Ricerche di S/Confine (Feb 2015)
Lo specchio come strumento di riflessione del Sé e sul Sé
Abstract
The mirror as a tool for reflection of the Self and about the Self. The first experimental studies on the emergence of self-awareness in children have been conducted from the "casual" observation of the attitude of concern shown by toddlers in front of a mirror. The view of their as yet unknown reflection in the first year of life produces a reaction of a social nature, similar to that observed by placing one child in front of another; later, thanks to the discovery of the contingency of movement, it causes a sort of bewilderment and anxiety, which gradually leads to the discovery of their own identity and the existence of a virtual space. The paper aims to trace the pioneering and still current studies of René Zazzo, the French developmental psychologist, about the use of mirrors and other reflective surfaces for self-knowledge, and to show how today, in the wake of these studies, they are possible interventions to encourage in children, through games with their own images in the mirror, a " reflection period " or a rational meditation upon themselves and their various possible identities.
