THE IMAGINARY AUDIENCE, SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS, AND PUBLIC INDIVIDUATION IN ADOLESCENCE

In this study, we examined the construct of the imaginary audience (El kind & Bowen, 1979), presumably a precipitant of adolescent egocentris m, as it relates to public individuation and self-consciousness. We hy pothesized that the imaginary audience inhibits public individuation a nd represents a critical form of public self-consciousness. We also ar gued that the imaginary audience is a normal aspect of early adolescen t development that diminishes in the context of secure parental relati onships by late adolescence but remains salient if these relationships are insecure. These hypotheses were examined in a cross-sectional stu dy of 850 adolescents in the 7th, 8th, 9th, and 12th grades. Support w as generally found for the hypothesized relations. The validity and li mitations of the imaginary audience and public individuation construct s are discussed, along with more general theoretical issues concerning adolescent self-consciousness.