Self-awareness, and the object of its reflection, the self-concept, are central features of the conscious experience of adult humans in Euro-American cultures. The phenomenal reality of these facets of experience have fascinated scholars interested in human nature for centuries. Philosophers, psychologists, sociologists, anthropologists, and literary critics have offered (often contradictory) perspectives on the essence of the sense of self. Perhaps the single most perplexing issue in the vast literature concerns the genesis of selfawareness and the self-concept: How can the zygote – which by consensus is without self-awareness or a self-concept – develop into an adult human within whom these qualities are apparent?

Many of developmental psychology's greatest theorists (e.g., Baldwin, 1902; Guillaume, 1926/1971; Luria, 1976; Mead, 1934; Piaget, 1932/1965) have attempted to explicate the nature of self-awareness and the self-concept, as well as the processes through which they are acquired. There is agreement among these early theorists that social interaction of one type or another (imitation, role taking, and language use have all been proposed) is central to the development of the sense of self. (For a partial review of these theories, see Hart, Kohlberg, & Wertsch, 1978.) The postulate of the social origins of self-awareness and the self-concept continue to be evident in more recent accounts as well (e.g., Mahler, Pine, & Bergman, 1975; Stern, 1985).