Who am I? And what is this “I” capable of? Who are WE? And what
is this “WE” capable of? The process by which a child becomes
conscious of her or himself and the limits on what she or he can
do is deeply tied to that child’s growing understanding of where
he or she stands within a social context, as well as what that
child can or cannot accomplish in the presence or absence of
other people. For example, a three year-old can build a block
tower, and can also knock it down when she wants to. A three
year-old and a four year-old can build a block tower together,
and while the three year-old can knock it down when she wants
to, that action might incite the opposite emotion in her play
partner. This development is culturally specific, heavily
influenced by the value placed on individualistic or
collectivistic notions of identity within the society in which
that child grows up. The “whole” in that part-whole relationship
between the child and some entity might be a “whole” family,
village, community or classroom. I