DEVELOPMENTAL AND SOCIAL PERSPECTIVES ON THE SELF - BRIDGING UNNECESSARY GAPS

This introduction to the special issue on <<Developmental and social p erspectives on the self: Bridging unnecessary gaps>> is meant to serve as a historical and conceptual working framework. With this framework we hope to provide a basis for the discussion of the following social psychological and developmental papers as well as the commentaries pr ovided by experts from the fields of social and developmental psycholo gy. The proposed conceptual working framework orders the research area <<self>> along three dimensions: content - process, cognitive - emoti onal - conative, conscious - unconscious. Similarities, differences an d possibilities of productive exchange between social psychological an d developmental approaches to the study of the self are suggested. Wit h regard to methods as well as to theoretical conceptions, the rather microgenetically oriented social psychological approach and the rather ontogenetically oriented developmental approach could profit from eac h other.