Self-development: Integrating cognitive, socioemotional, and neuroimaging perspectives

Jennifer H. Pfeifer∗, Shannon J. Peake Department of Psychology, 1227 University of Oregon,

Eugene, OR97403-1227, United States

Theselfinpsychologicalscienceisanumbrellatermencompassingsuchdiverseconstructsasself-awareness,agency,self-
recognition,self-esteem,self-concept,thesocialselfandself-
enhancement(LearyandTangney,2003;SedikidesandSpencer,2007).

Likewise,evolutionaryapproachessuchasthatofRobinsandcolleagues(Robinsetal.,2008)haveident
ifiedseveraladaptivefunctionsoftheself:self-
regulation,identityformation,anditsutilityasaninformation-
processingfilterandbasisforunderstand-ingothers.

Developmental Psychology
Developmental psychologists study the plethora of psychological changes
that people undergo throughout their lives. The field of developmental
psychology was originally focused on studying how children develop to grow
into adolescents and then adults, but modern developmental psychology
examines the entire lifespan of human beings, from birth to old age.
Developmental psychologists study the development of a variety of skills and
characteristics, including cognitive abilities, motor skills, language learning
and communication, the nature of personality, and the way in which we
develop our identities, relate to our emotions, and conceptualize ourselves.
Due to the broad range of developmental psychology studies, there are a
number of theories and stages that have been developed in this field.
Psychologists have studied sexual development, moral development, memory
development, cognitive development, and social and emotional development.

Defining Socio-Emotional Development

Psychologists who study socio-emotional development are studying the way
our personalities, emotions, and relationships with other people develop and
change over our lifetimes. This includes the way we form friendships, the
way we express our emotions and interpret the emotions of others, and the
way we identify and think about ourselves. A branch of socio-emotional study
is referred to as emotional regulation, or the way we respond and control our
own emotions. Socio-emotional development often includes the way we make
the transition from having our emotions regulated by parents and other
authority figures, to being able to confront and control our emotions on our
own.

First, we discuss the interaction of genes

and environment in socioemotional development and its
implications for the traditional ‘nature versus nurture’ debate.
This discussion profiles the increasing importance of genetic
approaches to understanding socioemotional development.
Second, we discuss how socioemotional development is based
on the developing brain and biological systems in the body
as they respond to environmental events. This discussion profiles how emotion is a complex
neurobiological process in
which social influences can have immediate and long-term
effects. Finally, we discuss emotion regulation and its development. This discussion profiles the
complex foundations on
which emotions are managed, and their implications for
socioemotional development.