Infancy. Psychoanalytic Quarterly, 61(1), 18-36. Retrieved September 20, 2009, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=76926326
