GENDER-SPECIFIC MANIFESTATIONS OF EGO-CENTRISM IN THE PROCESS OF INTERPERSONALITY RELATIONS OF SENIOR PRE-SCHOOL CHILDREN

Abstract

This article focuses on one of the lesser-studied aspects in modern Russian psychology of the problem of personality development of pre-school age children - specific correlation between manifestations of ego-centrism and interpersonality relations with peers as regards a gender subject. The article briefly summarizes some of the existing approaches towards addressing the phenomenon of child’s ego-centrism as well as reveals the results of empirical study that illustrates some of the gender-specific manifestations of ego-centrism in older preschoolers and nature of correlation between the level of ego-centrism and sociometric status of 6-7 year-old girls and boys. A fact of more harmonious development processes of centration and de-centration among girls by the end of pre-school childhood and the prevalence of self-centrism on themselves among boys was found out. The data showing lesser propensity to gender segregation among pre-school girls were obtained. It has been established that sociometric status of pre-school children in the peer group is associated with their level of ego-centrism, namely: low and high levels of ego-centrism consistent with low sociometric status, whereas high sociometric status of a child is mostly observed at medium level of ego-centrism, which is characterized by a more harmonious balance of centration - de-centration.

Keywords

• ego-centrism
• centration
• de-centration
• interpersonality relations
• sociometric status
• older preschoolers